What
is Prayer?
(By
Nina Baker,
April 2, 1994 )
A
PRAYER IS
SOMETHING WE ARE,
NOT JUST SOMETHING WE DO!
To `pray'
to God, is to express our concern AND
offering ourselves willingly to be used to meet the
needs of the concern at hand if God so chooses or
desires to do so.
Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth, but
told the
people to remove the graveclothes so that he would
be free.
Are we to believe that God will act to save a
crop
or heal the sick `at our request' yet
has not compassion enough to save a child from
a brutal molestation, abuse, neglect, torture,
murder....
except as we petition Him to do so?
When we were commanded to pray for one
another -
we were commanded in doing so, to care for and
minister to the needs of one another.
Prayer
keeps those people and needs on our mind and
is a reminder to serve.
Are we to pray and leave all to Him - doing
nothing
more ourselves?
Did He not teach us that it is not
sufficient to `wish a brother well' when we can
provide for his needs as we see or know them to be?
As we communicate a need
through a chain of
prayers,
Or simply and quietly on our own... God is able to
speak to open hearts and choose among those who are
presenting themselves as concerned..... because to
really pray, is to present oneself to Him as an
instrument of love, service and healing.
We are to be Living Prayers.
An
attitude of continuous prayer in Spirit is to be
available at all times to receive instructions,
directions and supernatural power
in a moments' notice.
Prayer is
communion with God.
As His
servants/messengers, we are ever ready for His
service.
The most
perfect of prayer is praise.
To
sincerely praise Him when things look so terrible,
is re-affirmation of your TRUST in Him!.....
Trust so perfect that even in the very worst of
circumstances - you know with perfect assurance
that
He is fulfilling His promise to be with us and to
use all things for good.
When we can
do this - not by discipline,
but by absolute sincerity of assuredness of His
love....
We know what it is to pray a believers' prayer...
Remember
~ Prayer is not just something we do, it is
something we are
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