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What is
prayer?
Prayer is the
practice of the presence of God. It is the place where pride is
abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made. Prayer is the
place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence
upon God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian. Prayer
is the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching
the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.
The Bible speaks much of prayer. But, sometimes,
too often, we ignore prayer and seek to accomplish in the strength
of our own wills those things that we desire to have or happen.
For those of us who are too often guilty of this, we need to bow our
knees, confess our sin, receive God's forgiveness, and beg that the
will of the Lord be done above our own. God is sovereign and
loving and He knows what is best for us and others, even if it
doesn't always seem to make the most sense.
We so often come to the Lord with legitimate requests
for healing, conversions, and needs and yet the answers we hope for
often do not come. We wonder and sometimes doubt. Yet,
we persevere and praise God. We pray because we know that God
hears us and because we desire to see results. We should pray
by faith, trusting God. We should pray consistently, trusting
God. We should pray for healing, trusting God. We should
pray for others, trusting God. We should pray and when our
prayers are answered or are not answered remember this: If we
knew what the Lord knew, we wouldn't change a thing.
Prayer changes the one praying because in prayer, you
are in the presence of God as you lay before Him your complete self in
confession and dependence. There is nothing to hide when in
quiet supplication we are reaching into the deepest part of ourselves and admitting our needs and failures. In so doing, our
hearts are quieted and pride is stripped and we enjoy the presence
of God. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw
near to you."
I am reminded of another benefit of prayer:
peace. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all
comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus," (Phil. 4:6-7).
I suppose that we can test our prayer life and
dependence upon God by the peace or lack of peace in our hearts.
In all things we are to seek the Lord and in His continued presence
peace will surely be our gain.
Prayer is the practice of the presence of God.
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Prayer Ministry
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