Unlimited: Why We Need to Pray
Jul 2, 2019 1549
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God (Romans 8:27, NIV).
If there is a loving heavenly Father, he would want to talk to us. Because talking must always be a two-way street, all the great characters of the Bible were praying people. Abraham, Elijah, Jeremiah – all the prophets − Samuel, Hannah, Peter, and Paul, were all praying people. No wonder then that the Bible talks about prayer 350 times.
What, then, is prayer? Prayer is our need finding a voice. Prayer is the slipping through an open door to find our best Friend in the universe. The supreme fact of the universe that God is love. If we believed this, our lives would be in constant peace.
Prayer is spilling out the heart. Prayer is telling God what upsets us, what concerns us. It’s telling God when we’re grateful for his help, when we need his guidance, when we want his forgiveness. And when we’ve messed everything up.
Prayer is a sharing. Phillips Brooks, the great preacher who wrote, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” saw a little boy standing on tiptoe, trying to press a buzzer outside the door of a house. Being a man of great kindness, Phillips lifted the boy up so he could press the button. Then the boy cried, “Now scoot!” and wriggled out of his arms and scooted. Phillips Brooks was left standing at the door to explain.
Prayer is not pressing the doorbell, then scooting. Prayer is listening as well as talking. − Des Ford (adapted)
Eli’s Reflection: What does spilling out your heart to God look like? What words need to spill out of your heart to God today? How can you walk through the open door of prayer?
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