Ephesians 6.18-20
Everyone knows that we should pray more. No one argues that point. Great saints who have devoted their lives to prayer, long to be closer to God. Those of us who live "normal" lives generally believe that prayer is important, but feel
- Ill-equipped to pray more than we do. We are untrained. We do not know how to pray.
- Pressed for the time. We know that we should pray more, but we work. We have families. We have community responsibilities. There is only so much time in a day.
- Embarassed to pray in public. We do not want others to think we are weird, or fanatical.\
In the coming weeks we are going to try to address some of these issues. We begin today by determining why we should pray.
There are some practical, non-spiritual reasons to pray. One of the best is that prayer/ meditation is a wonderful tool to improve your health. The act of silence, a time of stillness will benefit your heart, your blood pressure and your attitude. For many people this is enough reason to pray.
But there are some more tangible-spiritual results from prayer. Prayer brings with it...
- Power. If we do not pray, we cannot know the full extent of the power of God.
Acts 4.31 After they prayed there was a manifestation of power
Acts 12.5-11 The church prayed for Peter, and an angel delivered him from prison.
Acts 16.25-26 After prayer the chains of Paul and Silas were removed.
- Peace. There is, of course the peace of mind and tranquility that we have already mentioned, but the peace that comes from God, through prayer, goes much deeper than this. The first fruit of the Holy Spirit is peace (Galatians 5.22). Peace comes through prayer and relying on the presence of God.
- Patience. The old saying about how God answers prayer is true. He always answers. Sometimes he says go. Sometimes he says no. Other times he says slow. Although we never like learning patience (we don't have time for it, after all), it is a great thing to have. (cf. Isaiah 40.31) In addition, spending time with God will give us patience. Prayer will teach us to wait on the Lord and his answers.
- Presence of God. When we pray, we invite the presence of the Lord. We welcome him and his word into our lives. Jonah is a perfect example of this. He ran from God and did not want to hear the Lord or his word. But when he was in a bad place, he returned to the Lord. He prayed from the belly of a fish and the presence of the Lord joined him there. (Jonah 2.1; 3.1)
3 comments:
Prayer is one of the most important things that any Christian does. What are some practical ways that any person can pray? What has been helpful for you?
The easiest is at mealtime or bedtime (unless you fall asleep the instant you hit the pillow!)
I pray often when I'm driving, praying for people & places that I pass along the way as well as those I have in my heart & mind. Writing down a list of prayer requests helps get them into my mind, even if I don't get out my list & pray for everyone line by line. Sometimes while I'm at work I will pray for the people who are directly related to the project I'm working on. I started this when I was taking in sewing & decorating cakes -- they always got a measure of prayer time with their order (although I didn't tell them about it.) I'm sorry to say that I don't do that nearly as much now. Thanks for bringing this to my mind, the people & businesses who are advertising need my prayers too. I will make a concerted effort to start doing that!
One of the hardest things to do in prayer time for me is to just be quiet & let God touch me. Sometimes He lays a prayer need on my heart when I listen & pray this gives me additional opportunity to commune with Him.
Isn't God wonderful?!!!
I find that prayer is easiest when I write. I keep a prayer journal which I can write in and then sometimes skim back through to see where prayers have been answered. I am not as faithful to this as I would like to be but I do feel that I can stay focused when I write. I agree with pigeon river that it is very easy to pray while driving. I very often will drive with no radio so that I can have quiet time with God. I think that praying in public becomes easier with practice - just as many other things "practice makes perfect". I was very uncomfortable praying with my family in a restaurant but now it is just as easy as praying at my own kitchen table. It is important to devote time each day to quiet prayer - undistracted, but I also feel that there are times when life is overwhelming and a short "time-out" to connect with God can really help gain a sense of calm when things are crazy.
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