Prayer
If you are honest with yourself, you would probably say that your prayer life is lacking. Mine too. I have been convicted of this lately, and this conviction comes at the hands of a four-year-old little girl. Don’t you hate it when your children teach you stuff or make you realize your own shortcomings? My daughter Charlotte is a prayer warrior, at least as much as a four-year-old can be. Anytime someone in our family mentions an ailment, headache, or belly hurting, she is quick to say, “Let me pray for you.” She will stop whatever she is doing to come over and pray that Jesus would help you feel better. Her prayers are short and sweet, but she believes that God is listening. She believes that God can make it better.
Henry Blackaby writes:
God looks for those whose hearts are prepared to be intercessors before Him. Intercessors have hearts in tune with God’s heart. They are so acutely aware of what is at stake, for their land, that they will stay before God as long as necessary in order to obtain God’s answer. That is why you do not volunteer to be an intercessor. God enlists you.
This year we have had an emphasis of “Going Beyond.” Going Beyond ourselves for that sake of the Gospel. Getting outside the walls to serve and share with others. Spending time in prayer for those that we desire to see come to faith in the Lord. Being an intercessor is Going Beyond for the cause of Christ, for our church family, and for those that are lost without Jesus.
I want to be so in tune with God’s heart and desires that praying for others is so ingrained into my life it becomes second nature, like breathing. John Onwuchekwa writes, “Breathing — as a metaphor for Christian prayer — captures so much of what prayer should be. It reminds us that prayer is something essential to our existence. Breathing is necessary for everything we do. It enables every activity. Likewise, prayer is basic and vital.”
I know this isn’t something that will happen overnight, but it is a muscle that will take exercising. I know too that it may be a lonely place and a long road, as we carry the burdens of others in prayer. Still, I want the desire to pray to grow in me!
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
May we desire to live our lives in a 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 way. That we would rejoice in every aspect of our lives; not just in the best of times, but in the worst of times! May we live a life of prayer, communing with God, through Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit, in a constant manner that never stops. May prayer be our breath!
Love you and mean it!
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