April 8, 2015

The Christian life is wonderful. When we accept the free gift of salvation, we become a new creation and become a child of God. We seek the light instead of darkness but unfortunately we suffer from the curse of Adam’s sin. From physical death and sickness to financial problems and everything in between, life can be hard. Not only does it rain on the unjust but also the just. No one is spared. Even so, we are never alone. We have the ability to call upon the name of the Lord in our time of trouble or sorrow.

The Apostle Paul made it clear that we are in a race; “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us; looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12: 1-2. In order to win our race, we need to commune with God. Prayer is the answer. Whether giving thanks or in our time of need, God’s power is always available. 

Many Christians today have become distracted by the world and by the power of the flesh. Instead of turning to the Lord first, we turn to the world for answers. We go to Google or YouTube or seek advice from an expert, family member or friend. While that may suffice for simple problems or those questions that can be answered, it’s the complexities of life that often have no substantive answers. So when everything else fails, we cry out to God for help. Our motive should be based on faith and not desperation. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

Faith is one of the core principles of Christianity. Our salvation is based on our turning away from our unbelief and placing our trust in our Creator for his atoning work at the cross. If we truly believe that Christ can save us from the second death, then we know that all things are possible through Him. “I can do all through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 Then it is without question that he has the power to answer our prayers. By placing our trust in Him, we will have peace to face the world head on. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1-21. That would include all of our needs. “But my God shall supply all of your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:16. We should always go to the Lord first and to seek him in all that we do. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6. Even if our faith is small, God sees our hearts and will hear us. “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Mathew 17:20.

God always answers prayer; he just may answer it in a different way or at a time of his choosing. After all, our time is not God’s time but we should keep praying and not be discouraged. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:16. Sometimes we may not know exactly what to pray for or how to address a certain situation, but God will know what we need.   Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Romans 8:26.

We have the ability to go to God anywhere, anytime and for any reason. "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.: 1 Timothy 2:8 Yet we need to be humble when we pray not doing it in a manner to show how "religious" we are.  "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Mathew 6:6.  Now that does not mean we should not pray publically such as giving thanks for our meal. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Thessalonians 5:18. 

It is important to understand that sin no longer separates us from God once we are saved,  however sin has consequences as noted earlier. Yet God will forgive our sins and wipe them clean if we ask for forgiveness when we seek him in prayer. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. So there is no reason to deny yourself a relationship with your heavenly Father. Now while the concept of forgiveness is fairly easy to understand, praying for people who hate you is one of the most difficult to accept. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Mathew 5:44 For one thing, bitterness will only hurt you and will do nothing to those that harmed you. If you take your enemy off your hook and put them on God’s hook, he will do a better job of redress than you can ever hope for and only good will come out of it.

Christians need to understand that we have one of the most powerful tools in the universe, prayer. With this power, we can be victorious over sin and the world. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3. As flawed humans, we let doubt limit our prayers. We sometimes look at the pond but we can’t see the ocean. With God, there are no limits to what he can do. That is why we need to approach the Lord boldly with our requests. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

The most powerful in our nation through out history have acknowledged the power of prayer. Presidents have publically bowed their knee to our almighty God and recognized prayer as a necessity. "I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." President John Adams.   "At this moment, I have in my heart a prayer. As I have assumed my heavy duties, I humbly pray, Almighty God, in the words of King Solomon: 'Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad, for who is able to judge this thy so great people?' I ask only to be a good and faithful servant of my LORD and my people." President Harry S Truman.   "My first act as president is a prayer. I ask you to bow your heads....  President George H W Bush 

The need for prayer was not limited to our leaders; it was sought by our government. It began as a national effort by believers and became known as the National Day of Prayer which continues today. "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!"  President Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation for a national day of prayer. March 30th, 1863.

 There is no doubt that God speaks to us through his Bible and we speak to God through prayer. We can go to him anytime, anywhere and with any issue. He answers all pray as long as it is part of his plan for our life and it brings glory to his name. It is his decision on the manner and time of his answer. We must seek him with faith. Call upon Him today!