I heard the other day that Christmas is only 100 days away. Wow… This year is really flying by fast. I started to think about my childhood and writing out a Christmas list and a letter to mail Santa. Boy, that Sears catalog would get worn out before Christmas came. Such good memories.
Thinking about our life today, we know there is no Santa, but I think sometimes, we take God for granted and kind of think of Him as a Santa. We take our want list to God just as we took our Christmas list to Santa Clause. Have you ever taken a close look at your prayer list?
So, what is Prayer anyway? Prayer is a powerful tool for communicating with God and seeking His guidance and assistance in our lives. It can take many forms, from simple expressions of gratitude to more specific requests for help and guidance.
Are you communicating with God? Prayer or communication with God is a two-way street. It’s both listening and speaking. So many of us are only halfway communicating with God. That is, we do a lot of speaking and little or no listening. It’s like giving our Christmas list to God and leaving.
Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” God wants to be involved in every part of our life. He already knows all your needs and everything on your prayer list, but still wants us to bring it to Him. It’s okay to ask God for specific things we want or need in our or others’ lives. God cares and loves us.
1 John 5:14-15 says, “…that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” The key words in this verse are “according to His will.” It’s important to remember that God wants us to bring our desires to Him and to trust in His provision, but we should also be open to His will and recognize that He knows what is best for us.
God answers prayer: When we pray, we should have faith that God will answer us in His own time and in His own way. Jesus said in Mark 11:22-24, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” As a child we believed that Ole St Nick was coming and would bring our wanted toys. We should have this type of faith in God… the faith as a child.
God will help you with every mountain or obstacle in your life. Notice I said help, He won’t do it for you. God will stand beside you, guide you, help you, lift you, and support you, but will not just remove that mountain from your life. When you trust in God, you will be able to move any mountain or obstacle that maybe in your way.
Final point… What is our motivation for our prayer? Is it something we do because we are told to… Or do we do it because we want something from God? Such as our personal needs, wants and desires. I hope it is to build a better relationship with God and not for selfish reasons. Think about this. If one of your friends only heard about your wants and desires, what kind of relationship would that be? It is God’s desire to have a Good Friendship with you!
In closing, how is your relationship with Christ? Are you using God for a want list? It seems that we have forgotten that God is not here to serve us… We are here to serve God! Remember this verse – Matthew 6:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
This may be your last day on earth so now is the time to get right with God. Maybe you have fallen away and need to renew your relationship with God and get the peace you once had. Please take the time now and pray…tomorrow maybe too late.
Tell God you believe His Son Jesus paid for your sins and arose from the grave. Tell God you are sorry and want to start Living for Him. He will forgive your sins and mistakes and give you Everlasting Life with Him… and place His Spirit deep within your heart. In 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” and in Romans 10:9 tells us, ”that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;“
May God Bless and Keep you!!!
Bob
I thank you for reading my blog. I do not claim to be any expert or affiliated with any religious organization. All I can say is that I’m affiliated with my Lord Jesus Christ. This is one man’s opinion and observation. My hope is I stirred up some thoughts for you to think about. There is one place that we can find all the answers to life. That road map is Commonly known as the Bible. If you want the answers to life all you have to do is read. If you would like me to pray with you or want to send a comment, please email me at Bob.L@magnificentpromises.com or the form below.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
