BIBLE PASSAGE:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
MEDITATION:
Many Christians (even church leaders) can struggle with prayer.
We may know a lot of Scriptures or have an admirable history
of sharing the gospel with others, but many of us do not enjoy
a rich and regular prayer life.
If Jesus needed to pray,
then so do we (we are His followers, right?).
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that
crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed
of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely
places and prayed. (Luke 5:15-16)
Jesus prayed often, and especially before major events in
His life and ministry. Even though He was the Son of God,
He still felt the need to talk to His heavenly Father regularly.
If the early apostles needed to pray,
then so do we (they set the example for followers of Jesus).
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill
called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from
the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room
where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John,
James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and
Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and
Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in
prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and with his brothers. (Acts 1:12-14)
When we read about the amazing results that came from the
disciples’ first day of ministry (after spending days in prayer,
and waiting for God to act), the order of their priorities is
worth remembering: Prayer first, then action.
They knew that if they were going to be successful in serving
the Lord, then they needed His help in all they were going to
do. In essence they were saying, “God we want to serve You,
but we cannot do it without You and Your help”.
It shows their humbleness. They were probably filled with
enthusiasm and excitement, but they did not let those feelings
cause them to exclude God and His help from what they were
about to do. They knew they needed to put their independence
behind them and to become dependent on God.
Unfortunately there are many today who have a desire to ‘get busy’
serving God with the Spiritual gift He has given them, but in their
excitement, they have lost their focus. Instead of praying and asking
God how to approach their service, they become wrapped up in
making their own plans while excluding the God who called them
to a life of serving Him in new ways.
Think about that approach in the secular world. If we begin a new
job, we want to do what our boss expects of us, right? How can we
discover the expectations they have of us? We ask them, right? And
if we encounter problems, we rely on them to help us in overcoming
our obstacles so that we can continue a path to success (which will
result in pleasing our boss, and in turn pleasing us).
Doesn’t it just make sense that we would take this approach if we
want to please our almighty God?
(when we please Him, we will be pleasing ourselves as well)
If the early Christians (believers in Jesus Christ)
needed to pray, then so do we.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart
and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what
shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every
one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are
far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many
other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save
yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted
his message were baptized, and about three thousand were
added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to
the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:37-42)
Our power to live righteous and godly lives comes from God
Himself. As we yield to the Holy Spirit, we are able to think,
speak, and act according to His will. Being in tune with the
Spirit requires regular time with Him. Jesus uses the word
“abiding” to describe this type of regular communion with
Him. “Abiding” means a continuing faith without change,
that is enduring and steadfast.
Those of us who pray, know that not every request is answered
the way we wanted, or expected. Unanswered prayers can cause
us to doubt God’s love and goodness, which can result in our
being confused about why he might be ignoring us. James gives
us some reasons why our prayers might be unanswered.
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet
but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel
and fight. You do not have because you do not ask
God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you
ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what
you get on your pleasures. (James 4:2-3)
One reason we might feel our prayers are unanswered
is – we are unbelievers (or we may be believers but we are
at odds with God because we are living in sin – which puts
us outside His boundaries for those who belong to Him).
Note:
If you are a believer,
take a few moments to examine your heart:
Do you truly love and live for God, or has
your life resembled an unbeliever’s recently?
What is motivating you to pray?
Another reason some prayers remain unanswered – we are
wrongly motivated. James 4:2–3 reminds us that we do not
have because we do not ask, or we ask with wrong, selfish
motives.
Note:
Are your prayers self-seeking? Do your prayers feed
your desires to replace God’s rightful place in your life?
Another reason God might be waiting to answer our prayers
is – He could have bigger, longer, and wider plans than we
could ever know.
Note:
When you pray, are you prepared to accept God’s plans,
especially if they might be different than yours?
Sometimes what we see as unanswered prayers are really
God saying “No”, or maybe He is giving us a different
option than what we prayed for. Think back to prayers
that God did not answer as you expected, but His answer
led to something even better than what you asked for.
As an example, I don’t remember praying specifically for it,
but I wanted to serve the Lord through singing. I have always
had a passion for singing because the words and music can
sometimes reach directly to the hearts of others. However,
God knew that a small number of people would be reached
if I served Him through singing, but many more would be
reached if I followed His plans (which was teaching Sunday
School classes, and later creating and distributing devotionals
provided by Him which are being read in all states of America
and over 80 foreign countries).
