Wednesday, September 19, 2007
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
MESSAGES FROM INDIA (III)
The only way to describe it is a form of organized chaos. That is the only response I've been able to come up with to explain how the traffic system operates in most of India. The biggest vehicle is king of the road. The horn is used to notify everyone else of your presence (it is used more than we use turn signals), and excellent hand eye coordination is a must. Upon arriving at one of our initial destinations, one of the mission helper clergymen remarked, "Well, a car ride like that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'pray without ceasing.'"
Surely we are more inclined to pray when we feel imminent danger upon us. We are quick to pray when blind-sided by any number of calamities or distresses. But prayer is so much more than just a simple hotline for help. Yes, God has assured us that he will hear us in our hour of trouble and need when we come to him in prayer, but we are also guaranteed that our voices are heard in heaven because Jesus is personally offering up our prayers. He is our perfect mediator and on account of him our heavenly Father is anxious to lend an ear to his dear children at any time.
Praying without ceasing doesn't mean that we incessantly ask God for things. Our prayers go far beyond making requests and supplications. In our prayer lives we have opportunity to adore and praise our mighty God. We exalt him for being the same God who framed the worlds and delicately wove each one of us in his mother's womb. We praise him for being the God with the perfect plan from eternity to bring us to faith.
We come humbly before God's throne in prayer, confessing our sins, sorrowing over what we have done, and lamenting what we have left undone. We admit our ever present need for the assurance of forgiveness through Christ.
Thanksgiving is also a part of our never ceasing prayer life. We give thanks for being able to come to him in prayer, for being heard, and for prayers answered. We give thanks for all the gifts of grace that we enjoy. Every breath we inhale, every beam of light that strikes our eyes, every step we take is only made possible because of God's gracious providence. Whether it be adoring, confessing, giving thanks, or making supplication, let us pray without ceasing.
