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| Prayer and 'faith that moves mountains' go together. |
When I was a young I was taught to say prayers, but they were merely memorized oratories that sounded pius, but they were not from my own heart. I prayed the same stale prayers over and over for years. And I was instructed to not bother God too much because he was very busy. I was taught to pray instead to other beings in heaven and ask them to intercede with God on my behalf. Some prayers went to Mary, some prayers were said to other saints, some were even made to angels.
Can someone show me any instance in the bible where people prayed to anyone other than God and received deliverance? True prayer is one on one communication with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. The bible says call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. It doesn't say: "Call upon Mary mother of God and ask her to speak to her son about your salvation next time she sees him."
In the sheltered life I grew up in I never heard an authentic one on one prayer to God until I was eighteen years old. I remember that moment so clearly: I was seated at the dinner table with the family of a young lady whom I was fond of. Her daddy led the blessing over the meal. It was like no prayer I had ever heard before.
His tone of voice was soft and reverent. It sounded like he was having a conversation with someone in the same room. You could tell from the conversation that the daddy's words were from the heart. You could tell he loved and respected the God he was praying to. He humbly thanked the Lord for the provision of our meal. And He thanked God for many other things, too. Then what he said next really got my attention: He thanked God for me. He said: "thank you Lord for Sam." And he asked God to bless me. I was blown away. I had never even heard my own parents pray over me in eighteen years.
That prayer and that moment changed my life forever. I could see that this family loved each other. And they didn't say prayers, they prayed. They acknowledged God in everything they said and did. They prayed to God to intervene in lives and circumstances. They went to church, they read the bible. My 'lady friend' even gave me my own bible and she hand wrote scripture addresses in it for me to reference when I might face challenging circumstances later in life.
Although my relationship with my lady friend was not meant to be forever, my relationship with my Lord and Savior was meant to be everlasting. Praise the Lord for Godly families that faithfully live their lives out before the world, and Thank God for prayer.
My new life in Christ started with a meal time prayer and the living testimony of a family that walked with the Lord and loved him, and me.
So I ask you now the same question JC RYLE posed: Do you say your prayers, or do you pray...?
Heavenly Father, Thank You Lord for the testimony of the family that showed me so much love when I was a young man. Lord thank You for the testimony you have given me, Father.
Lord I didn't have a Godly earthly father, but you provided other Godly men in my life to shape and steer and model for me exactly what I needed. Thank You for my journey. I especially thank you for the difficult trials that have drawn me ever so closer to you throughout the years.
Where does my help come from? My help comes from You: The maker of heaven and earth. My loyalty goes to YOU. My prayers go directly to YOU, and You hear them. The bible tells me you are ever present and ever lasting. The bible tells me that you see everything and that you never sleep. The bible tells me that you and you alone are worthy to be praised.
I love You, Lord. And I lift up my family to You. I lift up all the circumstances I hold dear to my heart to you, Lord. Thank You Father, And I pray all these things in the precious holy name of Jesus.
Amen.
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