For
the last several weeks, I have been reading and studying a book I received from
the Billy Graham Evangelistic Ministry, written by Franklin Graham and Dr. Ross
Rhoads. It is entitled, ALL FOR JESUS-A
Devotional.
In
my journey through this little book, I have gone down the road of Service-
God Can Use Anyone; climbed the mountains of Discipleship-The Basics and Discipleship-
Beyond the Basic; crossed the plains of Assurance-The
Certainties of Our Faith; and now find myself exploring the caves of Prayer- Access to the Heart of God...and
that's where I would like to hang my hat for the next several days as I write
about this wonderful expression that draws us closer to our Heavenly Father
when we bow to pray.
The
first question that might come to mind is what is Prayer...really? Most of us
would say it is our desire to communicate with God so we can let Him know
what's on our mind, what we need and oh yes, thank Him for His love and
provision in answering our former prayers. All in all, that might, at least at
face value, be a fair assessment of prayer for many believers. But for those
who want a deeper and more satisfying relationship with Jesus, this barely
scratches the surface. So my desire in my next few writings will be for us to
take a closer look at PRAYER.
If
we turn the word Prayer into an acronym, it might read as follows:
P....Personal...It
is when we come to God, stripped of our self-righteousness, ready to bare our
soul and hungering for His touch and feelings of closeness.
R...Removed...It
is when we enter our sanctum, shut out the woes and worries of this world and
concentrate on who God is and on our RELATIONSHIP with our Heavenly Father.
A...Assurance...When
we pray, we find assurance in our relationship with God because our faith tells
us that He is listening and waiting to know our heart for Him.
Y...Yearning...
Bowing in humility when we pray expresses our yearning to be near Him, to be
more like Him and to draw nearer to our Creator and our Savior as we seek His
will for our life.
E...Energizing...When
we pray, we leave the Throne Room of God, having left our cares, troubles and
worries at the His Feet and we become energized and encouraged to be a servant,
working diligently for the Master.
R...Relational...Our
prayer life has a DIRECT EFFECT on who we are in Christ and how we either value
or devalue what Christ did for us...and how his Spirit lives in and through us
as a Child of the King!
Yes,
outside of reading the Word of God on a daily basis, there is NOTHING more
vital to the growth and maturity of our life in Christ than the time we spend
in prayer with our GOD. When you think about it, our prayer really does nothing
for God...it probably sounds a lot like a bunch of spoiled children whining
about what the need; what they want or how if God would only do such and such,
our lives would be so much better ...and thus, we would be more likely to
follow and obey. Now, I don't know this to be true; however, I have seen in my
own prayer life over the years that I tend to pray more when I need something
from God or I want Him to fix something in my life that I can no longer
control...Neither of these are relationship building ways to pray.
So...how
do we access the heart of God through prayer?
Are there some "secrets" or "special words" that
trigger the ears of God so that He will listen intently to our prayers? And how
do we get God to answer our prayers and how boldly should we be praying anyway?
Come
back over the next week or so and I will seek to share what I have learned
through the pages of this little book and through my own life experiences that
have had a profound effect on how and when I pray....I believe this little
series can truly make a difference in your prayer life which may very well make
a difference in your daily walk with God!
Praying
for direction...Going where He leads,
WPQ
Poem for the day...
Oh,
the power of prayer is
A
wondrous, glorious thing.
It
can set the captive heart free
Once
again to sing.
It
can lift the burdened soul up,
Though
loaded down with care.
You
must never underestimate
The
mighty power of prayer.
For
the Father has instructed
Those
called by his name;
To
put our faith and trust in Him,
His
promises to claim.
We
can carry our burdens to His throne
And
prayerfully leave them there;
Our
lives are changed, our burdens lifted
Through
the power of our prayer.
So
when life's storm clouds gather
And
your heart is full of pain,
Just
pray to the Father and like a gentle rain,
He'll
wash away your anguish;
He'll
vanish every care;
He'll
grant your every heart's desire
Through
the Power of your PRAYER!
W. Patrick Queen Excerpt from "Bent….but not
Broken"
Check out the
Series
LEARNING TO PRAY
@thankfulpraiseministries.com
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