Pray, Do Not Be Anxious
Do not be anxious, rather pray. Jesus made it possible for us to do so. There was a giant chasm between God and us
because of sin. He is so holy, that sin
cannot be in his presence, but Jesus has covered this sin, this stain, making
us able to once again have communion with God.
Jesus is our mediator, our advocate.
When preparing this post and looking at what prayer is, it reminded me
of a book I read called, The Necessity of
Prayer by Edward Bounds. His largest section and most influential
was his work on prayer and faith. As it
should be, faith is the Christian anchor in prayer and touches every other
aspect of our life. Faith is obedient,
trusting, and every other positive aspect.
Not only influential but also instructive in his writing, Bounds shows
how Christians should pray by stating that, “faith must be definite, specific;
an unqualified unmistakable request for the things asked for.”[1] How true it is that we all too often pray for
the grandiose all-inclusive things like world peace and prosperity. Prayer, as Bounds shows, is personal and lies
within the heart; it is these desires and yearnings that God wants to hear us
speak and pour our heart into. It is our
way of communicating with God, which is at the center of relationship.
Think of it this way, when we were
little and depended on our parents for everything, did we worry? No, we would simply run up to them and ask
for what we wanted or needed, whether it was a snack, a new toy, a bedtime
story, or help with tying our shoes.
This is exactly how God wants us to relate to Him. We are his children and therefore, we are
under his care and concern. He wants us
to ask for whatever we need or want and he will gladly listen. This does not mean that we will get what we
want, just like we did not always get what we asked as children. The point is to ask and not worry. Again, simply ask and do not worry. How are we to do this, in thanksgiving.
As the Creator God, everything is
owed to him. Everything that is
beautiful, wonderful, and good comes from his work through the Word. We are therefore inclined to thank him for
all of these things; the biggest of course is salvation in Jesus Christ. As John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life.” For this
sacrificial act we thank God, remember this deed every time we pray.
We
should do this daily, if not hourly. I
remember a friend of mine saying that he does breath prayers, which are simply
little prayers throughout the day that he says under his breath as the day
progresses. Jesus, if you are not aware,
prayed constantly and made it a part of his life and ministry. After teaching the crowds and feeding the
5,000, Jesus, “went up on the mountain by himself to pray.”[2] He often blessed and healed through prayer as
well. In his love for children, “he lay
his hands on them and pray[ed].”[3] Again, after healing a man with leprosy, many
came to see him about their illnesses, but instead, “he would withdraw to
desolate places and pray.”[4] Wait, what?
Jesus would go off and pray instead of healing the sick? Yes, for he knew the power of prayer. That is why he said, “Whatever you ask in
prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”[5]
So now what? This is all great stuff, but how is
it to be applied today and now? Anxiety
as you know is a real threat to true unadulterated joy, robbing you of God’s
best in your life. What then can you
do? Release it to Him, for he alone
knows what the future holds. Release
your fears, anxiety, stress, worries, and everything that stops you from living
in the present. Release yourself through
daily prayer. When you wake in the
morning, give Him thanks for keeping you safe.
On your daily commute, pray for a clear mind and an open heart to serve
others. At work, use discernment to see
how people are hurting and struggling and pray for release from stress. And when you return home, thank God for the
love he has for you, remembering his Son.
Lastly, as you pull the covers up, lay back and reflect on how blessed
your day was, that you have the opportunity to talk to God daily through
Christ.
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