All tagged pray
On this day, Christmas Eve, I am contemplating my morning devotional reading and am not surprised by its subject... Rejoicing! In this season of hope, and as we prepare for the crescendo of our joyous celebration tomorrow, it seems only fitting to contemplate rejoicing as we anticipate the joyous birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah!
Prayer and the Word of God; they go hand in hand. In the Word we are taught so many things; things like how we were created, how to worship, how to live, how to pray, how to gain forgiveness through Jesus, and how to receive eternal life by believing. We are taught many lessons regarding physical life, and faith, but none is any more important than how to come before our Father God in prayer... It is His will for us.
Today my devotional reading was on a subject I am very familiar with... Praying for those in authority. From world leaders to leaders of our various countries, communities, churches, businesses, and families, we are instructed to pray for them. Whether they are good or bad, righteous or sinful, we are meant to pray for them all.
This morning I am dwelling on a particular thought regarding prayer, and that is the reality that we are truly blessed when we are able to bless others by our prayers. I also realize that while God is blessing us, He is blessing others through us. God gives us the ability to touch those around us in prayer, and in so doing allows them to touch us too… it is a revolving door of prayer in which we are both coming and going… touching, and being touched when we lay hands on one another.
Have you ever wondered what happens when we break bread together? Is sharing a meal and the breaking of bread a spiritual occurrence or just the fulfillment of a biological need? This is our thought for this morning, and we should think on this every time we sit down to eat. Is communion the only time the Jesus joins you at the dinner table?
The 2024 presidential election in the United States is over for another four years, and a new president has been elected, but this doesn’t mean that that our nation is at ease. Now begins the big job of healing that facilitates making peace within ourselves, and loving one another. Are we praying for our neighbors and enemies? Do we realize how important praying for them is when it comes to restoring tranquility, calm, and order to our country? Let’s think on this today, and pray as we should for one another.
Today let’s concentrate on prayer as the divine pattern for our relationship with God. As I read my devotional message this morning Pastor E.M. Bounds dealt with this subject using these words: "No standard of religion is worth a moment's consideration when it neglects prayer... A life of prayer is the divine rule. This is the pattern, just as our Lord is the one Example that we must follow. Prayer is required for a spiritual life... Our goal should be set not by the opinions of people, not by what they say, but by what the scripture says."
When we pray we often ask for things we need, but do we also seek God's will for us in prayer. It is so tempting to determine our own way or to follow blindly the path that others have blazed, but our ways and those of others will be found lacking if they aren't guided by the will of God throughout our lives. We should place Jesus, and God's will for us, before all else. Our faith in God's will and the gospel of Jesus should be all consuming, and ever on our minds.
The devotional I read this morning was titled "God's Factory on Earth" and dealt with the duty of the Church on earth. This subject fit nicely with the discussions of character and conduct we have been engaged in. As I thought about this subject it occurred to me that there was a similar leaning to scripture which speaks of saving our individual selves... and what comes afterwards.
This morning we will contemplate the time we spend with the Lord. Although we aren't judged by the number of minutes that we pray, we should still spend a great deal of quality time walking, and talking, with God over the course of our day. Our prayers are the answer to the question that God asked Elijah… “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Has He asked us the same question? Have we ever wrapped our faces in our cloak and stood at the entrance to our prayer closet listening?
Let’s take a moment this morning and ask ourselves "When was the last time I prayed for my pastor?" We often get wrapped up in praying for those in need around us in our daily lives and forget the importance of praying for our pastors, priests, and reverends... but as Paul taught... Praying for our pastor brings them strength, and us joy.
Prayer as a tool for spreading the gospel continues to be our thought this morning, and Pastor E.M. Bounds observes that "The gospel moves altogether too slowly..." and suggests prayer as the cure for this lumbering pace when he says "Prayer, more prayer and better prayer will do the deed." He goes on to write; "This means of grace will give swiftness, splendor, and divinity to the gospel." We live in a world filled with wickedness and unbelievers. Some know who Jesus is by name but have never heard the gospel, while others may be entirely ignorant of God, Jesus, and faith. Our task at hand is to deliver that message and allow these poor souls to make a spiritual decision based on biblical facts and not their own conclusions… then to help them on their spiritual way.
Prayer is indeed central to our lives as Christians, and should be included in every breath we take. It is the essence of our relationship with the Lord, and the vehicle by which we touch Him, and he touches us as well. The apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Thessalonians just how often we should pray, and a bit about what should and shouldn’t be included in our prayers.
Specific answers to prayer was the topic of the devotional message I read this morning. Pastor E.M. Bounds said this regarding the subject: "God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, are both strongly committed by the truth of the Word and by the integrity of their character to answer prayer." In both the Old and New Testaments we are assured and reassured that our prayers will be heard and answered, and in Psalms we have more prayers than in any other book in the bible. Specifically there are 72 prayers included in it; and there are also instructions regarding how we should pray them, and reassurance that they will be answered.
Where do we seek shelter when the storms of life come? This morning the devotional message I read was titled "When Trouble Comes" and E.M. Bounds wrote that "the most natural thing to do is carry your troubles to the Lord and seek grace, patience, and submission there." We are indeed blessed to have such a place of shelter and safety in our times of distress. God is our strong tower and Jesus Christ our Lord is dependable and true as He tells us to pray in His Name, and intercedes for us.