Prayer

By Bill Glover

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your request, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others that are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for He wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Prayer, what a mystery!

We already know (or should know) that God wants what is good for us. He loves us and wants us to live in peace, joy and security. We know that God wants us to be able to live in a safe and quiet place... one that assures us that we and our families can live, grow and work in peace and dignity.

The Scripture tells us that Jesus died for the sins of the world and that He desires all to come to Him to be saved, loved and cared for. He wants no one to perish, not even one!

So why, in his letter to Timothy, does the Apostle Paul exhort us to pray? Do we need to pray? How much of our precious time should we spend in prayer? Lord knows, we don't have enough time! Time that we could be doing something constructive like time with our family…time catching up at work or around the house. Besides a God like we trust in and worship, that created the universe and everything in it, surely doesn't need our help! Or does He? What should our attitude be towards this subject of prayer? We certainly are hearing a lot about it right now during the trial our country is going through. It seems that everybody is sensing the importance and the need for prayer. Even the leaders of our Government are asking us to pray.

But yet, if we think about it, we know that prayer is essential for establishing a peaceful context or atmosphere for our own personal spiritual growth. Prayer involves thanksgiving to God for His many blessings. Prayer includes intercession for others. Through prayer, both public and private, order and peace are promoted and strengthened. Prayer improves our conscious contact with God. Regular prayer also reminds us that we are helpless without God's continual and powerful help. Prayer to a loving God helps us in developing the ability to follow Him and to shape our decisions and actions according to His loving will for us. Yes, true heart-to-heart communication with God, whether public or private, is rewarded by our Heavenly Father and has a profound effect on our spiritual progress and the spiritual climate that we live in.

Reviewing these truths about prayer reminds us of some of the important reasons to pray. And I think one of the most important reasons is this: Prayer changes us!

Let's humbly follow Paul's advice and obey our leaders of Church and Government. Spend some time in your prayer closet today.

Our Father in Heaven, may your Name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in Heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13

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