Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen
God is great, God is good.
Let us thank Him for our food.
By His hands we are fed.
Give us, Lord, our daily bread.
Now I live in a grown-up world with grown-up problems and to be a mature pray-er I must remember and accept that I'm a priest - interceding for others to God and living a life of obedience to God before them.
"The reason many of us leave off praying and become hard towards God is because we have only a sentimental interest in prayer. It sounds right to say that we pray; we read books on prayer which tell us that prayer is beneficial, that our minds are quieted and our souls uplifted when we pray; but Isaiah implies that God is amazed at such thoughts of prayer." (Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest)
"Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
He was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so His own arm worked salvation for Him,
and His own righteousness sustained Him."
Isaiah 59:16
"Worship and intercession must go together, the one is impossible without the other. Intercession means that we rouse ourselves up to get the mind of Christ about the one for whom we pray." (Chambers)
If this statement is true, and I believe it is, we have a lot of "rousing" to do. No more lazy prayers as we aim to prove the truth of James 5:16 that "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." In other words, I won't pray rightly for others if I'm not trusting (worshiping) God and I can't be right with God without wanting to intercede fervently for other people.
Jesus' prayer in John 17 demonstrates the vibrant and divine relationship between worship and intercession, between personal obedience and intervening for others. Praying as Jesus would pray for ourselves, our children, our parents, siblings, friends, our church family, co-workers, people who get on our last nerve, those who are sick and dying, people who've strayed and people who've never found the Way requires mind-of-Christ trust that comes from unity with the Father. Only as His Spirit flows through us can we pray effectively and only when we pray and act in behalf of others do we pray as Jesus prayed. All other prayers are hit-and-miss.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;"
Proverbs 3:5
Father God Who reigns supreme, Who reigns eternal - fill us with Your Holy Spirit and make us one with You. We want to be right with You so the rest of our lives are an outpouring of You in whatever direction You point us. Teach us to pray effectively and not vainly or selfishly. Guide us to think Your thoughts and to see people as You see them. Fill us with mercy and compassion so our prayers reflect Your heart.
In the Name of Jesus Who prayed for Himself, for His Disciples, for all believers and Who intervened by dying and rising again and Who intercedes for us at Your throne.
Inspired by My Utmost for His Highest
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