PRAYING OR MURMURING – Saturday December 17th
2016
Memorise: Ye lust, and have
not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye
have not, because ye ask not. James 4:2
Read: Luke 15:25-32 (KJV)
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and
drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father
hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his
father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years
do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet
thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured
thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all
that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for
this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
Bible in one year: Leviticus
8-9, Psalms 119:161-172
MESSAGE
In
Christianity, prayer is generally defined as a solemn request for divine
intervention or an expression of thanksgiving addressed to the Almighty God. It
is therefore clear that prayer is not synonymous with murmuring, protest,
demand, or complains. A proper understanding of the art of prayer and the type
of prayer that brings results is very important in Christianity.
Let’s
consider some biblical examples of prayer. While describing the way he prayed
under a particular circumstance, the Psalmist in Psalms 42:4 says he poured out
his soul to God. The phrase, “I pour out my soul” describes the soul like it is
liquid. Depending on the situation, some prayers can take on a casual form
while others may wear a garb of seriousness. Open Heavens Saturday 17 December 2016:-
Praying or murmuring
The intensity of your thanksgiving prayer will
differ in a case where you experienced a hitch-free trip compared to when you
met with several difficulties during the trip but eventually arrived safely.
The Psalmist in Psalms
130:1-2 talks of calling unto God out of the deep. Somebody said
that this was Jonah’s prayer in the belly of the fish. When there is no
imminent danger, and you are in the comfort of your air-conditioned bedroom
praying, that kind of prayer will be sweet, smooth and leisure-like. But the
one in the belly of a fish such as in Jonah’s case would definitely be
different. Jonah would have been very aggressive and desperate and must have
prayed like a drowning man.
In 1st
Samuel 1:13-18, when Hannah was praying, only her lips moved. Some
people have used this as an excuse to engage in silent prayers. But the truth
is, although she was not making a sound, it does not mean that she was not
praying aggressively. We could compare this to a situation where an
eight-day-old baby is circumcised and he is in pains. He cries out in agony and
he continues to cry until his voice pales out, yet he will continue crying.
Hannah must have cried to the extent of losing her voice. There is an extent to
which you will pray and you will realize that you have gotten God’s attention.
What kind of prayer takes place in your family? How desperate are you? If you
can pour out your heart to the Lord without being so mindful of grammar or who
may be nearby, or who is looking or not looking at you, you will get His
attention. Open heavens messages.
At
the end of the day, what is important is getting answers to prayers and not
whether you appear to men as being prayerful. I have often stated that whatever
progress and achievements are visible in the RCCG today; they are by the grace
of God and the prayers of the saints. As you engage heaven in aggressive
prayers this season, you will receive divine attention in Jesus’ name. Call on
Him!
Prayer Point
Father, please, teach me to
pray genuinely from today in Jesus’ name.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional, written by Pastor E.A
Adeboye
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