God Speaks About Prayer

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Have you ever wondered if God really pays attention to our prayers?  Do you wonder what is the point in praying?  The second question in particular is one that I often think about.  Why should Christians pray?  God already knows how things are going to turn out, so what good does it do for us to pray? This is a personal struggle of mine. I feel like my meager petitions do little to sway God and His plan. But consider this, even Jesus prayed when He was about to be captured by the Romans and He knew that He would not sway God's plan of salvation that had been in place since the beginning of time. So why would He pray if He knew there would be no change? The Bible tells us a lot about prayer. It tells us how to pray, what to pray for and why to pray.  Prayer is the simple act of speaking with God. Sharing your heart with God; your concerns, your joys, your needs, and even your desires.  Here is what God has to say about prayer. 

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First, we must establish a routine. Jesus prayed in the morning, as described in Mark 1:35, "And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed." We each should decide when and where to pray where we won't be distracted and we will be able to focus on the message God wants to give us through our prayers. Furthermore, we are told to "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Moreover, Ephesians 6:18 tells us to "Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." We know from this that we have a continuous open-line of communication with God and can present to Him our joys and concerns as we go through the day. 

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Second, we are told in several places to pray with thanksgiving and to be thankful.  This holds true, not just in our prayers with pleasing outcomes, but also those with less pleasing outcomes. Philippians 4:6 tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." In Colossians 4:2 we are further told, "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." Additionally 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;" Notice this last verse says, "in all circumstances". No matter whether a good or bad situation, we should give our thanks to God for what He will do to bring us through it.

Third, the Bible shares about our intentions for prayer. What is our personal reason for a particular prayer?  Matthew 6:6-7 explains how our prayer is to be heartfelt and personal, not for the ears of others, but for the ears of God.  "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words."  This in no way reflects the idea that we can't pray for others or in front of others, but it reflects the attitude of our heart.  Are we praying sincerely to God or are we praying so that others will hear US and not God?  

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Fourth, who should we pray for? Surely we pray for our family and friends, but is that all? James 5:16 tells us to "pray for one another".  1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions..."  All who are in high positions...this is often a troublesome phrase as we don't often care for or disagree with those who are in the high positions, but God's word is clear.  We are still to pray for them.  It doesn't say, pray for them if you agree with them, but just pray for them. James 5:13-14 adds, "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him." Finally comes the toughest of all of the "who" we should pray for. Luke 6:27-28 declares, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." This is a hard thing to do. We don't often want to pray for those who do us wrong, but God tells us to pray for them.  After all, it is God's desire that none should perish. He desires that everyone will come to know Him; He made each one!

Last, we come to the personal reasons that we should pray. These reasons are not necessarily to gain an answer to our personal requests, but they do benefit us in ways we may not realize.  Praying can provide peace for us as described in Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Remember our lesson on the word "but",  we have a choice to make in a different direction.  We are anxious, BUT pray, we will gain peace!  James 5:16 states, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." Prayer can bring healing, not specifically physical healing, but spiritual healing. If we place our life and circumstances in God's hand, we can obtain spiritual healing. Earlier in his book, James reminds us that God can give us wisdom if we ask, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." Even further, Romans 8:26 gives us encouragement for those times where we just can't find the words to pray. Sometimes we may be too worried or distraught to even mentally come up with the right prayer.  It is at these times, we can rely on the Holy Spirit.  "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."  I don't know how many times I have just said, "God, I just don't even know what to pray for right now in this situation, so please take care of it." I can take comfort knowing that at those times the Holy Spirit delivers that message to God for me. 

God desires prayer from us. He desires communication with us. God knows what we go through; He already knows our joys, concerns, worries, and problems, and how the issues will turn out, but He wants us to call out to Him in prayer and communication.  God is waiting to give us spiritual healing, give us peace and assurance and grow our faith through prayers to Him. If you feel you aren't able to pray, remember that the Spirit will intercede for you when you can't come up with the words! Also remember that God created each one of us and desires a relationship with each one of us!

God Speaks About Authority

How did you spend Inauguration day? Yesterday we witnessed the inauguration of our 46th President. Some were ecstatic about the event and others were not. We go through this every four years. With every inauguration, there are those that are happy and those that aren't. One thing that should not change no matter the person running the country is that they should be in our prayers. 

The idea of a person to "rule the country", I believe, is founded in the Israelites in the book of Samuel. Samuel was a prophet that spoke God's word directly to the people and the people decided what to do with the words that were spoken to them. As Samuel got older, the people noticed that his sons, who were to take his place as prophet, did not seem capable of delivering God's word to them, so they asked Samuel to set them up with a king to rule over them instead. Instead of directly hearing God's word and "governing" themselves, they decided it would be best for a king to make the decisions for the entire nation. 

You have grown old, Samuel, and your sons do not administer justice the way that you did. Before things worsen, appoint a king to rule us, as other nations have.  1 Samuel 8:5

From that point, the Israelites had many different kings to rule over them, some were obedient to God and others were not. The country, as a whole, followed the kings. If the kings allowed idol worship, the people worshiped idols. If the kings worshiped God, the people worshiped God. 

