Third, the Lord says His people need to pray and seek His face. One of the major trends we see in Church today is that there is a huge emphasis on worship. However, that is not the way it is emphasized in the Scriptures. This is not to diminish worship in any way, for worship is an important part of the Christian walk. While prayer certainly includes worship, it is much more than that. This can be an easy trap to fall into, for prayer is probably one of the most difficult of the Christian disciplines. It’s much easier to sing worship songs and have a feel-good experience, but prayer takes work and perseverance. Paul instructed Timothy, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” (1Timothy 2:8) He told the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Perhaps one of the most challenging things about prayer is that we do not know how to pray. This was a struggle for the disciples as well, for they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus responded to them with what we know today as the Lord’s Prayer. “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (Luke 11:2-4) Jesus was laying out a pattern or model of prayer for them to follow. We pray to the Father through the Son, Jesus Christ. We see praise (hallowed be Thy name), supplication (give us this day our daily bread), and asking forgiveness for sins. Again, this is a basic model to follow, and as we step out in faith the Lord will lead us. The Lord has never asked that our prayers be eloquent, but that we should just pray to Him from our hearts.
Prayer has been instrumental in past revivals. Consider the following quotes: “The coming revival must begin with a great revival of prayer. It is in the closet, with the door shut, that the sound of abundance of rain will first be heard. An increase of secret prayer with ministers will be the sure harbinger of blessing.” – Andrew Murray “There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.” - A.T. Pierson And, “All revival begins, and continues, in the prayer meeting. Some have also called prayer the "great fruit of revival." In times of revival, thousands may be found on their knees for hours, lifting up their heartfelt cries, with thanksgiving, to heaven.” - Henry Blackaby The Scriptures say that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). If we want to see revival in our lives and in our nation, we need to be men and women of prayer.
No comments:
Post a Comment