On my walk the other day, I encountered our neighbor. We stopped to chat as we had not seen one another for quite some time. With both our families grown now, we spoke of what our children were doing. She made a great comment. She said we may not have our children at home any longer to guide their way, but we do have the power of prayer we can lift up on their behalf each day. What great insight because this is something that every Christian has at their disposal. So why do we often neglect this?
Prayer is merely talking to God. There is nothing difficult or hard, but it cannot become a practice in our life unless we commit to spend time with the Lord on a daily basis. I don't know whether it is laziness or apathy, but we often forfeit this privilege. I am reminded of a great hymn with a simple truth "What a Friend We Have in Jesus":
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
2
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
3
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
Could there be any more encouraging words than these? We forfeit peace, joy and relief from the pain of walking in a fallen world when we do not take our problems to the Lord. The Bible clearly tells us in I Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray without ceasing." A simple command to believers. We do not need to use the same words over and over. God hears us the first time we call in the name of Jesus. Actually, He knows what we need before we ask. Yet, He desires to hear from us what it is that our heart needs.
We know that prayer is important because Jesus took the time to teach the disciples how to pray. He also went off and prayed by Himself to the Father as an example of how to live in communion with our God. Shouldn't we do the same?
Further, we know that Christ found strength through prayer as demonstrated when He prayed for us (John 17). Then, in the Garden, (Matthew 26:36-44) our Lord went and prayed three times to the Father that the cup might be taken away, but He was ever obedient to do the Father's will. He implored His disciples to pray as well that they might not fall into temptation. However, like many of us, they succumbed to sleep. If this is not an important exercise, the Lord would not have emphasized it.
Finally, the Apostle James (the half brother of our Lord), tells us in James 5:16b: " The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." He tells us in the same chapter to pray for one another for healing. We can bring all our requests before the Lord and leave them with Him. We need not go on carrying burdens or heartaches alone. God will hear us when we call to Him. I can think of no greater privilege we can have than being able to talk with our God.
Seeing my neighbor the other day was a blessing and a reminder for me that we have great power in prayer. After all, it is the one wireless connection we have that will never fail! May we not neglect our time with God!! He will do what we cannot. Selah!
No comments:
Post a Comment