Wednesday, September 21, 2016
A PRAYER PRIMER (3)
James 1:5-8 (NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
How are we to pray?
Let's suppose that your car starts making a new noise on the way to work today. What would you do first? Would you pop open the hood and look around? Would you start tearing the engine apart? Would you immediately start trouble shooting by buying a new part from the auto parts store? Would you call your mechanic?
Since I'm not a mechanic, I would talk to a mechanic. I could try to troubleshoot, but I'd probably be wasting my time since cars are not my area of expertise.
So, why is it that when we have a problem, we first try any and everything to fix it before taking the matter to our God in prayer? I suppose I could be the only person who proceeds in this silly manner, but I doubt it.
Whether the problem is physical or material or spiritual, we can and should first take the matter to our God in prayer. We don't pray because we think that God is unaware of our problem and we must alert Him, but because we need to remember the one who answers prayer. Moreover, when we come to Him we are to come in Faith, confident that our God will hear and answer our prayer. He may not answer immediately or in the way we expect, but He will answer and His answer might be NO.
When we pray, let's keep the words given to James by the Holy Spirit in mind. God help us that we pray in faith, confidently. In earthly matters, we pray that God's will be done. In spiritual matters where God's will is known we pray in eager anticipation that He will answer what we ask.
Pray in faith, boldly and confidently, remembering His past grace to us!
