Let’s Talk about Prayer! – Part 1

Let’s talk about Prayer.

Prayer is important, and we can’t afford to not do it.

That’s it…

If you take one thing from this post, I need you to take that.

Still here?

There’s two commands that I think should really govern the life of a Christian.

Okay…

There’s more than two. Or maybe there’s just one. I don’t know.

But here they are:

Joshua 1:8 which says,

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

And 1 Thessalonians 5:17 which says,

pray without ceasing.

I want to focus on that second one today.

Pray without Ceasing!

And if you want to know about prayer, the best thing you could do is examine the life of Jesus:

1) When life got a bit feisty – when the pressures of life increased – Jesus prayed!

‘News about him spread…so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed…But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed’ (vv.15-16 NIV 2011 Edition).

You don’t have time to pray? Too much going on in your life? Let me tell you something…this is the time that you need to pray most. Spending time with God is the secret to having power with Him. You feel drained. Life is taxing. If you want to get recharged, you need to plug into the greatest source of strength – God.

2) He prayed when important decisions had to be made.

He did not just rely on His own understanding and perspective. Example: when it came to picking His closest friends, Jesus sought His Father’s guidance. Do we? Do we ask God about the important things? They say that the people you surround yourself with reflects not only who you are, but who you will become. Jesus understood the importance of the decision and sought the wisdom and guidance of His Father.

He ‘went out to a mountainside…and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve…[as] apostles’ (Luke 6:12-13 NIV 2011 Edition).

Let’s pause and really think about it.

5-4-3-2-1

We misuse our planning time. Our ability to judge what is important or not is lacking.

We can spend a year, not to mention a small fortune, planning a wedding. A whole year. 365 days thinking, meditating, testing. Yet somehow, we won’t seek God’s guidance when it comes to choosing the mate to spend the rest of our life with. We spend a year planning a wedding but haven’t spend an equivalent time in communication with God about the marriage.

God is not just the creator of the universe; He’s the CEO who runs it. Can you imagine what He knows about operating a successful business?

Imagine God’s CV:

‘I am the LORD…who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go’ (Isaiah 48:17 NKJV).

He leads us by the way we should go.

Now many of us may feel like we are not making any important decisions right now. I disagree, but even if that were to be true, we need to cultivate that habit of going to God for every decision. Before you hire an employee, form a partnership, formulate a plan, or invest a penny, God invites you to discuss it with Him and get His input.

‘Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do…he’s the one who will keep you on track’ (Proverbs 3:6 MSG).

If this was helpful, please share with someone who you would like to bless today.

My Sunday Skl