Finally after years and years, I fully understand prayer. It isn’t a mystery to me anymore. Here is what I know: When I’m in desperate need, prayer springs naturally from my lips and from the deepest level of my heart.
When I’m scared or genuinely concerned about a matter, when I’m pushed beyond my own perceived limits, when I’m pulled out of my comfort zone, when my safety is challenged and endangered, I reflexively and involuntarily resort to prayer. “Help, Lord!” is my natural fervent appeal.
A writer penned; “The language of prayer is forged in the crucible of trouble. When we can’t help ourselves and call for help, when we don’t like where we are and want out, when we don’t like who we are and want a change, we use primal language, and this language becomes the root language of prayer.”
Often, prayer begins in trouble, and it continues because we’re always in trouble at some level. Prayer requires no special preparation, no enhanced vocabulary, and no specific posture. In the sixth chapter of Matthew we are encouraged to pray in private.
Prayer springs from us in the face of necessity and, in time, becomes our faithful habit to every issue both good and bad which we face in this life. Phil. 4:6; What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer!
The lyrists wrote, What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.
God’s help is only a prayer away. Share a recent time when all you could do was stop and pray. I’ll write you back.
See you next Sunday.
MJ