Thank you for praying
If you’ve had your ear to the ground (and accessed the Christ Community Church App on your phone), you are aware that we’ve been in a month of day-by-day prayer.
If you’ve been praying, thank you! If this slipped off your radar somehow, please join in this week. The Per Diem Prayer – Daily Dose prompts are on our app, and at our website.
CHALLENGES TO PRAYING
A number of years ago, Philip Yancey wrote a very insightful book entitled Prayer-Does it Make Any Difference? Who hasn’t asked that question? He noted a number of challenges that may detour us away from praying regularly on life’s road.
One is a sense of guilt in coming to our Father and Lord. We may feel guilty about some sin, or perhaps even the sin of not praying much recently? It can be unpleasant to admit I’ve dishonored in some sinful choice, or just by neglect. Subtly, our spiritual enemy knows that if he can get us to neglect praying one day, it is easier to get us to repeat the neglect the next day, and the next… You know what I mean?
Another is lingering doubt. We may have prayed in the past for something urgent or important, but then nothing happened. God didn’t seem to say YES or NO…the answer felt more like a WAIT. One of my own pet peeves is to have a computer screen scrolling through some mysterious protocol—you know, the one with the spinning circle?—and the words “please wait” persisting forever. When that happens as we pray, we naturally wonder, “God, are you truly there? How about some kind of signal? Anything!”
Yancey notes that despite our hesitations or our giving in to a neglectful habit, we can come to our heavenly Father just as we are. In fact, it is crucial that we do. The best argument for praying is that Jesus of Nazareth prayed constantly. He was always conferring with his Father about the direction and activities of his days.
HOW TO PRAY
Scripture urges that we come with a sense of true helplessness and humility in prayer. “[This] doesn’t mean that I grovel before God,” Yancey explains. “Rather, in the presence of God, I gain a glimpse of my true state in the universe.”
We also can come honestly. No need to pretend or put on a show. Prayer is dependent, expectant conversation with God, fully known we are invited to come without hesitation (cf. Hebrews 4:14-16). Jesus has cleared the way to come right to the throne boldly.
Personally, I find that getting on my knees and conversing personally with the Lord is a most refreshing experience. I sense the Lord responding in my mind and heart, as well as an assurance I have my Father’s ear. As Yancey notes, such experiences feed and strengthen faith.
STEP UP AND PRAY THIS WEEK
Let me invite you to join us during this final week of Per Diem Praying January 25–30 ending out our Winter Membership Meeting where we will pray together. The prompts will help focus our praying as a body of believers. And…thank you for praying.