Pray and Believe

Prayer might seem like a long shot or like a shot in the dark. You pray and wonder what are the odds of your prayer being answered. We all must wrestle with this aspect of prayer since we don't see God to whom we are praying. We may not hear anything either that confirms us in a positive way. We might pray and begin to have serious doubts along the way about our prayer being answered.

We have the words in Scripture, "But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord." James 1:6-7

We cannot be double-minded in our praying. We are invited to have the utmost confidence that as we pray God will deliver. How willing would you be to do something for someone else who had no faith in you? However, when you hear someone say to you, "I know you can do it!" it encourages you to move forward. You are more willing to respond.

Being single-minded does not come easily to us. We must be willing to believe that God can do what might seem beyond our own human realm of fixing problems. We must believe in a God who can do far more than what we can ever imagine!

For the next couple of weeks, I will focus more on prayer in the book of James.

Have you ever found yourself wavering in prayer? Were you comfortable with it?

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The Christian Church exists today with many denominations. We certainly have become a diverse group of people. Even within denominations, there is much difference among congregations.

We enter now the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. We are invited to pray for unity within the church.

Scripture gives us the words of Jesus in praying for his followers: "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one,I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23

We would realize that there are many things that have caused division among Christians, involving such things as doctrine and practice.

Jesus, I believe, is praying not so much for organizational unity, but that we would all see our oneness in him - to see that there is more that unites us than divides us.

It is gratifying to know that he is praying for his church and continues to do so. May it also be our prayer that we as believers can seek to live in harmony with each other despite our differences.

Where Only Prayer Can Heal

Many of our prayers are for those who are ill. This seems to be a very common avenue for prayer. We might wonder amid all of our advancements in medicine, if it is not the medication itself that could do the healing and maybe even eclipse prayer.

On this point, I am reminded of a story in Jesus' life as recorded in Mark 9. A father had a son who had been ill with an evil spirit. The father was hoping that Jesus' disciples would cure him. They were unable to do it. The father then goes to Jesus with this dilemma. Here is where we have the response of Jesus to help cure the boy: "But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.” Mark 9:27-29

Amid all of our technology and miracle drugs, I believe that there is still a place for prayer in healing. God's power can do far more than what we can do. That is why we do pray every Sunday in our worship for those who are ill.

How about you? Do you believe in the power of prayer to heal an illness - whatever kind it might be?

Praying for Those in Office

We all know that the President of our nation must make many important decisions. The job seems overwhelming. Yet, whether we agree or disagree with many of his policies, we can still be those who pray for him.

The apostle Paul invites us into such praying when he wrote: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity." 1 Timothy 2:1

Many of the decisions that our President makes and those made by members of Congress will affect our quality of life. We can bring this down to officials in state government and city government, realizing that the decisions they make will leave an impact for better or for worse.

We might feel what can I as one person can do to make a difference? One thing we can do is pray. We might not know exactly what specific policy to pray for, but we can pray for the well-being of all that would lead us to have a "quiet and peaceful life."

At Savior Divine we do pray for the President every Sunday in worship. You also in your own person life can pray for those in office - whether on the national, state or local level. Considering the scope of the responsibility these people have, they need our prayers.