Time and Place to Pray

 Daniel 6:10
 He (Daniel) kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before.

We often find ourselves praying in desperation when things suddenly turn bad. We double up on our prayer time, we reach out to others to help us pray for an urgent situation. This is a normal response to a believer to cry out to Jesus, “Lord help us in our time of need.” God delights in our petitions and will come to us in a time of need. This was not the case with Daniel. Daniel had a consistent prayer life. Going to prayer was not motivated by an emergency situation, or by a last attempt to be recused. Daniel prayed because it is how he lived his life. He prayed without ceasing and making special time when he shut out the world around him and focused on Jehovah God. We also know that Jesus would often get away to find a place to pray to His Father. I don’t doubt that Daniel went into his chamber with this decree from Darius on his mind. He no doubt took this to God and submitted himself to God’s will. His life was not his own, it belonged to God. We find Daniel opening up his windows in defiance of the king's order and obeying God rather than man. His consistent prayer and communion with God assured him that his life was in the hands of God. Historically, men and women of God have practiced taking time out of the day to get alone and have communion with God in prayer. It is a good habit to establish in one’s life. Prayer is our lifeline to spiritual victory and a weapon against spiritual darkness. Prayer is also a state of mind that we practise through the day, in season and out of season. We are not confined to a specific time of the day for God to answer prayer on our behalf, but taking time out of our day with God is a lifestyle that pleases God and honors His name. 

House of God

 Matt 11:17
’‘My house shall be called for all nations the house of prayer’? But ye have made it a den of thieves.”

It was the practice and conviction of the church I was saved in to keep the house of God sacred. All exchange of money for whatever purpose was to be done outside the church walls. Food was not to be eaten inside the church sanctuary. This included the basement, and any edifice connected to it. The premise of these strict rules is based on this passage of scripture. I do appreciate the reverence and respect that was given to God’s house, even though I think they have taken this scripture beyond the purpose it was intended. We need to keep the place we gather together to meet God special. We have entered into the presence of God, we are on holy ground. The sanctuary is not a playground or the marketplace, it is a place to “take off our shoes”, lift our hearts, and hear the word of God. 
Like the fig tree that Jesus had cursed on its way to the temple, the Jews were not bearing fruit that was pleasing to God. Their hearts were full of greed and selfish living. They did not care about being true worshipers of God, they used their religion and the temple to pad their pockets. Jesus saw the hypocrisy and the fruitlessness of their lives and manifested His wrath against the way they were blaspheming the House of God. Like the fig tree He cursed and withered away, Jesus was demonstrating His displeasure and anger at the sin of His chosen people. They were all about appearing good on the outside, a tree with leaves, but hearts far from true followers of God. The Jews were not bearing the fruit that God intended them to bear. As believers, it is not enough to be called a Christian, but God desires that our lives bear fruit unto righteousness, living our lives to be like Christ.

Pray For Loved Ones

 2 Tim 1:3

I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of you in my prayers night and day.

The Apostle Paul took Timothy under his wings, and thought of him as one of his own. Paul probably had some influence on Timothy’s life, but much of Timothy’s life was influenced by his mother and grandmother Eunice and Lois. Their faith was true,  unwavering, and unshaken by the criticism and skeptics around them. They passed this faith on to Timothy. Sustaining this faith is not done by tradition that is handed down, it requires diligent prayer and supplication. Praying for those close to us daily is crucial in keeping the faith. Satan is relentless in his attacks. He seeks to defeat and destroy those who believe in Jesus.  Being rooted and grounded in faith is made possible through prayer. We need the Holy Spirit in our lives to give us the power to overcome the trials and temptations we face. When our faith is attacked, it is the power of God in prayer that will keep us faithful to the teachings of Christ and keep our relationship with God genuine and sincere. Those of us who have children, we have a responsibility to hold them up in prayer. Yes, we need to pray for the sick and the lost, but praying for our children should be a daily priority. We may not be able to help them in many ways, but praying that they will keep the faith and trust God in everything is paramount.

Penitent Prayer

 Psalm 51:7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The sin of David in our day would be considered scandalous. A man in a prominent position, a person that many hailed as a wonderful leader, succumbed to his selfish desires to take another man’s wife and commit adultery, and hired a “hitman” to have the wife’s husband killed. If such an act were done in today’s society, his popularity would have dipped to an all time low. Such a man is held to a higher standard and should be an example to those who look up to him. Yes, we all know that we are just humans that are not perfect, and make mistakes, but David not only messed up, but he willfully disobeyed the commandments of God and sinned against God. He tried to cover it up for a while, but God sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a prophet to uncover his sin. Such is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and guilt to our hearts when we fall short of the mark and are found wanting. David was found guilty and his sin was revealed to everyone who heard the prophet Nathan. David was a man after God’s own heart, and his guilt brought him to his knees. Unlike Saul, the former king,  he made no excuses for his actions and took full responsibility. Forgiveness comes from God and God alone. Man can forgive, but it does not bring complete healing of the heart. The penitent prayer of David and God’s forgiveness reminds us that God is merciful. He desires that we don’t continue in sin, but He is faithful and just to forgive us of our failures. He will wash us, and make us clean, whiter than snow. Restore us back to Him.

Ask God in Prayer

 Matt 6:8
..your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him.

