Many times we
come across prayers; praying people and circumstances in our daily life which
makes anyone say just a prayer! A prayer of sigh, in some instance.
Prayer is a
sign of existence of a personal belonging that God lives with us, within us and
is a part of our very being. If God would not listen to prayers, there wouldn’t
be any prayer at all.
Why do people
come back to pray, spend time in personal prayer? Just for the simple reason
that there is a God who listens, hears and answers our prayers and petitions.
Psalm 119:164
says, “Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous law.”
Our Bible is
a written document of prayers and communicative narratives, which stands out as
a witness of communication between God and men. In the beginning, we know God
and man co-existed, creator and creation interacted directly. Sin was the cause
of the break of this direct relationship then and still happens to be the reason
why many people live lives distances from their creator.
As a
community of Marthomites in Kuwait, we are in our 50th year of
existence in this part of the world. Let us introspect today! Do we have a
personal relationship with our creator? Do we need an example to follow in this
regard? Search no more, follow the example of Jesus, who always found time
alone to fast and pray, commune with the Holy Spirit. Can we try to be Jesus
like from today?
1. Why should I pray?
Many people
find many reasons to pray, mostly for personal gains. Earnest prayers are
directed as a thanksgiving note for all blessings received and assured
blessings to follow.
In Matthew
26:41, Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, asks his disciples Peter, James and
John, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
Even if we
take for granted our personal relationship with God, we must be careful that we
do not sit back and relax on our past laurels, but keep persisting in prayer at
all times. An idle mind is the devils workshop. The devil sneaks into our idle
minds once our prayer defenses are down. He works hard and creates more
problems for Gods choicest. “Keep watch and pray.”
Pray for a
communion with God whether it be in times of health and wellness or sickness
and depression. In all aspects and areas of your life, left your Master in
heaven be your guide. The Bible says in Psalm 6:5, In death there is no praise.
Therefore, pray for blessings to last on your family for generations to come.
Remember, we have come through thus far, by prayers and tears of our steadfast
forefathers.
2. How to Pray?
In Daniel
6:10, after King Darius was coerced into signing an injunction to ban worship
of any other God, for thirty days, Daniel one of his chief commissioners went
upstairs to his room opened the windows towards Jerusalem, prayed and gave
thanks to God three times a day. He didn’t fear death rather He feared God.
In Luke 11,
Jesus teaches His disciples to pray. Jesus says His prayer by giving glory to
His father in Heaven, saying “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your
kingdom come.” In this prayer there is humility, glory to God and hope of an
eternal kingdom to come.
He continues,
“Give us this day our daily bread” ;A prayer for our needs. Not that the Lord
doesn’t know our needs, but the Bible also teaches us to ‘ask in faith and you
shall receive’.
We must be
repentive in our prayer. “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who
sins against us.”
“Lead us not
into temptation”-A prayer for protection from falling into the traps set by the
evil one.
This account
of prayer was given to the disciples when they asked Jesus. How they should
pray?
Do we really
know how to pray? Do we say the same repetitive prayers as children? Do we give
glory befitting the Lord in our daily personal , family and community prayers?
Let us also be submissive to the Lord and ask Him to teach us to pray.
Prayers
formed the basis of growth and was the foundation on which our Church is built.
When our prayers weaken, our relation with God drags, family relations break,
community bonds falls. Don’t let the devil breach your defenses, persist in
prayer. Be a strength, a prayer force within yourself and your community.
3. Pray to be blessed
We see many
acronyms these days over the internet for prayer. When I decided to write this,
I was given an acronym by the Holy Spirit and I jotted that down.
Possessing Righteous
Actions Yielding Eternal Rewards.
There is a
righteous person in the Bible, God testified about? Yes, its Job, from the land
of Uz. God praises and acknowledges the righteousness and faithfulness of job
in front of Satan.
We see before
and after Job went through his trials, he was a blessed man under direct
protection of the Heavenly father. The righteousness of Job was amplified as
Job 42:10 says “The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his
friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.”
Give the
honor to God, Humble yourself and admit you are a nobody. Your education,
status, hierarchy are all gifts from the Lord’s endless treasures.
