So many people are intimidated by the concept of prayer. They hesitate to speak to God, because He is too busy with the rest of the world to be bothered by their petty concerns. They would never, ever pray in public because people might judge their efforts as lacking. Yet, prayer is as easy as talking to your best friend.
Jesus actually is our very best friend (John
15:13-15). He laid His life down for each one of us, taking all of
our personal sins upon Himself. The only perfect, righteous man ever to live on
planet earth bore the shame of the sins of every person ever born or ever to be
born. Yet, He willingly gave up His life for our eternal security.
Praying words from Biblical passages gives us the
life-giving power of the Word behind our prayers. The scriptures were so well
written by people who felt just like we do. It is wise to journal in a notebook
as we pray too, in order to record the issues on our heart. Then, when God
answers those prayers we can verify the date in our journal, which will
increase our faith.
God cannot answer the prayers of an unbelieving person (Psalm
5:4). If we harbor sin in our heart, and yet claim to be Born Again, God
will not stay in our presence either (1 John 3:9).
Otherwise, there is no trial too severe or concern too trivial to bring to God
in prayer. We can talk to God about anything and everything that is on our
mind, and then sit in companionable silence in case He wants to speak to
us.
Taking time to listen to God's answers as we pray, allows
Him to communicate with us in His still, small voice in the center of our being
- in our spirit. The more we sit in those quiet moments, the more we will hear
from God, and the more we will come to recognize His voice (John
10:27-28; Psalm 46:10). He will lead us all through the day in this same
way and confirm His direction by His Word.
Prayer:
Father God, prayer is the opportunity to speak to You, the
God of the Universe. There is no being higher than You and Your ways are beyond
human reasoning. You know the end from the beginning (Isaiah
46:10); therefore, listening to Your truth through Your Word and
by Your voice speaking to us in times of prayer is the greatest blessing we can
ever experience on this earth. Draw us to Your heart each day and remind us
that You are waiting to hear our voice in praise to Your glory, contrition for
our sins, and gratitude for who You are and all that You do for us each day. We
find our ultimate peace and joy in Your presence in our life.
Thought for the Day:
Although God may not give us the answer we requested in our
prayers, He will always give us something better; even if it does not seem like
it at the time.