We come to God daily, not because we always need something. It is good to keep in touch daily with our heavenly Father. He does take pleasure in our petitions, and He entreats us to “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. and all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Asking God in prayer helps us to realize that we depend on Him, that our life is in His hands and we can’t do anything without His help. Volumes of books have been written on the subject of prayer, and not enough pages can be written about what God wants to do for us through prayer. The prayers of the hypocrites stem from spiritual pride and arrogance. They ask so that they may be seen for their ability to speak eloquently, and appear that they are spiritually enlightened. Their hearts are far from God, and God turns a deaf ear to their request. It is but vain repetition, without sincerity of heart. Our heavenly Father is all knowing, and already knows what we need. We don’t need to form a perfect prayer in our asking, we just need to come to Him with a humble heart and contrite spirit. Bow your head, bow your knees, but most importantly, bow your heart, and ask.

Power of Prayer

 Eph 6:18
​​ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Satan is the enemy of our soul. He hates God and everything that is good. He wants to destroy that which God has made. Man, the apple of God’s eye. Those who have been delivered out of darkness into the light of God must be prepared to resist the attacks of Satan. He will throw darts of  temptations, accusations, and doubt to weaken your resolve. Putting on the whole armor of God will prepare us for these attacks. Prayer is our connection to God, and our resource to access the power of God. We need each other to pray for one another. We can’t do it alone. Let us stand firm in our faith, pray for God to go before us, and uphold each other before the throne of God.

Prayers Night and Day

 2 Tim 1:3

I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.

Pray for those you care for and love every day. We often keep our loved ones in our thoughts, but Paul did more than think about them, he prayed for them. It is nice to think about those we care about, but the power of prayer connects our thinking to our Father in heaven, who controls the affairs of people. He knows what others are going through, He sees the trails and stressful circumstances that they are facing at that time. Positive thoughts do not change things, it is through prayer and petitioning God that makes the difference. Prayer moves the hand of God, prayer makes it possible to see God move in the lives of people. Without ceasing, let us remember our loved ones in prayer as often as we can, trusting them over to God who is able to meet their needs when they need it.

Don't Worry, Trust God

 Philip 4:6
Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.
 
It is within human nature to be anxious and be worried. It is a natural response when things in life turn against you. Paul’s admonition to us is not to worry about the unfortunate events that happen in our life. How is this possible? When we sense danger, our response is to flee, run, our body naturally responds to danger when we encounter it. Yet, Jesus says, “fear not”. Overcoming fear or worry is not done by human efforts, it is done by prayer and supplication to God. He provides grace, He is the one that will take care of us. It is supernatural. The power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the human reactions of anxiety. Letting go of our circumstance and situation and allowing God to take control. Knowing that He is the one in control will bring peace to whatever we are facing. Don't worry, trust God!

Asking God

 Luke 11:9
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

We don’t always get what we want, but God always gives us what we need. In His goodness and love, He knows what is best for us. He does not take pleasure in seeing his children suffer, but reasons only known to Him, He does not give us everything we ask for. For in our asking, we put God’s will before our earthly desires. We pray like Jesus, “Not my will, but your will be done” He delights in us asking, and He will fulfill it in such a way that works out for our good. For we know that all things work together for good to them that love Him and are called (follow) His will.

He Is Able To Deliver

 Daniel: 3: 17,18
Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us....But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods.
God does not always answer our prayers the way we hope He would. Jesus said, Ask and you will receive. What we receive is often not the answer we would expect. The 3 Hebrew children no doubt asked God to deliver them from the hands of their enemy, but they also realized that God may have other plans for them. The attitude of prayers should always be, “Not my will. But your will be done”. God is able to bring deliverance. The 3 Hebrew children did not escape being thrown into the furnace, but God still brought deliverance. He kept the flames from destroying them, and then sent a Comforter to stand by them. We don’t know how things will always work out, but we can trust God that He is able to help us through any situations, and in the end, He will get the glory. Even if God does not answer the prayer of healing, He is still able to bring healing to the heart, and give us peace.

Bearing Fruit in Old Age

Psalm 92:14  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age…

The days of man are numbered, and getting old eventually comes if God allows. How old do you need to be to be considered reaching old age? Yes, it has been said that we are as old as we feel, but at some point we all reach “old age” Physical appearance, the graying of the hair, the sagging of the skin, the bending of the shoulders, or the pace of our walk all can be indications that we have reached “old age”. Our body begins to wear down, our mind is not as quick as it use to be, and it appears that our usefulness to be used of God is diminished. God has a plan for each one of us as we grow older. We may no longer be able to do the things we were able to do in our youth, but this does not mean that we stop bearing fruit for the kingdom. God is faithful as we grow older to provide a way for us to be fruit bearer. He knows our physical limitations, but we can still be a light of hope and encouragement to those who follow our footsteps. May the prayers of the saints and the wisdom of old age be a guiding light to those who follow.

Asking Jesus

Mark 10:51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

What would you like Jesus to do for you? We often go to Him in prayer asking for Him to do something. What first come to your mind as you lift your voice to God? “Lord open my eyes that I may see your glory, let me see the light of the kingdom. Open my eyes to a world that is hurting and needs to know God’s love. Let me see the world through the eyes of God” Voicing our desire to Him needs to be more than words of piety, it needs to come from the heart and a faith that believes that Jesus is able to answer prayer.