The Privilege of Prayer!
Was chatting with my office-mate, Mike, yesterday and he asked me something that really stuck with me.
We were discussing the heavy work load of Handong profs and I told him that I felt like I was really "burning the candle at both ends" this semester. He asked me, "How's your prayer life going?"
It made me recall something my pastor said a while back that everyone of us could stand to improve our devotion towards prayer during a 24 hour period.
Since completing the "Experiencing God" bible study at our church, I feel that God has really made me a lot more "God conscious". What I mean is that I often find myself offering up prayers of thanksgiving, requests, confessions, pleas, petitions and praise throughout the day. (What I like to call "Nehemiah style prayers")
"The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it please the king..." (Nehemiah 2:4-5)
This message (as well as others) shows that prayer is not a specific place or position but rather an open communication and dependence on the Creator of the universe (based on the finished work of Christ on the cross)!
So, in this regard, one could say that I am constantly in prayer looking to see God at work around me so I can join Him in His work.
BUT...on the other hand, I CERTAINLY could improve my intimate times with the Lord before the day starts and at the close of the day. (I've heard a good analogy that we should be like a CAMEL in prayer.)
We were discussing the heavy work load of Handong profs and I told him that I felt like I was really "burning the candle at both ends" this semester. He asked me, "How's your prayer life going?"
It made me recall something my pastor said a while back that everyone of us could stand to improve our devotion towards prayer during a 24 hour period.
Since completing the "Experiencing God" bible study at our church, I feel that God has really made me a lot more "God conscious". What I mean is that I often find myself offering up prayers of thanksgiving, requests, confessions, pleas, petitions and praise throughout the day. (What I like to call "Nehemiah style prayers")
"The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it please the king..." (Nehemiah 2:4-5)
This message (as well as others) shows that prayer is not a specific place or position but rather an open communication and dependence on the Creator of the universe (based on the finished work of Christ on the cross)!
So, in this regard, one could say that I am constantly in prayer looking to see God at work around me so I can join Him in His work.
BUT...on the other hand, I CERTAINLY could improve my intimate times with the Lord before the day starts and at the close of the day. (I've heard a good analogy that we should be like a CAMEL in prayer.)
- A camel before carrying his workload must get down on his knees.
- Likewise, when he is unpacking his load, he must again get down on his knees.
I've heard that traditionally, James, the leader of the Jerusalem church and brother of our Lord Jesus Christ was known as "old camel knees" for the amount of time he devoted to prayer.
"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (Psalm 5:3)
"Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice." (Psalm 55:17)
posted by Andrew Brown at 11:58 PM
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