"The end of all things is near.
Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray."
1 Peter 4:7
Night before last, we read 1 Peter 4 as our family Bible reading and one part of verse seven (above) reached off the page, took me by the chin and said, "Read it again!" Now you would think it would be the first part, "The end of all things is near," since you and I have both wondered lately if the end is just around the corner, but it's the second part of the verse that grabbed my undivided attention for two reasons: "Therefore (since the end is near) be clear headed and self-controlled so that you can pray."
First: Isn't that a bit like saying "Your house in on fire and your family is sleeping inside, but don't worry, stay calm and think clearly." The smoke (the nearing tornado, the negative diagnosis, the words "We have to let you go") singes our senses and clouds our logic so we stop, drop and roll into a moaning ball or run screaming into the house unprotected and without a plan. It's ironic that spontaneous Peter related prayer to our minds rather than to our emotions. Too often I pour out my heart to God in a burst of anger or hurt only to be glad later He didn't do what I asked. In addition, always praying from our problems is paramount to using God instead of knowing God. He hears and He answers, but we can pray more effectively without the spurs digging into us.
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2
Second: If I knew the end was near, what would I tell people to do? I'm not sure praying would have come to mind which says a lot about me. I'm afraid my instructions would have included a to-do list because I still don't fully grasp the power of prayer.
In the movie "Home Alone in New York City," ten-year-old Kevin is lost in the city. His frantic mom can't sit in the police station waiting for them to find him so she scours the streets of Manhattan in her designer shoes. It's a magical Christmas movie so, miraculously, she finds him among the 2,000,000 people. In real life I would have passed Nick 2,000,000 times and both our phones would be dead. You know this to be true.
Like Kevin's mom, our emotions drive us to act in microscopic ways when prayer moves the God of the cosmos to make the impossible happen. As trusting children, our daily immersion in focused, clear-minded and self-controlled prayer should replace the incoherent babbling and the frantic movement of our hands and feet.
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
2 Corinthians 10:4
Action-packed Peter learned to practice what he preached in 1 Peter 4:7. He discovered firsthand that God works miracles through people devoted to purposeful prayer (see Acts 1-3). He also learned that the self-control to pray first pays off more than taking matters into our own hands by reaching for the sword (John 18:10) or spewing out the first thing that comes to our muddled heads when we're blinded by emotion (Matt. 26:69-75).
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
1 Peter 3:12
"If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My Face and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14
Father, help our unbelief and stop us from dancing all around prayer to kneel and pray. You gave us this
weapon against evil,
tool to build Your church,
cleanser for guilty hearts,
power to move mountains,
communication line with You,
outlet of praise,
way to find what we need,
open door to know You,
companionship for every moment,
means of thanking You,
complaint department,
counseling center,
school for our souls,
hospital for our hurts,
and hope for our spheres of influence.
Teach us to immerse ourselves in purposeful prayer and show us what You can do through us,
In the Name of Jesus, Man of Prayer, God Who Answers
Inspired by Live Loved by Max Lucado
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