Dear SCC & Friends,
When you pray… ~Luke 11:2
Reflection #156
Prayer is essentially a conversation with God. It is not a monologue, but a dialogue; God’s voice is the most essential part. ~Andrew Murray~ Individual prayer is a private conversation, it’s confidential, it’s personal, it’s you and the Lord… one on one “alone in the closet”. To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. ~ Luther~ We are not called to preach without ceasing… teach without ceasing… or sing without ceasing. We are called to pray without ceasing. (1Thes 5:17) It seems an impossible task, but it’s not. Prayer is an abiding posture of heart and communication in all we do… In Him we live and move and have our being. ~Acts 17:28 Our prayer life and life of prayer is not a quota system or style. True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a visual performance. It is far deeper than that. It is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of heaven and Earth. ~ Spurgeon~
When we work, we work. But when we pray, God works. Did Jesus say, “My House shall be called a house of study? A house of fellowship? A house of music? No, He said, My house will be called a house of prayer. ~Mt. 21:13 Prayer is to be at the core of everything we do. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. ~Jam. 5:16 The early church was a praying church, and two thousand years later it is still a praying church… The early church didn’t have a prayer meeting, the early church was the prayer meeting. ~Armin Geswein~ There is no record of the disciples asking the Lord how to heal or give powerful messages… Rather they simply said, Lord, teach us to pray. ~Luke 11:1 Our circumstances don’t always change when we pray, but we are changed in how we relate to our circumstances. Our prayers matter to God and to one another… Made for these days… Keep up the good work!
Thy will be done,
Kevin