Alexander the
great, conqueror of his times, died at the age of thirty two. He called in his
generals to his death bed and said his last three wishes. First, that his
doctor would carry his coffin alone. Second, gold, silver and gems be scattered
along the path his coffin would be carried. Third, his hands be outside the
coffin when buried,
One of his
closest generals asked why, He said, “These are the three lessons I learnt in
my life,
Firstly, no
physician can save you from death when the time comes.
Secondly,
wealth you procure all your life has no value when you die.
Thirdly, you
came to the world empty handed, and you return back the same when you die.”
Do you want
to be blessed by the Lord? Ask for blessings, share and give to the Lords glory
from what you possess. Remember always, we don’t give from our wealth, we are
just caretakers and handlers of entrusted blessings and gifts, God has given us
to conduct wisely. These can include possessions, relations, children, our
careers. In everything that you possess, Praise the Lord.
4. Pray to live:
In Kings 20
and Isaiah 38, we read of an ultimatum
God issued to Hezekiah ,through the prophet
Isaiah ”Set your house in order ,for you shall die and not live”. Hezekiah did
not give up. He prayed and wept ,”Remember
now ,O Lord I pray ,how I have walked before you in truth and with a
loyal heart and have done what was good
in your sight.”
God heard his prayer and added to his life
fifteen years.
Do you have an
intimate relationship with God, that can
give you a grace period and
blessings. Get on your knees ask God your needs, confess your sins. Set things
right with God and stay away from judgment and shame. Just as St.Pauls letter
to the Corinthians states in 2 Corinthians 4:2,”We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We
don't try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before
God, and all who are honest know this.”
5. Pray
for others:
“Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked”Gen
18:23, said Abraham, when he asks the Lord to save Lot, from the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah.
Are you a good negotiator or interceder, when it comes to praying
for others needs and requests? When a sick person asks for your prayer, will
God listen your prayer? Doesn’t this require an up-close and personal touch
with the Lord yourself?
We must indeed keep pressing and stand in the gap for
others, as Christians, when they are weak and in need of our prayers. James
5:16 says,”Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great
power as it is working.” It might a family member or a neighbor from another
faith and doesn’t know about Gods love.
Do you have the faith enough to believe the Lord can change
an ill-situation of another person by your prayer? We know, faith can move
mountains. In October 2010, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to
undergo surgery. Having known the risks involved we submitted to God everything
in prayer. Many people interceded for me to the Lord, from my relatives to
friends, fellow parishners and colleagues. Lord healed me through prayers of
many and by faith I live to testify this today.
Prepare and pray for others to the Lord. Your commitment and
readiness to accept the burdens of others as your own all the Lord asks for. He
used fishermen, tax collectors, sinners to continue His mission of salvation.
He is not a Lord that looks at your disqualifications, he looks at the
readiness, faith and true spirit within you to submit to this cause.
Lord will use you as a vessel of praise. Lift him up
whenever, wherever you are. Your friend or affiliate needs your prayer support,
do pray for them, Lord will bless you.
6.Power of
prayer
Never give up. Elijah in 1Kings 18, prayed for rain. God had
judged Israel for idolatry, the people practiced. The power Elijah received
from prayers on Mount Carmel led in judging who was the One and True God. He
stood alone and mocked 450 prophets of Baal. Fire came down from heaven and
burnt and accepted Elijah’s sacrifice, resulting in shame and death of Baal’s
prophets.
Jesus uses a metaphor in Matthew 17:20, “that we must have
faith as small as a mustard seed, but powerful enough to move mountains.” This
is a powerful verse.
What change can prayer make in your life today? Have you
given your life to Jesus yet? Get it right with God. Do not delay.
Confess, repent and accept Jesus as your personal Saviour.
Make a positive change to your life. Devote time for Bible study and personal
prayer. Be a Christcentric Christian. Keep Jesus the cornerstone of your life.
Pray without ceasing.
Lord will surely bless you. "For if you confess with
your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved." —Romans 10:9
Pray with me
Lord I’m a sinner, but I know you love me that You gave Your life for my
sins on the Cross. I repent and confess my sins. I accept You as my Lord and
personal Saviour. Jesus make me a blessing to my family, community and nation.
Lord bless me. Amen.Abstract version of the above was published in e-sabdham Vol II, April 2013.
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