Midweek Encouragement - “God Blesses Us with Prayer”

“God Blesses Us with Prayer”

        ^{Lately, I’ve been thinking about the benefits of being a Christian. Obviously, there are so many that I hardly know where to start. I can easily write about the gifts of justification, sanctification, or adoption (and many others similar to it). But today, I’ll keep it simple. Let’s focus on a blessing that we may sometimes overlook — the blessing of the gift of prayer.}

         ^{Isn’t it amazing that the God of the Bible allows His people to communicate with Him through prayer? Sometimes take this access we have to God for granted, but if you pause and think about the different dimensions of prayer and just how good our access to God is, it’ll bless your soul.}

         ^{Think about it . . . We have 24/7 access to God. In the middle of the night when everyone else is unavailable, God is up, ready and willing to hear your prayer. That’s amazing! You might have close family members, friends, and other relationships where people are helpful to you in many ways, but they can’t always be there for you because they’re not always available. But God is constantly accessible. The Lord doesn’t need sleep. He’s always awake. You can always go to Him . . . at 2:00 am when your screaming baby won’t sleep, at 6:30 am when you’re anxious and scared about facing the day, at noon when the day isn’t going how you planned. This 24/7, 365 access to God we have in prayer is surely miraculous.}

         ^{Have you noticed that we don’t need to use physical words when we pray? Someone once told me “God loves cubicle prayers as much as He does public prayers, too!” It’s true! Because God is omniscient (all-knowing), He can understand what you pray in your mind with 100% accuracy, every single time. Yes, using words and praying out loud is essential. Soundless prayers shouldn’t make up 100% of our prayer lives. Sometimes words aren’t possible, so know that God gets your thoughts.}

         ^{We don’t need to always pray long-winded prayers. I’m not against long-winded prayers. My prayer times with the Lord are some of the best parts of my day. But there’s a time and place for everything. Sometimes your prayers will be long-winded and other times they simply won’t be. Sometimes, you’ll be able to just say a quick prayer, move forward, and trust God with the results.}

         ^{A certain Christian leader was serving on a panel discussing a tough cultural topic. He was asked a hard question and didn’t know how to respond. He knocked his pen from the table to buy himself time to pray quickly and silently in his mind as he picked up his pen. In that brief moment, the Lord gave him a response. Those kinds of little prayers throughout the day are powerful.}

         ^{Prayer changes things. God’s plan includes the end result of everything that happens, but He also chooses how He makes the ends happen. He sometimes uses your prayers to accomplish the ends. Too often we treat prayer as something we should do only to sustain us, to give thanks, and to ask for general things. Those things are good — very good. but don’t forget that God is a Father and you’re His child. As His child, you’re free to pray specific prayers for things you want to see happen. Pray big, bold, specific, prayers.}

         ^{Prayer changes you. Prayer can change things, but sometimes it doesn’t. Why? Sometimes your prayer may not align with God’s will. That’s a good thing because God knows better. And yet, even if prayer doesn’t always change your circumstances, prayer often changes you. The Lord meets with you when you pray. He changes your character and gives you what you need to get through your situation, even if He doesn’t give you exactly what you want.}

         ^{Often, we take this blessing of prayer for granted, but when we reflect on the gift of prayer and the many ways in which prayer is a blessing, it’ll help us appreciate this great gift from God.}

^{For those of you who will be in worship at the Mt. Laurel Church of God this coming Sunday, April 21, my message will be based on this Scripture:}

^{John 10:11-18}

^{Pastor Dale}

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this message with anyone you choose. And if you'd like to receive PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send an email to (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.