But In Everything By Prayer

The Lord has seen fit for this devotional group to become mighty prayer warriors and I am so grateful to all of you for your faithfulness in praying for so many across this country who send their prayers requests to me. Prayer is such an important part of our spiritual lives that Paul concluded his paragraph on the armor of God with this admonition:

    “…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18)

At times it can seem daunting to pray for so many but Paul tells us to be praying always and for all the saints. Praying is a spiritual discipline that after some practice will become as normal as breathing. Some may think that their prayer list is too long to cover all the prayer requests in the morning and it may very well be but glory to God that He reminds us throughout the day for whom we should pray. I received this email last evening from a dear sister in Christ:

    Hi Bro. Dave,

    Your comment about “overwhelming prayer needs” reminds me of a conversation I had and how Bro Dennis has mentioned the statement….”As the Lord provides you remembrance, pray for one another.” What a blessing that is because the list of prayer requests can be long but God is in control and will provide remembrance of those in need of prayer. It may be a few people one day and other people on another day that comes to our mind to pray for.

And not only does God give us remembrance, but He also finishes our prayers through the Holy Spirit when we reach the point that we no longer know how to pray:

    “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)

Last night I wrote the following to you in reference to prayer:

    At times the prayer needs seem overwhelming and it is normal to think at times that they are too much…maybe for us but never for our King Jesus. Thank you for your perseverance in prayer.

At times my life can seem overwhelming and it can be, but I always find myself coming back to a particular passage in the Bible. I actually wrote this on a piece of paper and carried it with me for the longest time so I could immediately refer to it when I was feeling overwhelmed. I have shared this method with my youngest daughter and others and I highly encourage you to do so if you need “spiritual bucking up”:

    “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

That is at least two places in the New Testament, to the Ephesian and Philippian churches, where Paul is telling saints to be always in prayer and supplication for everything. We are to be worried for nothing because we can go before the throne of grace and make our requests known to God Almighty. It is so encouraging to know that when you are facing hard times there is an army of saints praying for you. That is why it is so important that we come to one another with our prayer requests. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us:

    “Then He spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart…” (Luke 18:1)

Notice the order of things Jesus gave us; always pray and do not lose heart. That is a wonderful discovery. Do you find yourself losing heart? Are you always praying? Jesus says you “always ought to pray.” And the rehabilitative feature of intercessory prayer is that we no longer concentrate on ourselves but on others. Oswald Chambers put it this way:

    “Vital intercession leaves you with neither the time nor the inclination to pray for your own ‘sad and pitiful self.’ You do not have to struggle to keep thoughts of yourself out, because they are not even there to be kept out of your thinking. You are completely and entirely identified with God’s interests and concerns in other lives.”

My prayer for you today is that you will be “completely and entirely identified with God’s interests and concerns in other lives.” Then you will be “praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”

Have a blessed day!

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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