“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16 (NIV)
We are a means to an end.
Prayer changes things.
God ordains the final outcome, but our prayers can influence the situation.
We hear the statements above, but do we truly believe them? The Holy Spirit urges us to pray for others and ourselves. Our prayers are the only way to truly communicate with God. Of course, He knows our every thought and deed, but he longs for us to WANT to communicate with Him. And as saints of God, it should be our desire as well. In a society that cannot go into another room without taking a cell or cordless phone, we do not seem to be communicating with the One that matters most. If we want to be in constant communication with our work, our friends, and our families, why don’t we want to be constantly communicating with the most important Person we will ever know? The Bible says “pray without ceasing” but we can hardly pray without allowing ourselves to be interrupted by other less important things. Would it not make sense that Satan would use our desire for communion to our demise? Being able to constantly talk to and listen to other humans keeps us distracted from talking and listening to God. And don’t the humans usually take precedent since they are actually here on earth and are much easier to “reach out and touch” as the old phone commercial says? God does not give into our “instant gratification” that we can satisfy with a quick phone call or text message. He requires earnest prayer and inquiry, rather than shallow, trite drivel.
So when was the last time that you actually prayed to God? Today, yesterday, a week, or a month ago? Allow the Holy Spirit to take you by the heart and lead you to that magnificent place of communion with God. Not the shallow “thank you for this food” but the genuine praise that accompanies moving into the presence of the Almighty Creator God.
David knew the importance of prayer. His psalms are written prayers to the Almighty Father set to music. He spent times of war, want, abundance and glory in praise to God.
The apostle Paul knew that the prayers of the saints were powerful. He counted on them to help deliver him through the trials he faced while preaching the gospel. He often asked for prayers and also offered his prayers to others.
Jesus knew the importance of prayer more than anyone. He taught the disciples how to pray in our model Lord’s Prayer in Matthew. He spent early mornings before the rising of the sun in prayer and spent the night before his crucifixion praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.
We should understand that God wants to hear our prayers. Revelation 5 speaks of golden bowls of incense which are the “prayers of the saints.” God gathers and keeps our prayers as beautiful offerings to be cherished. Let us pray for each other and ourselves understanding that God is waiting to hear from us and longs to communicate back through His blessings and answered prayers.
We are a means to an end.
Prayer changes things.
God ordains the final outcome, but our prayers can influence the situation.
We hear the statements above, but do we truly believe them? The Holy Spirit urges us to pray for others and ourselves. Our prayers are the only way to truly communicate with God. Of course, He knows our every thought and deed, but he longs for us to WANT to communicate with Him. And as saints of God, it should be our desire as well. In a society that cannot go into another room without taking a cell or cordless phone, we do not seem to be communicating with the One that matters most. If we want to be in constant communication with our work, our friends, and our families, why don’t we want to be constantly communicating with the most important Person we will ever know? The Bible says “pray without ceasing” but we can hardly pray without allowing ourselves to be interrupted by other less important things. Would it not make sense that Satan would use our desire for communion to our demise? Being able to constantly talk to and listen to other humans keeps us distracted from talking and listening to God. And don’t the humans usually take precedent since they are actually here on earth and are much easier to “reach out and touch” as the old phone commercial says? God does not give into our “instant gratification” that we can satisfy with a quick phone call or text message. He requires earnest prayer and inquiry, rather than shallow, trite drivel.
So when was the last time that you actually prayed to God? Today, yesterday, a week, or a month ago? Allow the Holy Spirit to take you by the heart and lead you to that magnificent place of communion with God. Not the shallow “thank you for this food” but the genuine praise that accompanies moving into the presence of the Almighty Creator God.
David knew the importance of prayer. His psalms are written prayers to the Almighty Father set to music. He spent times of war, want, abundance and glory in praise to God.
The apostle Paul knew that the prayers of the saints were powerful. He counted on them to help deliver him through the trials he faced while preaching the gospel. He often asked for prayers and also offered his prayers to others.
Jesus knew the importance of prayer more than anyone. He taught the disciples how to pray in our model Lord’s Prayer in Matthew. He spent early mornings before the rising of the sun in prayer and spent the night before his crucifixion praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.
We should understand that God wants to hear our prayers. Revelation 5 speaks of golden bowls of incense which are the “prayers of the saints.” God gathers and keeps our prayers as beautiful offerings to be cherished. Let us pray for each other and ourselves understanding that God is waiting to hear from us and longs to communicate back through His blessings and answered prayers.
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