March 15, 2016
Then Samson prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord Jehovah, remember me again-please strengthen me one more time, so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of at least one of my eyes. Judges 16:28 (The Living Bible)
In my introductory devotion, I discussed The Mystery of Prayer: What is Prayer? I began by inferring “prayer is an opportunity to bring our will into line with God’s plan.” Prayer is an exercise illustrating our trust in God. It is the way of speaking o the Lord. I concluded, in my prayer, that we understand prayer is an “awesome privilege.” Today, we will focus on another W-why; simply, why should we pray.
We should pray because it is an outlet to tell the Lord we have a request of Him or there is an important matter which needs to be discussed. As individuals, it is common knowledge we can do this with a family member or close friend but the Lord would be valuable. This is because He loves, cares and intercedes for us. You could quite simply say, “How Great Thou Art.”
In other words, we can depend on God. After many years, Isaac pleaded with the Lord to grant Rebecca and him a child. Eventually, his prayer was answered. This is almost a parallel to a personal situation. My mother passed in 1997. After two years had passed, I made a request of the Lord for a companion, not including my dog. It was not fun being alone but He did provide even though it took 14 more years. One commentator has noted God’s response to Isaac was delayed for some time due to three reasons: “1. He wanted to deepen Isaac’s insight into what he really needed, 2. Isaac would have his appreciation broadened for God’s answer and 3. He desired Isaac to mature.”
The ancient Israelites complained quite often to Moses. Don’t you think prayer would have been a better solution? What good is complaining, it simply becomes an act of unnecessary stress. Prayer is much better than bickering or complaining.
Despite what has gone on in our lives, prayer is a way to be in God’s hands thus an ideal relationship. If you have ever felt like the lost sheep, God will hear and restore you. I believe this is an ideal thought to close with today-don’t you?
Prayer: Help us to know, Lord, that by turning to Your Son, our thoughts and emotions can be quieted when we listen through prayer. Amen.
Jeff Spang