With His plan, He would provide me with the content of the
devotionals that He wants to use in reaching others. I may not
know what is going on in the lives of others (I don’t even know
most of them), but God knows their concerns and He knows
what they need from Him (in addition, He receives the glory,
and not me). Singing could also include the risk of ego creeping
into my life, but remaining in the shadows and allowing Him to
work and receive the credit, prevents that from happening.
Remembering that God is sovereign (He is in control of our lives
and able to rule the world) will help us pray with more confidence.
He is the God who made us, chose us, and in Jesus, saved us.
Whatever our situation, He is fully aware of it and He is able
to work in it (He is with us and He loves us).
If you struggle with prayer (and making it at least a daily event
in your life), then start with offering prayers of thanks, and don’t
be surprised if your prayers become quite lengthy. There are some
major things to be thankful for, but there are many of His blessings
that we take for granted. For instance, how often have you thanked
God for breathing, eating, sleeping, houses, heat and air conditioning,
furniture, automobiles, jobs, friends, family, churches, etc. etc.
There are many other things we can include in our prayers,
Here is a sample of how we might pray:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and forgiveness,
thank You for Your mercy and grace, thank You for how You
bless us abundantly, thank You for Your salvation, thank You
for giving Your Son as a sacrifice for our sins so that we can
be saved, and can sit at Your table one day, thank You for
sending us the Holy Spirit to support and encourage us as
we strive to live our lives in obedience to You.
Father, I pray for all those who are sick and need Your healing
touch. I pray for all those who are recovering from injuries,
treatments or surgeries. I pray for all those who will be having
treatments or surgeries. Father, You are the Great Physician
and You can heal when everything looks bleak.
Father, I pray for those who do not belong to You. I pray that
You would soften their hearts so they will be receptive to the
gospel message. I pray that You would prepare us as believers
to witness to others in need of salvation. Give us the words we
need to speak and the confidence to boldly speak them, not in
a condescending way, but with love and concern.
I pray for those who have lost loved ones. I pray that You would
comfort and console them. I pray that You would encourage them
to discover the new path You have created specifically for them. I
pray that You would restore their joy so they can enjoy their new
journey to happiness.
I pray for our nation. Father we need You back in all the places
where You have been removed. As Christians we did not want You
removed in the first place but could not stop it. I pray for new leaders;
people of faith who will remove all the decadent laws that violate Your
guidelines and encourage sinfulness along with the exclusion of You,
(because Your presence hinders their desires for uncontrolled sin).
I pray for the missionaries and pastors and their families. I pray for
all who are actively serving You. Father, I pray for the protection of
Your servants and their families. I pray that You would encourage
them, and that You would give them good health, perseverance,
dedication, enthusiasm, guidance and wisdom.
Jesus, thank You for the sacrifice You made for my sins. Thank You
for showing us what genuine sacrifice and love looks like. You knew
of my failures before I was born and yet You loved me anyway. Even
though I am unworthy, You still died for me and my sins. How can I
ever thank You enough for what You did? Thank You for praying to
our Father for me.
Holy Spirit, thank You for being an integral part of my life. Thank
You for how You protect me (including many ways I may never
know about). Thank You that when I give You full control, You
turn away sinful thoughts which lead to sinful actions. Thank You
for praying my prayers for me when I struggle expressing myself.
Thank You for Your help and guidance in transforming me into
more of a likeness of Jesus. You know I am a work in progress
who needs Your help regularly.
Father, thank You for seeing something useful in me that I could
not see in myself. Thank You for giving me a spiritual gift that I
can use in serving You, as an expression of my gratefulness for all
You have done for me. Thank You for showing me how to use that
gift and providing me with a path where I can use it. Thank You
for changing my attitudes so that I have a greater concern for
others, so that I can have better self-control, so that I can be kinder
and more caring of others, so that I can be more patient and loving,
and so that I can be a little more like Jesus.
God’s Word tells us to “rejoice always”. “Rejoicing” sounds like a
time of happiness, doesn’t it? When we read the Bible Passage for
this devotional, we see that ‘rejoicing’ is linked with ‘giving thanks’,
and ‘praying continually’. Could it be that the Lord is telling us
that when we pray daily (and throughout the day) and thank Him
for how He has blessed us, then we will be able to experience the
joy of rejoicing? It kind of looks like that’s His message to us,
doesn’t it?
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