08/05/2024
As Christians we are the product of prayer. This morning we are contemplating the way that prayer changes who we are by making us righteous, perfecting our character, and dividing us from sin, thus giving us peace.
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
2 Corinthians 10:5-6 ESV
Prayer lifts us up and brings us into conversation with God... There is no room in that time of communion for sin. Pastor E.M. Bounds says this eloquently using these words:
"Prayer produces cleanliness of heart and purity of life. It can produce nothing else. Unrighteous behavior is born in the absence of prayer. The two go hand in hand. Prayer and sinning cannot keep company with each other. One or the other must stop." – E. M. Bounds
Prayer and sin are like light and darkness; when one exists the other cannot. Even when we are embroiled in a sinful behavior, we must stop that disobedience (perhaps for but a moment) as we ask God for His help in defeating it altogether. The struggle between good and evil, dark and light, and most definitely between sin and prayer are ongoing in our lives.
We wrestle with darkness and sin. From the time of the Garden of Eden, we have known the difference between good and evil, righteousness and sin, and with that understanding there also came fear and terror. Unless we were evil ourselves, we feared the night, and in our struggle to reclaim our goodness and righteousness we would sleep with the lamp lit for fear of the darkness. However, there is a way to release ourselves from those fears, and our night terrors… we can do so through faith and prayer.
“You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.”
Psalms 91:5-8 ESV
Our Lord is the light that we need in the darkness, and through our prayers He goes before us into battle against evil. He has conquered death and sin for us... all we need to do is recognize this as being true before we can claim His victory for ourselves. We can do this by leaning on our faith, prayer, and an Amen.
This morning when we pray; whether for things in our lives, or those that are in the lives of others, let's remember that God hears our voice, and in our time of communion with Him, that there can be no evil, no fear, and no darkness… only peace in Him. In Psalm 46:10 we are told to "be still" but in order to realize this stillness and peace we must first pay attention to the words that follow... "And know that I am God". We must trust in God for who He is, and meet Him fully in our prayers. When we do that, the darkness will be banished, we will realize that sin is defeated, and that our terror has retreated in the presence of His peace.
May the peace of God follow each of us today, and might we trust in the fact that His presence is with us always… especially as our prayers are being lifted up. In this way we will be still, at peace, and free of fear and terror, always. Amen
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the peace you bring to us, and for freeing us from the night terrors that haunt our dark and sleepless hours. Thank you for allowing us to pray to you, and for bringing your stillness and rest into our lives. Thank you for giving us your comfort and light where there was once only anxiousness, fear, and darkness. Help us in our unbelief that we will grow stronger in our faith, and pray more fervently with power for your protection. Help us to find relief from the darkness and from Satan who prowls it. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who was, and is, and is to come. Holy are you who is mighty above all others. You are the King of kings. Watch over us Father as we rest in Christ, and give us sleep in the darkest of nights. Hear our prayers and cover us with your warm and comfortable cloak to comfort us. Never let us doubt your provision, your protection, and the peace we find in your arms. You are our strong tower, and your rod and your staff comfort us and give us the sound sleep of children in their parent’s beds. Praised be your name Abba, now and forevermore.
Amen, Amen, Amen
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Psalm 91:1 ESV
Rich Forbes