" PRAY / PRAYER "

Come on in and sit a spell, today we will be looking into Prayer. Lord Willing this week we will truly get an understanding of prayer. A prayer is a petition, supplication or praise addressed to God. Probably the best known from the Bible is the Lord's prayer, i.e. the prayer which Jesus taught his disciples as an example of how they should pray. I love it that the Apostles asked Jesus how to pray. Please take note in the order of his prayer. First Jesus Praised God; then he made His requests. Praising God first puts us in the right frame of mind to tell him about our needs. Too often our prayers are more like shopping lists than conversations. Now, we cannot spend all our time on our knees, but it is possible to have a prayerful attitude at all times. This attitude is built upon acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing his presence within us, and determining to obey him fully. Then we will find it natural to pray frequent, spontaneous; short prayers. A Prayerful attitude is not a substitute for regular times of prayer but should be an out growth of those times. LAST POINT: We must learn to wait upon the Lord as Solomon did. You see many months, maybe years, had passed since Solomon's prayer of dedication. Now Several other building projects had been completed well after the Temple. Then after all this time, God told Solomon that he had heard Solomon's Prayer. How often do we look for immediate answers to our Prayers and, when nothing happens, wonder if God has heard us? GOD DOES HEAR, AND HE WILL PROVIDE FOR US. We must trust that God will answer at the proper time. Until Next Time... Jim,