Perspectives

John 17:9-11… 9) I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours, 10) All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11) I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. (NIV)

There is an old saying. “Those who pray within their homes, surround them with a wall that is stronger than iron.” Have we ever asked ourselves the question… why is it important to pray? Well, first, prayer is important because it changes attitudes. It removes the mysteries that so many folks struggle with. It opens our minds so that we may know what is right and what is wrong. But there is another point we must explore… prayer quiets our fears and calms our nerves.

How many times have we prayed out of fear of the unknown? How many times have we prayed because we were hopelessly at an end? How many times have we prayed; to do otherwise would have caused us to give up? We may come to prayer distressed… but when we give our worries to the Lord, we come away carefree and confident. Prayer is after, all making deliberate contact with God in word or thought. We become co-workers with God in matters of future events.

When we pray, we spend time in His presence, His thoughts gradually become our thoughts, and his ways our ways. Prayer changes the way we think. My thoughts will go beyond my selfish nature, I open my mind for Christ to speak to me privately. Prayer must never be an attempt to bend the will of God to our sinful desires… prayer ought always to be an attempt to submit our wills to the will of God. Prayer transfers our burden. Who in his right mind would say, or even think about hanging unto all the heavy burdens that life brings?

We cannot forget to mention this one more point… prayer upholds others in need. Now, why did I have to say that? Always others, are they not able to pray for themselves, are they so helpless that we should spend our free time in prayer for those who cannot seem to handle life’s problems?

But wait a minute! Jesus prayed for others! Prayers have helped me to find victory, and I know that they were not my prayers only, but the prayers of many others. Prayer is the way we help bear one another’s burdens. Intercession occurs when we earnestly labour in prayer for others. There are times when it involves great emotional and spiritual labour to take the burdens of another person into the very presence of the Lord.

These few Scripture verses quoted encourage us to be full of the joy of the Lord. We must strive to be unselfish and gentle in all that we do. Remember that the Lord is coming soon. We are not to worry about everything; instead, we are to pray about everything. Telling God our needs… not our wants… and we must not forget to thank Him for His answers.

If we do this, we will know God’s peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. God’s peace will keep our thoughts and our hearts quiet and at rest as we put our trust in Christ Jesus… To God Be the Glory Great Things He Has Done.

Would you pray this prayer with me?… “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have peace in my heart, I really want that peace, joy, and happiness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honor to Your Name.” Amen