March 12, 2013 WHY PRAY? 2 PART SERIES PART 2 In the Gospel of Mark, the woman who sought healing for her continuous bleeding was exhausted emotionally, mentally, and physically. (Mark 5:25-34) Her finances were drained. She had spent all she had on doctors seeking a cure for her illness. According to Jewish customs and the Law of Moses, she was viewed as unclean spiritually and physically. This rejection went on for years, draining away her hope for healing. Any physical strength she had left was used to lift her hand and touch the outer garment of Christ’s robe as He passed. Yet it was enough! God saw her actions. Jesus recognized her faith, and He stopped and turned to face her. Though He asked who had touched Him, Jesus knew the answer, for He was the Son of God. The power that “went out” of Him had faith as its object. How did this woman have the energy and the will power to reach out to Christ? It would seem reasonable from a human perspective for her to give up, but she didn’t. There is something about coming in contact with Jesus that stirs up hope. Those who met Him realized this. Today, it is His Spirit that draws us to Him. Just like this woman, there is something within us urging us to reach out to him. In prayer, we find hope and a solution for every problem we face. Yet the fact remains that it is not obligated to answer our prayers according to our plans. He sees the big picture. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. When we are sensitive to the leading of His Spirit, we discover that our prayers line up with His will. We pray because we want to know we are not alone in any situation. God is with us. In 2 Chronicles 20, we find that a vast army had gathered against the nation of Judah. The Bible tells us that at the sight of such an immense enemy, King Jehoshaphat became afraid. Yet instead of fleeing a cowering in fear, the king turned to the Lord in prayer. Jehoshaphat realized Judah’s only salvation was through God’s intervention. Jehoshaphat prayed, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are you not God in the heavens? And are you not ruler over all the kingdom of the nations? Power and might are in your hand so that no one can stand against you” (2 Chronicles 20:6). God was not surprised by the event surrounding Israel. He knew exactly what was about to take place, and He had a plan for victory. Do you believe that God will help you? He will! From kings to lowly outcasts, God’s mercy abounds. There is always reason to hope when He is involved. Prayer does Several Things: 1. It re-adjusts the focus of your heart and thinking. In times of crisis, it is easy to focus on the darkness of the prevailing situation. However, prayer changes this. It causes you to look to a Source of help that will never fail you. 2. It allows God an opportunity to become fully involved in your life. Everything in life requires God’s assistance, although we often ignore this fact. We want to solve problems on our own and away from God. But the Lord seeks to build a personal relationship with each one of us. Adversity is a common tool He uses to gain our attention. 3. It helps us understand the love of God. Prayer is our only direct line to communication to God. True prayer begins with confession and repentance. This means that we acknowledge our sin before God and make a conscious decision to turn away from it. 4. The Lord is working to bring about wondrous blessings in your life. And prayer is the doorway that will take you there. You may be on the brink of giving up, but there is hope. God holds the very answer to your problems, decisions, or relationships.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 06:47:23 +0000
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