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Today's Scripture
Ephesians 1.17 (NLT)
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Comments
Thomas Moore, in Meditations, wrote of a billboard near an old house of his. On the billboard and in six-foot type was PRAY: IT WORKS. Moore writes, "I always thought this was the ultimate in American pragmatism. If it doesn't work, do you stop praying? What does it mean to say that prayer works? You get what you want? Life gets better?"
"Prayer is an alternative to working hard to get what you want," writes Moore. He reminds us to pray period. Yes, "prayer cleanses us of expectations and allows holy will, providence, and life itself an entry."
Pressing for our way when praying can block the natural, spontaneous flow of the Spirit fulfilling God's wise intents in and through us. Spiritual prayer, what the apostle Paul calls prayer in the Spirit, opens inward springs of blessing that the Triune God, being the All~Good, longs to pour into our lives.
I offer some matters on prayer for your encouragement.
1) Prayer is more about nurturing a relationship with the Triune God than getting an answer to a felt need for something.
2) Prayer is a means to aligning our wills with the Will of God.
3) Prayer is the key means to grow our whole self~body, mind, soul, spirit~through communion with God.
4) Prayer is sharing with and in the God in Whom all things have being and life~thus, prayer is profoundly connecting with God and nature (i.e., the universe).
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5) Prayer is the top priority in the Christian life and is the wellspring and root of all service.
6) Prayer is not something we make time for, it is something we prioritize time for~assume you have time to pray, do not assume you must find time to pray, anymore than you must find time to breathe.
7) Prayer includes a variety of ways of enjoying communion with God~explore and enjoy.
So, do not work hard at prayer. Enjoy God. Laugh with Christ Within and Without. And when you make requests, always make it in the spirit of Jesus: that only your will be done as that will is perfectly the Will of God. When we truly do this, it opens a way for God to do marvelous things in and through us~more than we dreamed possible.
Prayer for Today
God, Your will always be done. Give me wisdom to see that will, when I need to see it. Give me courage to follow it, even when I do not see it. Help me not to stray from your perfect will and love. When I do, help me to forgive myself and learn from my mistakes. In all things, help me to remember that Your pleasure and grace reveals Your most lovely desire and hopes for all your creation. I pray this in Christ. Amen.
See next page for details on OneLife Ministries, Brian's book An Ache for Union, and material pertaining to sources used in the writing.
Feel free to submit a query. Thanks! Brian K. Wilcox
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