HOW DO YOU COMMUNICATE WITH THE LORD?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,
believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
(Mark 11:24)

MEDITATION:
Remember when you were young and the Christmas season was almost
here? It was a time when you looked forward to giving Santa your list of
the presents you wanted. In your mind, you felt if you could get your list
to him now, then on Christmas morning you could expect the things you
requested. Sometimes you may have been afraid you wouldn’t get what
you wanted, because you had not been good for the entire year since last
Christmas.

Some people consider praying to the Lord and making their petitions to
Santa to be similar. However, when we pray, it’s entirely different from
giving Santa our wish list. Praying is the way we communicate with the
Lord. He has given us this venue so we can thank Him for our blessings,
ask Him for forgiveness, ask for guidance, and voice our concerns for
others, and ourselves.

At times our prayers may seem like a wish list, but when we ask for things
within God’s will, it means we trust Him to answer our prayers with what
we need. His answers may be different than what we prayed for, but we can
be assured that His answers are exactly what will benefit us the most. That
is how a loving God responds to those who have been adopted into His family.

We should pray in times of adversity
    (so we can avoid becoming faithless and unbelieving).
We should pray in times of prosperity
    (so we can avoid becoming boastful and proud).
We should pray in times of danger
    (so we can avoid becoming fearful and doubtful).
We should pray when we feel secure
    (so we can avoid becoming self-sufficient).

There are many reasons for us to pray to our loving heavenly Father,
and here are just a few.

Sinners should pray to our merciful God for forgiveness and salvation.
Christians should pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on an evil and
unrepentant world. Parents should pray that God will bless their home
with grace and mercy, and for Him to reign in their home.

Children should pray for the salvation of their parents (who serve as
their umbrella of protection and a conduit for God’s guidance). Every
believer should pray intercessory prayers for others, and to ask for
forgiveness for when we yielded gave into temptations and sinned
against God.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Do I have an active prayer life?
    – Is prayer a high priority for me?
    – Do I communicate with the Lord every day?
    – Do I pray unselfishly for things within God’s will?
    – Do I pray for others?
    – Do I thank the Lord for how He has blessed me?
    – Do I ask God to assist you with making decisions?
    – If I am not actively serving the Lord, do I pray for those who are?
    – Do I pray for the Lord to reveal the spiritual gift He gave me
       with His gift of salvation? Am I willing to use it in serving Him?
    – Do I ask God to give me the courage to share my faith with others?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful gift of prayer.
Through prayer I can communicate directly with You without
the need for an intermediary. Convict me when my prayers are
inappropriate and teach me to make my petitions within Your
will. Help me to never forget that when I pray, You hear me
even if I feel that my prayers are not making it past the ceiling
of my home. Thank You for answering my prayers with what I
need, which may not be what I prefer. I know that Your answers
are best for me and the ones for whom I pray. Father, I ask You
to reveal to me the spiritual gift I received at salvation, and show
me how to use it for glorifying You and pointing others to Jesus.
Prevent me from being lazy or lackadaisical about my faith. I am
confident that You didn’t save me to be an uninvolved follower of
Jesus.”

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