If you ask 100 people the question “what will the new year bring,” you will get 100 different answers. However, the truth of the matter is that none of us know what it will bring. We don’t have a crystal ball to gaze into that will tell us the future, but we can plan and look forward to a new year unless Jesus comes first. That would bring us the greatest new year ever! Actually, it would bring us the greatest forever, not just a new year, but until then let’s do a little planning and thinking on this subject.
Today we will focus on our conversations with God. We call this prayer, but prayer is very simply talking to God. Too many people see prayer as written words by a man that they recite over and over to God. God does not need a recitation; He wants us to talk to Him from our hearts. In Matthew 6:7, Jesus tells us to not use vain, which means empty, repetitions. Speak your heart to Him, that is what He desires.
Matthew 6:7 “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
How about your prayer life? Is it vibrant, seeking God first in the day because you can’t wait to talk to Him, or is it a stale go through the motions event? In Luke 22:40, we are to pray that we do not yield to temptation. Until it becomes a vital part of your day, you will be tempted to skip it every morning. If you are having a challenging time resisting temptation, prayer will help you overcome the sin that is gnawing at your soul. Prayer is essential to our spiritual growth. It is us taking time to connect with our God. It’s talking to Him, and then listening to the Holy Spirit speak to our soul.
Luke 22:40 “And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”
In I Thessalonians 5:17, Paul instructs us to pray without ceasing. In other words, keep a mindset of staying connected to God. I’ve prayed many prayers while being in the middle of a crowd. It doesn’t matter where you are, you can pray. Jesus gave us the example for prayer by setting aside time to pray. He met with God first in the morning.
I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
We are instructed in I Thessalonians 5:25 to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is vital to our spiritual well-being to be connected to a body of believers. These people become the family that we choose. In most cases, we have more in common with our brothers and sisters in Christ than we do with blood relatives. In James 5:13, we are to pray for the sick. Do you get it? We are to spend time in prayer, seeking God’s will for our lives, asking the Holy Spirit to convict those who don’t know Him, for the sick to be healed, for protection of His saints, and for a grander opportunity to know Him better.
I Thessalonians 5:25 “Brethren, pray for us.”
The next instruction to pray is one that we seem to do more than any other. It is the prayer for the sick. In James 5:13-14, James tells us to pray for those who are afflicted. The affliction can be sickness, suffering from the loss of a loved one, disappointment because of uncontrollable situations, or persecutions from the world. All of these are areas where we look for answers, but we must understand Jesus can comfort us when we go to Him. When we suffer any trial, we should naturally run to Jesus in prayer. He is the great physician, God, and God alone holds our lives in His hand. He created us and He has the ability to heal. He can heal us from our sickness here, or if we are a Christian, we may receive perfect healing by death. For the Christian, this ultimate healing would culminate in Heaven with Jesus.
James 5:13-14 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:”
God already knows all of our needs, He knows us better than we know ourselves, but He wants us to ask, sometimes to beg. An example of this is in Matthew 15:22 -28. A mother was asking Jesus to heal her daughter, at first, He didn’t acknowledge her, but she was persistent. Jesus was testing her faith and she passed the test. He healed her daughter.
Matthew 15:22-28 “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
There are other areas we need to make sure we incorporate into our prayer life, but we will deal with those tomorrow. I believe tomorrow’s subject is the most precious prayer we can pray, but until then think seriously about your prayer life and make plans to get up and start your day talking to God our Father.
