About Prayer And Prayer Requests
Ξ November 21st, 2008 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Prayer, Prayer Requests |
Welcome back!
I wanted to pass on some prayer requests from another blog called Grumpy Ape. Please click on the name to get to them. Praying for others is vital to the walk of a Christian. It is the spiritual lifeblood for us. When we pray for others, the kingdom of God is working as it should.
We all need prayer from time to time, some more than others. Some folks who come to a place of asking Jesus into their hearts seemingly have so many ills and problems that they bend God’s ear daily. Others apparently have seen the “light” and do not need to pray at all. All is well with the world. Right. There are folks who simply will not bother God with the trivial, some don’t think they are worthy of going to God for anything. What’s wrong with this picture?
First and foremost, the Father is not a sugar daddy who can and will hand out the wishes and wants like Santa Claus. God’s will is the one that will be done, not ours. Many, sometimes I think the word should be most, Christians new and older tend to feel that God is there to beg, plead, cajole, bribe and scream at to get what they want regardless of the cost to themselves or others. So many times, people want to do their praying from a desperation stance. And that is not the way God wants us to live at all.
Second, while we should not be praying from a point of desperation, sometimes it is essential to do so. Some things simply are desperate. Do not hesitate to go to the Lord with your petition. However, He is not moved by tears and begging. Most of us have to remember that one. During a time of pain and pressure, either your own or someone’s that you love, that might be all you can do. Instead of simply begging God, take the time to thank Him for all He has done for you. Give Him your heart. Put yourself in His Hand like no other time. God will honor that. Do nothing from a selfish or self centered point. He honors that which comes from the heart, the true compassionate giver.
Prayer is for a time to be with the Father, enjoying each other and having a friendship and fellowship unlike any other. But it is also time to talk about the needs of others, to petition for things that God is very willing to do for those people. It is not for selfish gain. God does not really honor that. So, do I not ever pray for myself? Of course you can. God wishes for you to have the desires of your heart. The one tiny thing about that is that when you become a Christian, read your Bible and sit with the Lord to learn, something changes inside you. Something rearranges and slowly your ideas of what you need and want tend to change, to become more like the Lord. When that happens, you look back on what you wanted before and realize that those were usually selfish and self centered things you wanted. God is looking out for you and for your family and friends. But He is not going to hand you everything you want just because you want it. Sometimes the tough road must be taken. That is a hard lesson indeed.
Praying for others is a step in the direction that God wants you to take. It is a totally unselfish act as long as you don’t have ulterior motives in doing so. If the prayer is for that person alone, this pleases God. So, please click on the link to Grumpy Ape and pray for those you do not know who need these prayers so much. Believe me, it brightens my day to know that I have a hand in helping someone who needs the help. They won’t even know who prayed for them. Isn’t that wonderful?
