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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
God told King Solomon that His people, those who claim to know Him, are to pray and how to do it. When God’s people are confronted with illness, other people intercede in prayer for them.
As Jesus ministered on earth, prayer kept Him in touch with His Father. When Christ was physically exhausted He got away from the crowds and spent time conversing with God.
As Jesus knelt in Gethsemane, He communicated with His Father about the most important deed of His life- that of shedding His blood for you and me. (Matthew 26:36,38-39,42, 44)
Prayer became important to the disciples when Jesus was no longer with them. The eleven prayed to choose the one to replace Judas. (Acts 1:12-26)
Peter and John had been in jail; they returned to their people and told what they heard from the chief priests and elders. The people responded by praying. (Acts 4:23-26)
In our 21Century, when we hear of a person’s need, we begin to pray for that person. This week, I returned to reading Lead Me, Holy Spirit written by Stormie Omartian. I found myself looking at my prayer life in a different way.
As we go through our day, do we pray for our nation? Or do we just shake our heads in disappointment at what we see going on? When we encounter strangers and they rankle our nerves, what do we do? Do we give them a smile and silently lift them up to the Lord? Or do we think or even say things that come from the baser side of our personality?
When we hear of a need of a young family who has-a critically ill baby—we need to pray fervently. It doesn’t matter that we may not know them or we know them casually. That baby needs to be lifted up to God to let Him work to heal.
As I make initial input on this article, a friend of mine is preparing for surgery—her sixth in eleven months—on one of her knees. She keeps getting infections. Our whole church has heard of this need. They are praying for her and her husband.
God wants to hear from us on a regular basis. If we don’t commune with Him each day, our relationship weakens. How long can an earthly relationship last if the people don’t communicate? I’m sorry to say it won’t last long.
At our church, one of the secretaries updates our prayer list two times a week. The congregation receives one on Sunday morning and there is one available on Wednesday evenings. There is a Bible Study that meets on Thursday morning. Those who participate in this group also receive one.
Prayer is vital for our existence. God wants to hear from us. He wants to guide us and love us. Sometimes we set ourselves to worrying about the blockades that life throws at us. Too much worry and stress can lead to our becoming sick.
Prayer takes the burdens of our lives and gives them to God- the One who can handle them. It is our lifeline to God. We cannot overemphasize its importance in a believer’s life.
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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