Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every
occasion. Stay alert and be persistent
in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me
the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good
News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now,
still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly
for him, as I should. Ephesians 6:18-20
Today we finish our little excursion
into the preparedness of a soldier of the cross.
If you are like me, the one thing
that troubles you every time the subject of prayer arises is:
How in the world can I develop a prayer-life? I’ve got a zillion things to do; the kids won’t
be quiet, the dog barks, the pot boils over, my boss hates me, my business and
finances are in shambles, and April 15th is almost here. Preacher, it’s not that the wolf is at the
door! That wolf has moved in and had
pups under my kitchen table. And YOU
want me to pray?
My experience has been that we do not
pray because we have not grasped the importance of prayer. Chuck Swindoll tells in one of his books
about a group of amateur climbers were
scaling part of the Matterhorn mountain near Zermatt, Switzerland. As they came
to a narrow, hazardous passage, about to make a turn, a gust of wind swept down
on them. The experienced guide, knowing the danger this posed for the group,
quickly shouted, Get down on your knees!
You are safe only on your knees![1]
My dear Christian brother, or
sister, you will never have enough time to do all you have to do, until you take
the time with Jesus in prayer.
Prayer is a matter of unending
communion with our Lord. In his book, Purpose in Prayer, E. M. Bounds
quotes these words from former college professor and Confederate soldier,
General Thomas Stonewall
Jackson:
I have so fixed the habit of prayer in my mind
that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without asking God's blessing,
never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal, never take
a letter from the post without a brief sending of my thoughts heavenward, never
change my classes in the lecture-room without a minute's petition for the
cadets who go out and for those who come in.
When a soldier has been properly
outfitted, trained, and pointed in the right direction, there is only one
sensible thing left to do, Join the fight. I don’t know what that means for you tomorrow,
or even this afternoon; God is the one who defines and directs the
strategy.
I suggest you keep an attitude of
prayer, and an open heart. He will bring
you into the battle at the right time, right where you’re needed.
Someday the battle will be in front
of you. The question to settle right
now, right here, so that you will be ready on that day, is that your life
belongs to the Lord who gave His life for you.
That is the decision Christ invites you to make for Him. Come and die, Christian, die to self, and find
life in Him!
[1] Title and Other Images: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
[1]Charles R. Swindoll, The Christian Life, (Vision House, 1994), p. 223.
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