Prayer is
the most important spiritual discipline we can accomplish. Prayer is speaking
to God from our heart. Rote prayers and formulas for prayer are unnecessary.
God already knows our heart and delights in hearing our own words (Luke 16:15).
As we
mature in Christ, God places His burdens upon our heart for the lost people
groups in our world, for those laden by illness and natural disasters, for
people devastated by the loss of a loved one through death or divorce, and
those suffering from other distresses caused by this sin-cursed life.
God gives us His heart and lays His burdens on us a bit heavier as
time progresses. When we faithfully pray, the intense weight is terrible at
times, but the fact that God trusts us with His heart is joyful and spurs us on
to persevere in prayer.
As we acknowledge our dependence on Christ in all things,
especially in prayer, we pray in the Spirit as well as with our human
understanding (1 Corinthians 14:14-15). We see mighty answers to our prayers
from a God who delights in bringing us joy (Psalm 149:4).
We stop limiting God by our doubts and carnal thoughts. We follow
our Lord Jesus' example and pray the prayer, which never fails, "Lord,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Luke 22:42)
God already knows our needs, but He delights in our dependence on
Him. Our Father savors the words of praise and adoration, which we pour out in
our prayers.
He delights in our companionable silence when there is no
immediate need to lift up in supplication. We bask in the warming rays of His
continual presence.
We yearn for intimacy with Him, and He snuggles us under the
shelter of His wings as He showers us with His love (Psalm 17:8). We even
experience the fullness of His glory from time to time.
We pray without ceasing all through the day, regardless of the
circumstances in which we find our self. We look for His seed for a miracle in
the negative aspects and rejoice in His provision and blessings in the positive
experiences.
Prayer:
Father God, as we take time in Your presence more and more with
each passing day, Your love shines in us and through us as a beacon to the lost
and dying world around us. Your Word shows us that the Saints of old persevered
in their anointing by abiding in Your presence. Help us to fully surrender to
Your Spirit each moment of our day.
Remind us in the midst of our infirmities that the ministry of
prayer and intercession is the most powerful task You share with Your Body.
When we allow You to remove our need to stay busy, You use our whole being in
this vital ministry. We do not need to be bed-ridden to be effective in prayer;
it is simply a matter of priorities. Prompt us to cry out day and night for
Your Kingdom to reign over all the earth.
Thought for the Day:
When we pray without ceasing, we abide in fellowship with the Trinity and access their power in every circumstance in our life.
When we pray without ceasing, we abide in fellowship with the Trinity and access their power in every circumstance in our life.
