Devote
yourselves to prayer, being
watchful
and thankful.
Colossians
4:2 NIV
I
urge, then, first of all, that requests,
prayers,
intercession and thanksgiving
be
made for everyone.
1
Timothy 2:1 NIV
E.M. Bounds said, “Prayer should not be
regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be
enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.”
In his letter to the church at Colosse,
Paul admonished his brothers and sisters in Christ to devote themselves to prayer. The Greek word for devote
conveys the meaning to join, to give attention to, be faithful to, to spend
much time together.
Prayer is not a solitary action. Although
we often talk about being alone in prayer, it is always alone with God, the two
of us spending time together discussing faith, friends, family, life… As we
worship, we can feel His presence. As we confess our sin, we can realize His
forgiveness. As we bring our requests to God, we recognize our dependence upon
God and become thankful for His goodness, mercy, love and grace. As we wait and
listen for Him to speak, He teaches us and pulls us into relationship with Him.
Prayer draws us close to God. Prayer is
our place of power as God hears and answers. Often the change most wrought by
prayer is in me as God carefully shapes and forms me into the likeness of
Christ.
Prayer is a delight. It is like wiggling
your toes in a cool spring on a hot summer day. It is like a drink of fresh
cool water after a long walk on a dusty trail. It is like the first glimpse of
spring flowers after a long gray winter, or first sight of a loved one not seen
in years.
Prayer humbles my heart before God and
energizes me for the day’s journey. Time spent with God reassures me that I can
make it through the trials of life, joyfully. Through prayer I find the peace
that passes all understanding. Through prayer my disappointments become an
assurance from God that He is working all things out for my good.
Prayer allows me the privilege of a
glimpse through that heavenly portal into the throne room of God—into the place
where God’s glory shines too bright for my human eyes—“a rare delight that is
always revealing some new beauty.”
What good is prayer?
©
Joyce Powell
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