2-15-2024

Good Morning All,

        1Timothy 2:1; “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.”

      I am always fascinated by the looking at Facebook at what people write or think.  One thing that is interesting is that so many people place requests for prayers on the site.  People ask for prayers for themselves, for their children or other family members.  It might be prayers for health or success in a new venture or just for the Holy Spirit to give them so comfort and peace.

    Of course, the standard reply is something like “I’ll pray” or “prayers are being offered” or something like that.  I often wonder if it is meant or if it is just a comment that is made along the line of when we say, “How are you?”  We usually don’t want the person to give us a real answer.  Is the saying “I’ll pray for you” the same thing, just and answer.  I hope not.

    Prayer is one of the most beautiful gifts that God gives his people.  First, it helps to connect us to God in a family fashion.  We are told to approach God as our loving Father.  This allows us to speak honestly and frankly from our heart.  We speak, even when God already fully knows what is in our heart.  God knows what weighs heavy on our heart, what our fears are and where our struggles lie.  Yet he invites us to speak to him, in what is best thought of as the holy conversation, the reading of Scriptures (listening to God speak) and the response of prayer (speaking to God as he listens).  It is in this that we find comfort and consolation.

    Yet there are other benefits which all Christians should rejoice in.  Prayer, when offered with others and for others, tend to bring a closer relationship with those people involved.  Married couples often report a closer relationship with their spouses when they pray together and for each other.  Family members claim a closer relationship with their siblings when they grew up actively praying for each other.   Church members tend to be closer when they join in prayer for each other and with each other.  This is part of the “bearing one another’s burden” that we are encouraged to engage in with one another.  Prayer strengthens our personal relationship with God, and it strengthens our personal relationships with our fellow believers.

    It can also strengthen our compassion and empathy for those for whom we pray.  We tend to connect with their experience more intensely when we pray for them.  There also tends to be more grace offered for their lives and less judging of their actions.  Prayer, true prayer, brings us peace.

    So, if you are a “Facebooker,” and you say that you will pray for someone; mean it and do it.  Often, it is easiest to pray for someone immediately when the need is brought to your attention.  Write it down to remember it if you can but pray right away and you will keep your promises and you will hear God’s call to make supplications and intercessions for everyone.

Father, teach me to pray for others, especially those who are in great need.  Father, you teach us that the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those brothers and sisters who are in the greatest need.  Lead me to make intercessions for them.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret