Tag: prayer

Building Awareness of the Constant Presence of God

1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray without ceasing.

When Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing, most, if not all, were probably thinking that he was asking for the impossible. Let us consider whether prayer without ceasing is possible.

Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant. It may be formal or in the form of an outburst. It may be offered in secret or in public. It may be a personal solicitation or it may be intercessory.

Prayer presupposes a belief in a God who wants to hear from us and wants to extend His perfect control over our lives. Prayer is offered in reverence with a humble sense of inadequacy and unworthiness as we bow before the holy and righteous God of heaven. Prayer is offered in thanksgiving for everything we already have been provided and are currently experiencing. Prayer is rejoicing in every moment as we recognize the presence of Our Savior and the fullness of what He has done for us and is willing to do for us. Perhaps most importantly, prayer is listening for His response as we commune with Him.

Prayer is recognizing that we have a daily and continuous need for the intervention of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we start each day of our lives, we can be sure that we will encounter new trials and new challenges in our service, whether it be carnal or spiritual. We would certainly be wise to call on the counsel and power of the Holy Spirit to aid us along the way lest we falter.

If Jesus Christ is the foundation of our lives, prayer is as natural as breathing. We are always needy. We benefit considerably by being continually before the Throne of Grace. Indeed, kneeling is not required. We can pray without ceasing just by recognizing the constant presence of the One who longs for our attention.

Let us discover how prayer without ceasing is possible. Let us live moment to moment in constant awareness of the One who dwells within us. Let us open our senses to constant communication with Him.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we praise You for who You are. We thank You for all that You have provided and continue to provide. We submit to Your control over our lives. We pray that You will teach us how to make prayer to You as normal and as regular as breathing. May our lives be a continuous flow of our reverent acknowledgement of Your presence and power in our lives. We ask all these things in the name of Our Refuge in the Storm, Jesus Christ.

Accessing the Power that Christ has Set Aside for Us

John 17:24
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

This passage is part of the prayer that Jesus prayed to the Father on behalf of His disciples prior to His eminent death and resurrection. Jesus was confirming with the Father that His disciples and all of the new believers in the good news of the salvation story who followed Him in discipleship would join Him in glory for all eternity.

Jesus prayed that all that choose to follow Him would see the fullness of His grace and beauty. He prayed that all His followers would see His standing with the Father on the grandest scale in heaven without the obstructive hindrances of the flesh. He prayed that His disciples would experience the full capacity and infinite power of His glory. He prayed that all of His disciples would join Him at the right hand of the Father for all eternity.

Jesus’ prayer to the Father in heaven provides us with the strength that we need to endure all that comes against us in life because we know there will be the ultimate victory in the end. To paraphrase 2 Cor 4:8-9, we may be afflicted in every way, but not crushed; we may be perplexed, but not driven to despair; we may be persecuted, but not forsaken; we may be struck down, but not destroyed because we are one with Jesus Christ. Our place in heaven has been secured.

Let us seek the fullness of Jesus Christ in our lives. Let us experience being one with the Son so that we may access the power and the victory that He has set aside for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come to You exalt the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Our Master and Our King. We thank You Father that we may be one with Jesus as He is one with You. We praise You as we receive in faith all of the promises that come with being a disciple of Your Son. We pray that the Holy Spirit will keep us steadfast in all aspects of our discipleship. We ask all these things in the name of the Son of the Most High God, Jesus Christ.

The Doors of Heaven are Being Held Open for Us

Luke 24:51
While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

In the old testament, each person needed a priest to represent him or her before the throne of God. Through their high priest and the accompanying sacrifices, each person’s sins were atoned for. Without the intercession of the high priest, the individual person had no hope for salvation nor for their prayers to be answered.

Jesus changed it all when He ascended into heaven after His death on the Cross. He was welcomed by His Father, by all the glorified saints and holy angels. He was seated at the Father’s right hand. He remains there forever as Our Mediator in restitution for all of our sins.

He rules eternally from His seat next to the Father so that our fears may be silenced, our sorrows may be sweetened and our hopes may be kept up. He holds open the doors of heaven so that we can go directly to the throne of God with our praise, our worship, our prayers and our solicitations. More importantly, He holds a place for us because we are His redeemed lambs.

Let us go to the throne of grace. Let us call on the promises of Our Risen King. Let us set our affections on the high things above. Let us expect Our Savior to complete His good work in us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that you allowed Your Son to ascend into heaven to sit at Your right side and stand in intercession for all of us that call Him Lord. We thank You that You allowed Your Son to return to earth after His resurrection to confirm to the world the victory over sin and death that we, who have received Him as Our Savior, partake in. We ask that we will receive the fullness of His blessings as Our High Priest. We pray that we may share those blessings with those people who You place around us. We ask all these things in the name of our Risen Savior and King, Jesus Christ.

The Lord Provides Every Good Thing

Psalm 34:10
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

We can find great comfort in the Psalms as we discover David’s prayers that he used to silence his fears. Through his faith David often looked to the Lord in prayer. He was wonderfully revived and comforted time after time.

Be assured that God owns everything. If we seek Him, we can expect the fullness of His provisions in our lives. He does expect a little from us. He expects us to put Him first in our finances, first in our interests, first in our relationships, first in our schedule and even first in our troubles. If we do these things, we will lack no good thing.

Let us follow the good model shown to us by David. Let us not turn to the world where we will find trouble. Let us not trust in ourselves, thinking that our own efforts will be sufficient.

Let us seek God’s provision in all things. Let us look at His promises instead of focusing on our problems. Let us be persistent in our prayers until we receive what we cannot see now but hope for with the same faith as David.

Let us be positive and let God develop our potential. Let us rejoice in seeing Him provide more than we can imagine. Let us marvel as He surrounds us with people who are filled with His precious love.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing us with every good thing that we need. We praise the name of Jesus who has provided us with our greatest need – to be washed clean by His shed blood. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will teach us how to taste and see Your goodness as we learn to put our total trust in You. May Your grace be sufficient to transform us from living lives in the flesh to living lives in the spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the One who brings salvation to all people, Jesus Christ.

Waiting on the Hand of God to Move in Our Lives

Habakkuk 2:3
For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

As we wait to see the providence of God in answers to our prayers, we must be careful not to become impatient with God. His ways are greater than our ways. His timing is perfect. He has the perfect appointment set for the resolution of our prayerful solicitations.

The prophet, Habakkuk, was frustrated that God was not dealing with the iniquities that he saw in the world around him. He was impatient because those that he prophesied to were not responding to the Word of God. In this scripture, the Lord reminds Habakkuk that he must be patient because the visions and promises that God gives are sure to come.

We probably have not had a vision like Habakkuk had. But if we have been diligent in seeking the Lord’s hand in our lives, we are likely to have found some type of confirmation of God’s providence through His Word, through urgings of His Holy Spirit or through the progress we see in our own lives or in the lives of those that we have been praying for. Let us be joyful. The things that we pray for in the will of God and in accordance with His promises will come to us. Though the fruit of our prayers may be deferred for a time, whether long or short our wait may be, the fruit will come at last. And, hallelujah, the longer wait usually means a greater harvest.

Let us pray in confidence and wait with faith for the perfect answer to our prayers. Let us rejoice for Almighty God hears and answers ever single prayer – perfectly.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your providence in our lives. We exalt the name of Jesus who has insured that the favor of Your promises will never be withheld from us. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will teach us how to rest on Your Word and that He will strengthen us when the promise of the Word is long in coming. May we persevere to the end through the graces that You provide. We ask all these things in the name of the Alpha and the Omega, Jesus Christ.

Standing in Intercessory Prayer for Others

Isaiah 59:16
He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.

Jesus was sent to earth to be the perfect intercessor for all mankind. He took the mantle that no one else could take. The Son of God came as Son of Man to be Our Redeemer. His Holy Spirit followed Him to be Our Sanctifier and Our Comforter. He stands forever before the Father in righteousness on behalf of all men. No human champion could ever meet the perfect intercessory requirements of the Father.

Though there is not one of us good enough to be true intercessors, Almighty God allows us the privilege to stand in intercessory prayer for others. Our privileges are not earned. They are granted through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Intercessory prayer is the perfect service for each of us to enter. We communicate with God on behalf of others. We go before the Father in worship and solicitation for His divine assistance. We seek His will for those that we pray for. Through the process, the needs of many are met and our relationship with the Father grows to be like the relationship that the Father has with The Son.

Let us strive to be sensitive to the needs of the people who surround us. Let us learn to listen to the Holy Spirit who will gently urge us to intercede for others that are placed in our lives. Let us boldly proclaim our intercessory prayers in the name of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your Son to stand before Your Throne on our behalf. We pray that You will teach us how to stand before You on the behalf of those that You have placed around us. May You open our eyes and hearts so that we may see their needs and prayerfully respond to them. May You strengthen us so that we will not falter in our prayer life. May our relationship with You become like the relationship that You have with Your Son, Jesus. We ask all of these things in name of the Divine Intercessor, Jesus Christ.

Extending Our Prayers Beyond Our Comfort Zone

Romans 8:26
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.

While intercessory prayer is very rewarding and plays a powerful role in deepening our relationship with Our Heavenly Father, it can sometimes lead us down paths that are challenging, perhaps even frustrating. The Holy Spirit has been placed along side of us to insure that we are not deterred by our frustrations. There are several important areas where the Holy Spirit supports us in our weakness.

First, the Holy Spirit is our perfecter in praying for the true needs of others. We are generally very comfortable seeking the hand of God for protection and provision for ourselves, our families and those close to us. It is natural and easy for us to pray for those that we love. At times, however, we may be at a loss to know what the will of God is in the lives of those that we are praying for. We can be comforted and confident in knowing that our prayers will be perfected before the Father by the Holy Spirit.

Second, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and softens our hearts toward all mankind. It is not our nature to pray for those we do not feel close to or perhaps even dislike because of their behavior toward us or others. In His ministry, Jesus often argued with the apostles because He wanted to be among those in the most need of His redemptive work, not those that were more socially acceptable. Jesus wants us to intercede for the world around us, whether we feel drawn or repulsed by the ones that we pray for. As we mature in Christ, the Holy Spirit will help build up our sensitivity to and our desire to pray for the needs of all mankind.

Finally, the Holy Spirit has been sent to strengthen us when we are personally overpowered by the things that the world has brought against us. When we are so broken that we do not even know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit is beside us to silence our fears and help us through our discouragements. Most importantly, the Holy Spirit stands with us to make intercession for us before the Father so that the enemy cannot prevail against us.

Let our hearts be softened so that we may extend our intercessory prayers beyond our comfort zone. Let us rely on the Holy Spirit to direct us, strengthen us and support us in our prayers.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your Holy Spirit to help us pray in accordance with Your will for our lives and the lives of others. We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit will perfect our prayers before You. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts to be intercessors for all of mankind. Be they far or near, be they friend or foe, Father, teach us how to pray for their needs. When we are too weak to pray properly, or even pray at all, may Your Holy Spirit strengthen us and intercede for us. We pray all these things in the name of the mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ.

God is Much Bigger than We Allow Him to Be

Psalm 34:3
Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

Throughout the Psalms, we read David’s prayers of praise. He praised God to help overcome his fears and to call on his all-sufficient Lord. David recognized God’s faithfulness in meeting his needs and he also recognized that God was bigger than any problem or fear that he had.

We will spend all eternity praising Our Heavenly Father. Why not practice our imperfect praise here on earth in preparation for the unspeakable joy we will receive from our perfect praise forever?

It is time for us to magnify God in our lives. He is much bigger than we allow Him to be. He promises us in John 16:33 that He has overcome everything that the world throws at us in the way of trials and tribulation. We can gain much by joining Paul in exalting the name of Our Lord.

Let us proclaim the glorious perfection of Our Father in heaven. Let us join together in bringing glory to the Most High God. Let us open the gateways of heaven through our worship of the King. Let us rest in peace as the Lord overcomes the things of this world that challenge us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the privilege of exalting Your name here on earth and in heaven for all eternity. We lift You up above all others. There is not a single name that approaches the majesty and power of who You are. Teach us, Lord, to have the faith of the Virgin Mary who said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,” as she prepared to receive something that she did not believe to be possible. May Your grace cover us, Lord, so that we may live in reverent awe of who You are. We pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us and inspire us to pour out praise to You each day. We ask all these things in the name of the One worthy of all praise, Jesus Christ.

