When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut
your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place… —Matthew 6:6
“The primary thought in the area of religion is— keep your
eyes on God, not on people. Your motivation should not be the desire to be
known as a praying person. Find an inner room in which to pray where no one
even knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret. Have no
motivation other than to know your Father in heaven. It is impossible to carry
on your life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer. […] Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship and
oneness with God. If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration
(see Galatians 4:19), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense
and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray.” CHAMBERS
Prayer is a vital part of our new life in Christ. Prayer is essential to our spiritual health,
and yet most of us treat it as if it is only necessary if we want something. Like a drive through at a restaurant. Just
place the order and keep moving. Listen …
the Word is God speaking to us and prayer is us speaking to God. It is curious to me at how we approach prayer. Not so much anymore, but for years when
people were asked to pray in church they immediately slipped into King James
English, is if there is a right prayer vocabulary. You don’t think in King James English and you
certainly don’t talk to your friends that way.
God sees the heart. The Spirit
prayers along with us (Romans 8:26) “….
the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we
should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for
words” The Disciples asked Jesus how to
pray. (Luke 11:1) The Lord’s prayer
has been dissected and analyzed in some many way. I think Jesus intended that to be simple. Jesus said 1) Acknowledge God for His sovereignty,
2) The rightness of His will and purposes in Heaven and earth. 3) Ask God to
meet our needs in this life. 4) Ask God
to forgive us for our sinful ways. 5)
Help us to avoid temptation and the sin that it inevitably leads to.
Prayer, like reading the Word, is a spiritual discipline. It takes a deliberate action on our
part. It is not just for times of trouble. Living the Christian life rightly is
dependent upon it. It is by being
faithful in your personal connection with God
that is the key to your spiritual health. Effective prayer is not dependent upon
eloquence but simply on purity of heart.
ELGIN
He Knows My Name
“I have a Maker He formed my heart Before even time began My
life was in hands
I have a father He calls me his own He'll never leave me No
matter where I go
He knows my name He
knows my every thought He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call”
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