PRAYER
Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
The American Evangelist Oral Roberts says his mother’s advice is the best he has ever heard on the subject of prayer. At age seventeen he was a very sick young man. His mother told him “Oral, you must give your life to God. Only God can help you now; so you must pray”. “ I don’t know how to pray” Oral responded, his mother replied “just talk to God out of your heart, tell him how your feeling inside” Oral Roberts later said “after all these years I have never been able to improve on my mothers advice. Yet it is true many Christians find praying difficult. Mathew 6:6 says “but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father, who is unseen”.
There was a DVD sometime ago that was called “The War Room” it was encouraging Christians to get down to serious prayer, by following the advice of Mathew 6:6, I’m sure its still available to buy today.
In the past I have heard some say” no point in praying, nothing happens” well if that’s the case then it must be that they don’t have a faith relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
If we were in desperate financial need and we stopped to ask a passer by for help it’s not likely we would get help, but if we went to a close friend or relative we’d likely be more successful that’s what true religion is, a relationship John 3:3 speaks of being born again and John 4:23 which speaks of the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan women at the well, Jesus said “yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the father in spirit (holy spirit) and truth, (that’s Jesus the way, the truth, the life), for they are the kind of worshippers the father seeks. V24 “God is spirit and his worshippers must worship in spirit and truth”.
When we have that sort of relationship God does hear us, because we are his church and Jesus is very much alive we don’t worship someone who’s dead but very much alive and again Hebrews 7:25 “therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him because he always lives to intercede for them”.
There is a conversation going on about the history of slavery at the moment and it’s going on in many nations but we do know a slave ship captain John Newton realised his part in such a great wickedness and he turned to Christ and wrote that tremendous hyme “Amazing Grace” but he also wrote words concerning prayer.
“Thou art coming to a king
Large petitions with thee bring;
For his grace and power are such
None can ever ask too much”
In other words God is never too-busy to hear the prayers of his people; I have found by my own experience the lord will answer large and small prayers. On one occasion I had been very ill and only had a certain amount of energy, we had two dogs, My wife was at work and I wanted to walk the dogs in a nearby field, but I needed to go to the chemist which was within walking distance, but I also needed to do both together that was the limited energy I had at the time, but there was a problem after the walk, I could neither take the dogs into the chemist or leave them outside, so I prayed in faith God would supply someone to hold the dogs whilst I went into the chemist. When I got to the chemist the only person in sight was up a ladder, but as I looked into the chemist open door I heard a voice that I’d not heard for years in fact it was a customer of mine when years earlier I had been in the retail trade. He was pleased to see me and willingly held my two dogs whilst I went into the chemist. Coincidence, I don’t think so I prayed in faith something we might think God would not bother with but at that time I just did not have the energy to do two journeys. But praise God the lord restored me from that illness that I was told was incurable and I was able to carry on in my pastor ship.
God is concerned with our lives not just the large things or problems but the small things as well.
If we believe in Jesus and have become born again we have been made righteous by faith and James in his letter tells us “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” James 5:16 (in part).
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and for ever! Amen.
Pastor Terry