Prayer

Do you think God ever gets tired of hearing our prayers? If He were like us, then yes . . . absolutely. We humans bore so easily. I, for one, am grateful that God is not like us. My prayer is that we might strive to become more like Him instead.

The Bible says that God's Holy Spirit takes our prayers and makes then presentable to The Lord. That's good, especially in the case of MY pitiful prayers.

Usually I run through a laundry list of things and people I am praying for. That's not the best type of praying. There have been times however, when my prayers have been deep and passionate, sometimes to the point of tears. Those are good prayers I think.

I need to praise God more in my prayers. It's good to pray about God's character because it reminds us just how big and amazing He is. It humbles us in our prayers. Another good thing. If we can approach God humbly in our prayers instead of just laying out our to-do list for God to take care of, well, I'm just thinking more of our prayers would be answered.

A few weeks ago at work I offered to pray for someone who had just lost a friend. I put myself in this person's shoes and imagined what it would be like if I lost my best friend. The tears came easily.

I'm no different than the next guy. Probably worse than most when it comes to praying. I need to forget all that and just pray - honestly, openly and hopefully.

It says in James that the prayers of a righteous man are effective.

"16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." - James 5:16

I rad that and think, "I haven't got a shot of getting my prayers answered. I'm certainly not a righteous man. Abraham was a righteous man. I'm just Bob. I'm not righteous. But . . .

Jesus is righteous. And that is the key!

I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I believe He died and then rose from the dead. I believe Jesus is the Son of God, fully God, fully man. And I believe God's Holy Spirit lives within me. I believe that! And if you do too, guess what? We are made righteous in God's eyes, through His Son, Jesus.

If we are righteous in God's eyes, how can our prayers not be heard? How can our prayers not "availeth much"?

If is an honor to come before God in prayer and bring the lives of those we love with us. When we lift up our friends in prayer, in the name of Jesus, how can that not be a wonderful thing?

Let us be on our knees in prayer. Let us bring those we love into the throne room, boldly. And let us pray.

"1 Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. 2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land." - Psalm 143:1-6

The Prayer - Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli