One And Done or PUSH?

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed, the motion of a hidden fire, that trembles in the breast. Prayer is the burden of a sigh, the falling of a tear, the upward glancing of an eye, when none but God is near. Prayer is the simplest form of speech, that infant lips can try. Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach, the Majesty on high. Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, the Christian's native air. His watchword at the gates of depth, He enters heav'n with prayer. Prayer is the contrite sinners voice, Returning from his ways. While angels in their songs rejoice, And cry, "Behold! He prays!" Nor prayer is made on earth alone, the Holy Spirit pleads. And Jesus at the Father's throne, for sinners intercedes. O thou by whom we come to God, the Life, the Truth, the Way. The path of prayer thyself hast trod. Lord, teach us how to pray.  By Sally DeFord    

  My beloved pastor says the first sentence of this song every Sunday before altar call. I look forward to it. It signals to me, that even though I can pray anywhere, it's now time to talk to the Ancient of Days in His house. I get a warmth all over. And then I spill my guts. And I get straight to the point. You know what I mean, right, you churchgoers? At that time even if my world is crumbling, I experience for that short moment, the peace that passeth all understanding. Phil 4:7 

  Prayer is deeply personal. It's a conversation had with the One who knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb. Corporate prayer, while not as personal, renders wonderful results when the congregants are on one accord.

  Prayer can be had anytime, anyplace. While cleaning the house, riding to work, showering, washing the car, at your desk, in the store, anywhere. We can pray anywhere because God's everywhere. That should be a comforting thought. But how do we pray? Do you pray about something one time, and leave it with Him, knowing He knew before you even formed the words, and was just waiting for it to flow out your mouth. You know, from your mouth to God's ears. Or do you petition Him constantly about the issue on your heart. Maybe you're a PUSH prayer, Pray Until Something Happens? Do you wonder which way is best? Are you conflicted sometimes? I am.

  Sometimes you have the faith(confidence) and you can rest in knowing that He heard you and is working on your petition as soon as you got it out your mouth. My mom was like that. "Pray and leave it there", she'd instruct me. Her thought was God wasn't hard of hearing. And the elders had great faith. They were one and done. However, sometimes something presses in so close that you can hardly breathe. You can't even form a prayer. There are days when all you can say is "help me Lord", so much it becomes a mantra. Like I shared, I was really conflicted about this. How to pray Jesus Himself gave us a blueprint, when one of the disciples asked Him, LORD teach us to pray. Luke 11:1 I didn't want to badger the Lord, but I needed to keep sending them up. It made me feel better. Brought peace in the moment. Life comes at you FAST! It comes at our loved ones FAST!  Many times you feel like you have to bombard heaven. We are instructed to pray without ceasing. So do that! Keep praying. Keep knocking. Because I'm a witness, He'll answer. Some times even SUDDENLY! That's the most thrilling. You barely get it out your mouth, and it's handled! Some times it takes a minute to get your desired result. Hang on. He's no doubt working it out, doing what He does, being busy being God. There are also times when your petition doesn't come to fruition, and in those times we must accept that what we wanted was not His plan for us. We have to settle it in our hearts that something better is on the horizon.

  Sometimes prayer isn't words. It's tears. It's humming. Silent words that only He can hear flowing from an overburdened heart. There will be times that so much is going on at once we don't even know what to pray for. Romans 8:26-27 addresses this. In the same way, the spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God. That's great news. When you don't know what to pray, enlist the Holy Spirit to take over for you. I personally do this frequently. I want my prayers to line up with God's will, and the Holy Spirit knows.

  So pray, pray and pray some more. Or if you're the one and done, rest in His promises. Have faith to know that it will be, and if it doesn't come to be, know that He knows best and something is coming to wonderful that will probably knock your socks off. I think our praying must, for lack of a better term, match the situation. This way, you'll get the amount of peace you need. Big prayers or small, God can handle them ALL! But we must remember, no matter how trying the situation, that we must first believe He'll answer us. That He's coming. God honors faith above all else. Faith is a hard thing sometimes when you're going through, for most of us, I think. We believe but we doubt. We believe one minute and doubt the next when we're not seeing what we wish soon enough. I speak from experience. So hold on. Tight. When doubt comes, like Jesus said, tell it Peace be still!

  A few of you contacted me after my very first blog. You shared and I want you to know I'm praying for you. Some of you have suffered great loss. Some just discouraged with how life is going at our age. Some have relational issues. If no one else is praying for you, I am. I thank God for all of you who take the time to read my blogs. I pray that you're blessed and highly favored. I pray your vision holds up so you can read, read and read some more. Lol. I pray that family members get right. Jobs are obtained. Bills are paid. Good health returns.  I pray when all this good comes to pass, that you'll look up and thank God from whom all blessings flow. Let's all keep praying in faith. God's got it. It'll be alright. It will! Be encouraged.

What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry. Everything to God in prayer. Oh what peace we often forfeit. Oh what needless paid we bear. All because we do not carry. Everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer.

  Thank you Rev Dr. John E. Jackson Sr, for helping me clear away my confusion. Please join us for a word you'll never forget, at Trinity United Church of Christ Gary 1276 W 20th Ave. Gary IN.


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