Trusting in God for Everything

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

It is easy to read Philippians 4:6 and come away with the simple thought that God encourages us and desires for us to bring Him our prayer requests. This interpretation is absolutely true. But when we break it down, we find that God is saying much, much more to us.

First, and foremost, we are being taught to be anxious in nothing. Does that make any sense? Surely we all have daily concerns and cares that we need to attend to as good stewards of our provisions, our relationships and our own spiritual condition. God is aware of these due concerns, but He is giving us the command to trust in Him. He knows our needs better than we know our needs. He is actually calling on us to have peace and comfort when the world would suggest otherwise.

After first resting in the comfort of His promise, then we are urged to go to Him in prayer with our requests. But there is a stipulation attached as He commands that we bring our thanksgiving in advance of our requests. Why does He ask us to come with thanksgiving? Again, it is for our peace and comfort. When we bring our thanksgiving, we are reconciling with Him all the favor and blessing that He has provided in the past. This positions us to approach His Throne with the confidence that everything we ask for will be addressed and answered perfectly according to our needs, our real needs.

If we are in line with the passage to this point, then our thankful, angst free mindset will help us to meet the last command in this passage which is to let our requests be known to God – not to men. This is a not so subtle reminder that it is not our job to manipulate our circumstances through our own capability. Instead we are to depend on Our Heavenly Father for everything in our lives. In exchange for following His supplication process, peace will be our companion.

Let us go to Him in thanksgiving, adoration and trust. Let us rest in His peace as we wait for His provision.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your unconditional love and Your forgiveness through Your Son, Jesus. We ask forgiveness for coming to You so often with our needs alone, accompanied by a stark absence of our professed love for You and our expression of our sincere thanks for all that You provide. Teach us, Lord, how to seek Your presence in our lives. Teach us how to fully trust in You throughout each and every day. Teach us how to use our prayer lives to build our relationships with You. We ask all these things in the name of the One whose mercies and miracles never come to an end, Jesus Christ.

The Perfecting Process of Sanctification

2 Corinthians 7:1
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

When we accept Jesus into our lives, we are sure to find that we are in bondage to one or more things that are of the world and not entirely pleasing to God. Once we receive the Holy Spirit, we will be lead into a process of shedding those things that the Lord deems unworthy. We will discover that we will not be able to change all things in our lives instantly, nor completely. Through faith, however, we will be able to confidently begin the process of shedding our fleshly bonds one at a time as the Holy Spirit convicts and strengthens us.

We can be certain that the work of sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is wholly the work of the Holy Spirit and not a work that we will pursue on our own. We can be just as certain that for the Holy Spirit to work in us that we will need to surrender to the perfecting process. It will be particularly important that we position ourselves through prayer and the study of God’s Holy Word onto a path of faith that allows us to live soberly, righteously and holy until the end of our days.

If we are steadfast in pursuing and surrendering to a path of sanctification, we will be benefactors of the strength of Jesus Christ and the assistance of His Holy Spirit. We will be enabled to perform acts of holiness and religious duty in fear of God. It will not be because of a fear of hell and damnation, but will be because of a reverential love and affection for Our Heavenly Father and a deep and complete trust in Him.

Let us bring holiness to completion in our lives. Let us surrender to the work of sanctification that only the Holy Spirit can provide. Let us rejoice in knowing that this is all made possible through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for providing Your wisdom so that we may understand Your ways and learn to live in awesome reverence of who You are. We pray that You will open our eyes so that we can see all the ways in our lives that displease You. Convict us of our sinful nature. Prepare a path for us to walk in the process of sanctification aided by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Lord, may we learn to lean on the Holy Spirit so that we may live soberly, righteously and holy. By Your grace, Father, and by the strength of Christ and the assistance of the Holy Spirit may we be delivered from our sinful lives. May the world know us by the fullness of Jesus Christ within us. We ask all these things in the name of the One who gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases You, Your Son, Jesus Christ.