Prayer

Heb 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
Heb 13:19 But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.


Pray- so Paul might be restored to them sooner.


We know God's word is for us and all things in it are relevant in some way. We can't read into things what we want to be there, but many do. I try not to be guilty of this and I hope and pray that I'm forgiven if I do my study and I get it wrong. I'm far, far from perfect. The reason I'm saying this is because it hit me when I wrote this- (Pray- so Paul might be restored to them sooner) that maybe there is even more of a meaning here than meets the eye- so to speak.


Maybe we need to pray too so that Christ will be restored to us sooner. Is it possible do you think? Can our prayers matter that much? In Heb. 13:18 It is written- Pray for us… then in Heb. 13:19 it continues… I beseech you the rather to do this that I may be restored to you the sooner.


Yes, we are to pray for others there is NO doubt about that whatsoever. Yes, our prayers matter. We've studied about the importance of prayers before so there is no question that praying is a necessity in a Christian life. Whether we are asking people to pray for us, or praying for others we are recognizing the authority of our Savior, of our Creator, of the Father, of the Son, and yes, of the Holy Spirit. To pray is acknowledging a much higher authority than ourselves. Paul asking fellow believers to pray, Paul beseeching fellow believers to pray so that he would be restored to them sooner meant he was asking them to intervene in his life. Paul was asking for the power of prayer on his behalf to affect his life. Paul believed that prayer, that intercession could affect his life. The Apostle would NOT have asked fellow believers to spend time in prayer for him if he didn't think their prayers would work. Paul desired to be with his fellow believers as soon as possible. We desire our Savior to return as soon as possible and we do need to pray for His soon return, don't we? We have to believe that our prayers can be heard, that our prayers are answered, that our prayers are necessary.


Pray for us.


When I think of prayer I often think of this…


Daniel praying.

Dan 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Dan 9:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
Dan 9:5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
Dan 9:6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Dan 9:7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
Dan 9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
Dan 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
Dan 9:10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Dan 9:11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
Dan 9:12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
Dan 9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
Dan 9:14 Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
Dan 9:15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
Dan 9:16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
Dan 9:17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
Dan 9:18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
Dan 9:19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
Dan 9:20 And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
Dan 9:21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.


Even while Daniel was praying an angel came to him. Daniel's prayer was HEARD while he was praying!!!!


Jesus spoke of Daniel the prophet- to Jesus Daniel the prophet was a reality, a Godly man, a prophet of God. If He were real to Jesus he has to be real to us. If Daniel is real to us then we have to realize that while this man of God was praying His prayer was being heard. Prayer IS real! Prayer is powerful. Paul knew this and asked His followers to pray for him and those with him.


By the grace of God may we know that our prayers are heard and understand our words are being heard by our CREATOR, our REDEEMER. This isn't like writing a letter to a famous person and wondering if they will ever really read it themselves. This isn't like us TRYING to call a famous person, hoping by some miracle we'll get to actually talk to them. This is us REALLY, LITERALLY, talking to OUR GOD, OUR CREATOR, OUR REDEEMER, and HE hears us! Our prayers are heard WHILE we are praying them. Our prayers aren't put on an answering machine to be listened to later on, they are heard as they are prayed.


Prayer is real and prayer is necessary, prayer is a privilege, an honor!


By the grace of our Lord and Savior may we understand the reality of prayer and the blessings that are bestowed upon us in just knowing that our God loves us so much He listens to us.


Amen!