Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Do we still pray in our meetings and at home?

The Lord is continuing to bring me back to the place of being still and waiting. During this time He has reminded me of the importance of constant prayer and communication with HIM.
In my walk through the years I was taught that prayer is more than us talking about our problems to God. Or more than us doing all the talking and then just walking away as if we don't care about what God wants to say.
The last two weeks have been some of the best times I have had with the Lord as He is continuing to place His peace in my heart. I have been spending more time praying and listening.
The morning times is some of the best times I have, knowing I will be able to be with the Lord without distractions. I am always the first one up in my family. So I try to spend that time with God in praise and prayer.
The other day I was watching a Christian show and they were talking about prayer. They used the scripture out of James as one of their examples.
"The effective, fervant prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16b.
The definition of fervant is ; extremely hot glowing, emotion or zeal.
You see in Titus it says we are to be zealous for the work of God. And here in James the word is saying we are to be zealous in our prayer life also.
How many of us spend our time in prayer giving God the "oh wo is me" type of prayers?
Man how would you like to be the one hearing everyones negative down troddened issues all the time?
We need to be effectively fervant in our prayers. Thanking God and praising Him. Then when we pray focus on what He wants from us. He knows what we need before we ask. In Phillipians it says to be anxious for nothing. So why do we think we should be begging God for something?
We need to be giving Him our best. Are you sick ? Than seek Him and ask Him for healing. Have faith to know He is hearing your prayers. Have faith that He is willing to heal.
Don't doubt.
What if you don't know what to pray? Well in Romans 8:26 the word says that the spirit intercedes for us with groanings for we know not what to pray in our weakness. So you see again He provides a way for our prayers to be presented even when we don't know what to say.
Has He put something on your heart to pray about? Then pray right then. Don't wait to ask someone to pray with you. We have an advocate in heaven we don't need others to help us pray all the time. Granted there are times when we are to pray with others, but don't hesitate to pray immediately if God puts something on your heart. You may be the one who He wants to use.
What if an ambulance is called out of the station for an emergency and the driver says well I'll wait until tomorrow when the other workers are here and they can help too? That won't happen and it shouldn't happen in our time of praying for one another.
Jesus says we are not to "lose heart" when we pray. Luke 18:1. That goes back to that oh wo is me again. Don't get down and feel like you have already lost the battle before you give it to the Lord.
Man if we could just get it through our thick flesh that all things are possible through God and if we had faith like a mustard seed. What could happen?
God also doesn't need us to make up excuses why He hasn't answered a prayer. Oh well it is appointed once for man to die and then the judgement. Yes it is, but He can still heal. He can still provide. He can still do all things.
We are to pray without ceasing. 1 Thessolonians 5:17. If you have something on your heart don't stop praying until you feel the burden lifted.
I can't tell you how many times I have had to pray until I felt a peace about something.
Please when you have your time of meeting with one another don't miss the opportunity to pray in a group setting. Our meetings need to be prayer meetings just as much or more than teaching meetings. Acts 1:14
Praying to the Lord is a command. Jesus said, when you pray! Not if you pray.
We must be about the work of the Lord. This includes praying for the saints. The saints are all who walk this earth and are believers.
The saints are not dead people. We don't pray to dead people. Jesus is alive!
We must pray for one another daily.
Please take the time to listen to God when you are praying. He may give you an answer immediately or it may be in time. Yet do we really take time to listen? Remember Jesus said to not lose heart. So if you don't get an answer in your timing don't give up!
If we spent all of our days talking and never listening to those we interact with how far would we get in life?
God still speaks today. He may use scripture, a billboard, or other people etc.
Be ready to listen. Then test the word with scripture.
More to come!

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