January 9, 2018
Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue. God’s voice in response to mine is its most essential part.—Andrew Murray
*
We are called to be in continual relationship with God, in a sense having an ongoing dialogue with Him, talking to Him, asking His guidance, praising Him, listening to Him throughout our day. This can be seen as the meaning of Paul’s general admonition to pray “continually” or “without ceasing.”1—Peter Amsterdam
*
God loves you so much that He not only wants to communicate with you through His written Word, but also directly. Like the loving Father He is, He takes a personal interest in you and wants to be involved in your daily life. He knows that you have questions and problems, and He wants to give you the answers and solutions. He wants to speak personal words of love and encouragement to you that will boost your faith and get you through the rough times. Most of all, He wants you to know how much He loves you. So He created a means of two-way communication, a channel between Him and you, so that you can talk to Him in prayer and, in reply, hear words He gives especially for you.—David Brandt Berg
*
We think thousands of thoughts every day, and these can be turned into prayers. This is a habit that has to be formed, but it’s wonderfully effective in teaching you to truly “pray without ceasing.”2 You don’t have to think up things to pray for all day long; you just turn your thoughts into a prayer to the Lord.
For example, if you wake up in the morning and think, “I’m so tired, I don’t know how I can get out of this bed,” you can change that into a prayer: “Lord, You know how tired I am and how I need Your strength for this day.” Or when you think, “I wonder how my kids are doing,” you can pray, “Lord, do bless and keep the children, whatever they’re doing right now. Protect them and give them lots of love and kindness and wisdom.”
Even with your positive thoughts, like, “Oh, what a gorgeous day,” you can turn it into praise to the Lord. “Thank You, Jesus, for giving us such a beautiful day.”—Maria Fontaine
*
Like any deep and lasting friendship, your relationship with Jesus will be strengthened by frequent, honest, open communication. That’s really what prayer is all about: communicating heart-to-heart with the Lord.
But just how do you communicate with the Lord? It’s quite simple.
To get started, find a quiet spot and picture Jesus there next to you. Then talk to Him just like you would to a good friend. You can talk to Him aloud or in your mind. The exact words you say aren’t what matter—just tell Him what’s on your heart.
You can pray anywhere, at any time. You don’t have to be either sitting or standing. You don’t have to be in a church, a religious building, or any special place. Prayer connects your heart with God’s heart, regardless of your surroundings.
Many people associate prayer with asking God for things. But that’s only a part of prayer. Of course He wants you to tell Him your needs, but He also wants you to just spend time with Him telling Him about how things are going in your life. Tell the Lord that you love Him and how thankful you are for all the good things He sends your way. Tell Him all about your dreams and desires, problems and questions, and He will give you strength, inspiration, reassurance, and the answers you need.
But there’s more to prayer than that.
Jesus also wants to communicate with you, to talk to you. He wants to tell you words of love and encouragement, and He wants to help you with your problems. He has all the answers, if you will listen. You can learn to recognize His voice when He speaks to your spirit and puts thoughts in your mind. …
Whether it’s your turn to listen or your turn to talk, you can communicate with the Lord at the speed of thought!—Julie Vasquez3
*
A man’s daughter had asked the local pastor to come and pray with her father. When the pastor arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The priest assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. “I guess you were expecting me,” he said.
“No, who are you?”
“I’m the new associate at your local church,” the pastor replied. “When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up.”
“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”
Puzzled, the pastor shut the door.
“I’ve never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man. “But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head.”
“I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” the old man continued, “until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ‘Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here’s what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky, because he promised, ‘I’ll be with you always.’ Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you’re doing with me right now.’”
“So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful, though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”
The pastor was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, and returned to the church.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her daddy had died that afternoon.
“Did he seem to die in peace?” he asked.
“Yes, when I left the house around two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me one of his corny jokes, and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange. In fact, beyond strange—kinda weird. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed.”—From storiesforpreaching.com
Published on Anchor January 2018. Read by Jason Lawrence.
Music by Michael Dooley.
1 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
2 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
3 Julie Vasquez for the Get Activated series, Prayer Power (Aurora Production, 2010).
Copyright © 2024 The Family International