JC Report 9: Prayer

JC Report 9.


Prayer. If it's something we do as a formality before every meal or before we go to bed, then this next verse will seem ridiculous.


"Pray without ceasing", 1 Thessalonians 5:17


I'm sure you all know what the word "cease" means. Anyway, if you think of prayer as talking to God, then the verse makes more sense. Whenever you need to make a difficult decision, pray. Whenever you're not sure what to do, pray. Prayer should be the default for everything we do. As I say, "When in doubt, pray."

I'll admit, I don't always follow that peice of advice. In fact, I forget this a lot. Our fleshly nature wants us to depend on no one, to be our own person. But if that happens, then God will probably send you a tough situation to show you just how much you need Him.

Another topic I'd like to touch on is praying for things. Often, when we want something, we pray for it. Now that's okay, if you bear in mind that God is not a vending machine. He is a friend. He wants what's best for you. He'll give you what you need, and what you want if it's a good thing and if you're ready for it.

"Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him." Isaiah 30:18

He longs to be gracious to you. What does that mean? It means that you are not always ready for whatever gift God has in store for you. If God gave you all His blessings of position, title, authority, etc. all at the same time, when you're not ready for it, you would misuse it. And that would be a terrible waste.

But does that mean God doesn't want us to pray at all? That he already knows what we want and need, so therefore we don't need to pray? Of course not. The answer would be yes if the only reason you pray is to get stuff from God. But like I said before, I God is your friend. He wants you to know Him better, to have a relationship with Him. And that is the best friendship you could ever have.

And I believe that is what sets our God apart from other false gods. He is a God of love, because He is love. Make it a habit to talk to God. He wants to hear from you. And not like a company who wants feedback about its product. He's the best friend you could ever have. Take my word for it. Even though I'm not very old, the few times I've felt Him strongly... are the times I wouldn't trade for anything. And you can feel it too.

Well, that's all the time I have for today. I'll start on another blog, eat a snack, then go to bed in 6 minutes. So long!