~Archive - Number Forty~
Prayer
Write a letter to Santa and expect your desired “toy” to be under the Christmas tree. Close your eyes, blow out the candles, and your wish will always come true. Put money in the vending machine and see what delectable treat drops down for you to grab. Rub the genie lamp and all your dreams will come true.
Wow, do we ever treat prayer like that? Do we subconsciously treat God like the “Big Guy in the sky” who’s here to do our bidding? Forgive us, Lord, if we have ever done that. May we always walk close to You, Lord, so we can know Your heartbeat for the people of this world.
“…I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name,
He will give it to you.” John 16:23-24
So what is prayer, who can pray, and what are the things that might block our prayers from reaching up to heaven? What should we be asking the Lord?
An old Jewish mystic once stated, “Prayer is the moment when heaven and earth kiss each other.” Isn’t that sweet! Sometime in the late 1800’s, there was a young boy, who answered Dwight Moody’s question, “what is prayer?”, He stated, “Prayer is an offering up of our desire onto God for things agreeable to His will in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgement of His mercies.” And that came from a mere boy! Oh, that each of us would have this kind of wisdom and simple trust. I don’t pretend to fully understand how prayer really works - some things are supposed to be mysterious. I do know if we live in doubt, it’s like we are standing in quicksand. But if we live in faith then we stand on Jesus who is our Rock. When we ask in the name of Jesus, we would be asking for the same things Christ would be praying for. His will be done. Somehow, it is through our belief that God answers our prayers and that our belief becomes the force he waits to act upon. Amazing isn’t it?
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Every person on this earth can pray out for the mercy of God to save their soul from eternal death. But, it is only a child of God that can enter His throne room and ask anything in Jesus’ name. Jesus Himself taught us to pray, “Our Father who… (Matt 6:9). It is only His children who can come with full assurance and know that He hears and always answers our prayers. By starting the prayer with God’s name, we show He is sovereign. Prayer is when we unite with God’s will and join Him in whatever He is up to. He will stir our hearts to intercede for others so that we don’t just go to Him with our “laundry list”. It can be a sweet time of communion and a time of thankfulness and praise for Him.
What might be the things that cause blockages to having our prayers heard? Well, again as this young boy stated, we must come to God in a humble manner, confessing any besetting sin. Then know that once we have confessed, our hearts are pure and He will lean His ear to our heart’s cry. Hebrews 4:14-16 teaches us to come boldly into the throne room of God and stay to receive His mercy and grace in our time of need. Jesus is our High Priest who has compassion on us and can take us from sorrow to rise up and soar with Him.
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God waits to have special time with you and time of fellowship, so run to your prayer closet where there is privacy and no distractions and pour out your heart to Him. Then wait for the answer, which is either yes, no, or maybe it is keep on waiting (ha… it’s that waiting time that seems to be the most difficult to handle). But, if we are asked to wait in faith, then He will give us the grace to do it and time is nothing to God. Remember… we won’t need faith in heaven!
The meaning of prayer in Hebrew (te phillah) = intercession, supplication, hymn, worship. Is this what our prayers look like?
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For We Know Who You Are
In seeking guidance and asking to hear Your voice oh God,
You faithfully speak out Divine Words that touch
the recesses of our spirit which gives to us
the assurance to stand on the claim that we…
know and believe in who You are.
Lord, when we bear up along in You through the hard places,
just longing to hear the strength of Your voice-
O, You speak ever so clearly by revealing Yourself in creation
as we look upon the vision displayed throughout all time
with our eyes of thanksgiving…
You boldly show us the splendor of just who You are.
In the times of loneliness or fearing the unknown,
You accept the cries of our desperate words as they are released
until they come up empty and can be found no more…
and only then the cleansing of tears
will be our language shared and given over to You-
for we rest in the comfort of who You are.
Once again, we shall embrace Your words as they enter
back into our enlightened hearts;
lifting up our heads and hands in worship and praise
for the joy and salvation in Christ that we possess.
And no matter our circumstances or state of mind-
we shall always have hope, because we know just who You are.
KM
Simple Blessings
May it be our desire that we be women who live in the present and are aware of the world around us. May we take notice of the blessings God gifts to each of us, and always long to hear His whispers. Shall we also pray with a more purposeful focus on God’s will? And as we stay connected in our relationship with Christ, we will become more thankful followers. Let us commit to doing this together! Close your eyes…Open your heart, let God’s Spirit empower you today.