PRAYER… what if?
If MILK does a BODY good, then it goes without saying PRAYER does my SOUL good.
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
But, IF we believe prayer is powerful, and IF we pray for our nation, then why is our nation such a mess?
We got your wars, rumors of wars, race conflicts, gender confusion, abortion, a border crisis, and a rising cost of living, all stirred with partisan politics.
But...
What if... we prayed for our nation? 2 Chronicles 7:14
What if... we prayed boldly? Joshua 1:9
What if... we prayed expectantly? Psalms 4:1
What if... we prayed specifically? James 5:16
What if... Prayed without ceasing? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Think about it, Prayer is access to God. If you believe this, then this is the time to pray with humility and hope.
Wishes versus Prayers
What shall we then say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31
We should not reduce prayer to a hocus pocus moment, or making wishes to a Genie in a Lamp, or rote words spoken quickly before an evening meal, or only spoken when the roof caves in on our lives.
Am I too busy to pray?
Sometimes this 24/7 stimulating society overwhelms my thoughts.
But how long does it take to say the Lord's Prayer, which perfectly outlines everything we need to pray for daily?
THE LORD’S PRAYER
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, (GREAT IS OUR GOD)
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven. (YOUR WILL NOT MINE)
Give us today our daily bread. (PLEASE MEET OUR NEEDS)
And forgive us our debts, (FORGIVE ME)
As we have also forgiven our debtors. (FORGIVE OTHERS)
And lead us not into temptation (STAY FROM TEMPTATION)
But deliver us from the evil one.’ (PROTECTION)
Matthew 6:5-15
AMEN
Peace be still.. Mark 4:39 are the words Jesus used to calm the sea, and PEACE BE STILL is the promise for all of us in this life that at times rages like a stormy sea.
What if we prayed the Lord's Prayer Daily and dwelt on each part?
It would CHANGE THIS WORLD, and fight…
the WORLD DOWN UNDER
I have featured a cartoon of your typical business meeting in Hell, where there is great concern regarding Hell's lack of influence when Christians pray.
This is a 'Screwtape Letters’ sort of moment, capturing prayer's true (too often untapped) power.
Every one of us has personal challenges of stress, loneliness, depression, tragedy, debt, sickness, and/or death greeting us daily.
Psalms 23 comes to mind as we walk through the valley of the shadow of Death.
This is a fallen world, and I make this worse when, like Peter, I take my eyes off Jesus and become tossed and turned by a me-centric raging sea of my own making.
One last reminder: let’s be as the Bible teaches, with an attitude of prayer. Pray without ceasing, which means we communicate with God throughout our day.
Flowery, lofty words are not needed—instead, honest and ongoing communication with our loving Heavenly Father.
Today, let PRAYER become a cornerstone part of our lives as we experience a deeper relationship with God.
Blessings (PRAYING in the Back Pew), Larson
