Empower God's People through Prayer

We at Savior Divine just received a shipment of customized T-shirts for our church. Since prayer is a big part of our congregational life, we felt it appropriate to have a saying about prayer on the shirt.

The saying comes from one of our members and offers us a glimpse of how prayer is a foundation and empowering force for our life individually and together as a congregation.

I believe it is important for us to remember that prayer comes as a privilege. We certainly are not worthy to approach God because of our own disobedience; yet, God in his mercy, allows us to be in communication!

It is through prayer that we can have the force of being empowered to do greater things than what we could have ever imagined (John 14:12) . Jesus even talked about us having the ability to move mountains with a small amount of faith! (Matthew 17:20) . When we pray we are placing our needs and concerns into the hands of almighty God who created us and continues to sustain all creation.

The phrase "one prayer at a time" reminds us that we do sometimes take baby steps in moving forward. God's timing can be different from ours. Yet, we pray believing in the awesome power of God to use us for his purposes.

I hope that as others see the members of Savior Divine wearing these shirts that they will be inspired to draw upon prayer. Will you?

Finding Your Centeredness

Do you know what is the driving principle for your life? Is there something you can identify that is foundational in your life to help you through the difficult times in your journey?

Phileena Heuertz in an online video gives a talk about the importance of living from your "centered belovedness."

The focus of her talk is on contemplative prayer. This is one way of structuring your life so that you have God rooted in your living. I invite you to watch the video and consider how prayer might become more integrated in your life.

You Learn Prayer by Praying

How do you become a great writer? You write, write, and write. How do you become a great musician? You practice, practice, and practice. How do you become great at prayer? I would suggest that you pray, pray, and pray!

Certainly, becoming a great writer or a great musician demands getting some expertise along the way. When it comes to prayer you might have a mentor or you might engage yourself in reading books on this topic or even by following this blog. However, nothing will take the place of actually doing the praying. You need to experience the highs and lows of prayer. As you become more immersed in prayer, you will discover what it takes to really keep at it and the many ways God might decide to answer your prayers.

One must be careful here. Prayer is not merely an activity of what works and what doesn't work. It's all about establishing a relationship with God. It is building trust in the eternal God. It is putting your whole life into the hands of a loving God who knows you better than you know yourself.

So, if you want to learn more about prayer - one thing you must do - keep on praying!

Viewing Prayer as a Great Adventure

Who does not like a great adventure? Whether it is taking a scenic drive to a place you have never been, exploring the ocean depths, or climbing a high mountain? You take up the journey because you know that what you discover might be breath-taking and be worth all the energy you have put into it.

Can you say the same thing about prayer? Do you see it as a great adventure for yourself?

If you don't, then I would have you examine your faith. Prayer becomes a great adventure because we cannot calculate what God can do; we cannot even predict what God can do! In fact, what God can do can be breath-taking in itself.

Let's say you are trying to find a new direction for your life - whether it is for a new line of work or for living in another city. You could try to read books and talk to as many people as possible. Or you could commit your concern to prayer. In so doing, you will never know what doors might open for you through divine intervention. This act of constantly praying is "research unlimited" for you. You are placing everything into God's hands.

I hope you won't miss the adventure. Don't settle for less - pray!

"I Will Pray for You"

You have probably heard these words at a trying time in your life. You are at your wits end and have poured out your soul to others. Then someone upon hearing of your situation says, "I will pray for you." Have you felt uplifted? Or do you pass it off as just another kind word that comes along?

Now let's put yourself in the position of the one who speaks these words to someone else. Do you say these words just as a trite expression or do you really mean it? Are these words spoken because you don't know what else to say and the words seem to give comfort in an awkward situation? Or could it be that you really believe these words.

Here's the thing: Embodied in those words is the statement that you are connecting with the most powerful force in the universe. Your praying for someone else could make a life and death difference! Whether you speak those words or are on the receiving end, don't take them lightly. You never know what God might do!

Toward a Joyful Mood in Prayer

Oftentimes we are gloomy or sad because our prayers are concentrated on God fixing a bad situation. However, there might be times when you feel compelled simply to have joy over what God has done -and the spirit of your praying changes.

Paul expressed this latter feeling in his opening words to the church at Philippi: ⁴⁵ "I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now." (Phil. 1:3)

How often do you pray with this feeling? Is it very seldom? Do you put your prayers into the context of your faith and appreciating others who have come to faith?

Consider reflecting on God's relationship to us in the church through Jesus Christ. We in the church are the body of Christ. We are not alone, but have a source of support and encouragement that comes from other believers. We are also intimately tied into the one who will be with us until the end of time. If we are so connected to Christ and his blessings, need we fear what might come? Need we not trust bringing our prayers before God?

I believe this sense of joy comes from knowing to whom we are directing our prayers. We are not praying to someone who may or may not care for us. Rather, we are praying to God who has our best interests at heart. When we have this knowledge, we can pray in a spirit of joy.

Is Prayer a Necessity for You?

Our schedule each day can get filled up rather quickly. We have our job, errands to run, emails to check, phone calls to return, and attending to many family matters. We have many activities that fill up our time each day, some of which won't matter much in the long view of our lives.

In the midst of a flurry of activity, is prayer an activity that is a must like the many other things that you do? Why should this be? Prayer is our way of staying in touch with God. It brings us into communion with God. We get into the heart of God and God gets deeper into us. Prayer is the foundation out of which our lives are directed. We need to be reminded to whom we belong and who has a claim on our lives. Unless we have this time, we are left to our own wisdom and strength.

There are always going to be distractions - reading the paper, watching TV, and chatting on the phone. Can you really let these things squeeze out your precious time for prayer?

I invite you to look at your schedule and see if you are carving out enough time to be in communion with God!