One idea that has also been around since the early days is to respect and honor those in authority over us. This includes praying for them as well. It is our responsibility to pray for those in authority over us, whether we agree with them or not.  I prayed for President Obama and the government at that time; I prayed for President Trump and the government for the last four years; I will pray for President Biden and the government for the next four years.  God's word is very clear:

It is important that all of us submit to the authorities who have charge over us because God establishes all authority in heaven and on the earth. Romans 13:1

Listen to your leaders and submit to their authority over the community, for they are on constant watch to protect your souls and someday they must give account. Give them reason to be joyful and not to regret their duty, for that will be of no good to you. Hebrews 13:17

Respect everyone. Love the community of believers. Reverence God. Honor your ruler. 1 Peter 2:17

So, first and foremost, I urge God’s people to pray. They should make their requests, petitions, and thanksgivings on behalf of all humanity. Teach them to pray for kings (or anyone in high places for that matter) so that we can lead quiet, peaceful lives—reverent, godly, and holy— 1 Timothy 2:1-2

It is our responsibility to "submit" and pray for those in authority over us. God does not say pray for them if you like them, or pray for them if you don't like them.  He wants us to pray for them no matter what. As Hebrews 13:17 tells us, someday they must give an account for how they "ruled". Our prayers should be that they are ruling according to God's will and desires. Right now, America is the strongest and most prosperous country in the world because we were based on Godly values and principles. We need to always pray for our government that they will lead us in the ways we were founded....on God's values. 

God desires and expects that we honor and obey our government....UNLESS....unless the government asks the people to do something contrary to God's word. We saw this example in the book of Daniel in the stories about Daniel and about Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego. These guys were all held in captivity by Babylon and laws were passed that required them to go against God's will. They refused and God upheld them and saved them. Acts 5:29 tells us:

If we have to choose between obedience to God and obedience to any human authority, then we must obey God.

I I encourage everyone to pray...pray for the country leaders; pray for the state leaders; pray for the county and town leaders.  Pray for the bosses and others in authority over you. Pray for the pastors as they are in authority over their churches.  Pray that God will use these leaders as a means of bringing about His will!

                  

God Speaks Amid Politics

What I am about to present is purely my OPINION! It is mine and I have a right to have it (at least for now). You have the right to agree or disagree. It requires no fact-checking unless you want to look up Bible verses. I will not be bashing any particular people or sides, only presenting what I feel led to present.

I have felt led for some time to address this and feel that now is the right time. Whether you are happy with the recent election results or not, I believe that as Christians it is our duty and responsibility to pray for those who lead our states and our country. I prayed for the leadership under the Obama administration, just as I did under the Trump administration, and will continue to do under the Biden administration. 

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (The Voice)--"So, first and foremost, I urge God’s people to pray. They should make their requests, petitions, and thanksgivings on behalf of all humanity. Teach them to pray for kings (or anyone in high places for that matter) so that we can lead quiet, peaceful lives—reverent, godly, and holy—all of which is good and acceptable before the eyes of God our Savior"

This post goes beyond that, however. If you are a Christian thinking about what changes MAY happen to our country in the next few years, let me give you a word of encouragement and again, my OPINION!. I do believe that we do not have long to celebrate or worry (depending on your political preference). I firmly believe that the day of Christ's return is fast approaching. I'm not even sure we have to worry about the next presidential election. Each generation, it seems, regards theirs as the one in which Christ will return, but now more than ever many prophecies are being fulfilled. Besides the return of Israel as a nation, plans are being made for implantation of chip readers in the skin, which many attribute to being a part of the "mark of the beast" or the sign of the anti-christ. 

The whole political unrest of our own country and the loss of what many consider to be traditional values and morals is here. I attribute the political unrest, not to a particular person or party, but to the workings of the devil and his desire to gain as many souls as he can.  The Bible describes folks in the last days:

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (The Voice)--"And know this: in the last days, times will be hard. You see, the world will be filled with narcissistic, money-grubbing, pretentious, arrogant, and abusive people. They will rebel against their parents and will be ungrateful, unholy, uncaring, coldhearted, accusing, without restraint, savage, and haters of anything good. Expect them to be treacherous, reckless, swollen with self-importance, and given to loving pleasure more than they love God. Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They deny His power. I tell you: Stay away from the likes of these."

Matthew 24:12 (The Voice)--"The love that they had for one another will grow cold because few will obey the law."

2 Peter 3:3 (ESV)--"knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires."

The point of this diatribe is not to scare anyone, but merely to point out that I BELIEVE the time of Christians on earth is very limited. For those who believe, we will be spared the "really bad stuff", but for those who don't believe when Jesus calls believers up, the worst is yet to come. Please be sure you are ready when Christ calls His believers up! If you are not sure you are ready, or not sure how to know you are ready, please feel free to leave a comment or fill out the contact form and I will get back to you.