‘The Lord will receive my prayer…’ (Psalm 6:9)
What do we understand by prayer? Do we think of it as handing everything over to God? Do we believe it is based on the promises and purpose of God? Does praying come as easily to us as believing the Word of God does? Do we believe that in prayer we conform to the will of God? What does prayer mean to us?
‘You are complete in Him…’ (Colossians 2:10)
No matter what we have in life, no matter what we achieve, unless we know Jesus Christ in our life we will never be complete. So come to Him today, and everyday, giving Him thanks for all His goodness and provision and ask Him to help you put your trust and faith in Him for all things.
‘Be still and know that I am God…’ (Psalm 46:10)
Whatever you are doing take time now to come before the Lord your God and know that He is with you.
‘By grace we are saved through faith…’ (Ephesians 2:8)
Take a few moments to consider the greatness of God’s love expressed in these few words. We are saved, not by our own merits or anything we do, but rather by – and only by – the grace of God Himself. And as we reflect on this let’s now take time to give Him thanks with grateful hearts for His overwhelming love to us.
‘God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all…’ (1 John 1:5)
I’m sure we’ve all noticed how it is becoming darker earlier each evening, especially so when it’s a cloudy, overcast day. As the weeks go by it will become even darker, especially when the clocks change again, and generally we don’t like darkness, we prefer light.
Sometimes we might find ourselves enshrouded in some form of darkness in our life – a darkness brought about by bereavement, ill health, financial worries, family disputes – and I’m sure there are many more. During such times we go through a whole of emotions and, as the saying goes, we can often see no light at the end of the tunnel.
However, John reminds us here that God Himself is light and that in Him there is no darkness. So if we can hold on to our faith and look to Him during these times of darkness, there will always be a light to look to. The darkness may still surround us, but it will not envelope us – remember the opening chapter of John’s Gospel, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
‘When He saw the multitudes He was moved with compassion for them…’ (Matt.9:36)
As Christians we are called to show the same compassion towards others as our Lord did, but where do we begin? Many would say the true compassion begins with genuine heartfelt prayer, borne out of genuine sympathy, concern and care for others. This along with true faith and love is surely where we begin when showing compassion to others.
‘I will not forget thy word…'(Psalm 119:16)
Within the Word of God we can find all we need to help us through all that life throws at us on a daily basis. No matter what we are facing, no matter the circumstances, the Word of God can help us find a way through. Times may still be tough and there may still be tears shed, but in God’s Word we can prevail.
‘He will be our guide…’ (Psalm 48:14)
Whether we acknowledge it or not, God has a plan for every one of us and by His Spirit He will guide us along the path that He would have us take. But are we willing to walk that path with the Lord? Are we happy for Him to guide us through our lives? These are the questions we need to keep asking ourselves as we seek to live out our faith each day.
‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power…’ (Ephesians 6:10)
How often do we try to do things in our own way and in our own strength? Look to the Lord and He will guide you in all things.
‘Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need…’ (Hebrews 4:16)
How often do we feel that we are either witnessing or caught in the middle of what we would think of as an impossible situation and feel there is nothing at all we can do to affect the outcome? We have faith and we believe, and yes, we pray, yet still we feel so helpless. Why is this? Perhaps the answer lies in how we pray. Do we pray in expectation of a certain outcome and when that doesn’t happen we begin to question why we prayed in the first place? Or do we perhaps pray half-heartedly – not really expecting anything to happen anyway?
Prayer is one of the most powerful resources we have in our Christian faith, however, there are a couple of things we need to remember. Our prayers will not always be answered in the way we expect or hope them to be, nor will the fact that we are praying about a given situation suddenly result in that situation ‘disappearing’. But perhaps more importantly, when we come to prayer we need to do so with boldness, with conviction – with faith – knowing that God will hear and will answer. Perhaps not in the way we would want – but if we hold on to that faith, in a way which will reassure us that He is with us every step of the way.
