Monday, July 9, 2012

Continue in prayer

Col 4:2  Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving

Continue in prayer.
Watch in prayer.
Pray with thanksgiving.

Prayer- communicating with God.

We pray through faith, believing our God hears us, believing He listens to us, believing He answers us. We don't pray to idols of stone, wood, plastic, rubber, glass, paper, etc.  We pray to a living God. We could carve a million idols from all those things mentioned and none of them would have life in them, not a single one. We could label another human being as god, yet they would still be a created being, a human- not God- not Spirit. We could say the elements are gods but that'd be wrong, they too are created things. Our God, the TRUE God is NOT a created being.  Our TRUE God is a SPIRIT being.

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God is an entity beyond our full comprehension.

When we pray we are addressing our CREATOR, our REDEEMER, our GOD- God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit who AGREE in one agreement.

When we say we will pray for someone, or some situation we are telling others that we are going to seek divine intervention on their behalf. We are going to use the faith we've been given by God to seek Him and communicate with Him. We do this and we believe that our prayers are truly being heard, not being spoken (even silently) to someone that doesn't exist.

We are to CONTINUE in prayer. 

To be God's- we have to remain in CONSTANT contact with Him. Jesus taught us that, didn't He?  He was in constant contact with the Father God throughout His entire life on earth- up until the cross when He felt the separation that sin causes between God and man.  Remember His agonizing words?

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

His Father did NOT forsake Him- but that separation caused by taking on the sin of the world made it seem as if He had. Sin separates us from God, only forgiveness, only repentance, only atonement by our Savior brings us back in contact with God.  It was God whose power caused Jesus to rise from the dead and brought Him back to life. God did NOT forsake His Son, if He had then He would never have been brought back to life.

For someone who lived in constant contact with God the Father that separation was horrific. Jesus prayed constantly - the lines of communication were completely opened between them day and night.

Is it any wonder our Savior told us through His apostle to CONTINUE in prayer, to WATCH in prayer, and to pray with THANKSGIVING?

He's telling us to keep in CONSTANT contact with God the FATHER.

When you only pray once a week just how close to God do you really think you are? Truthfully, how close? How close are to someone you never talk to? You might have ties that bind you but to really know someone and have them know you - you have to talk with them, you have to interact with them. I have a brother who lives in New York and I've probably spoken to him five times if that in the last ten years. It's not that we don't like each other we're just not buddy, buddy. I love my brother and I say that truthfully, but do I know him? Do I know the things he likes and dislikes? Not really. I know him but I don't know him, and a lot of people know God but they don't really know Him.

Now if I spent time with my brother over the course of that time I'd be able to say I know Him. If I spend time with God, I would know God, as much as we are possibly able to know Him.

We can't know Him much at all if we aren't in contact with Him through prayer. If we cut Him off as He's trying to communicate with us how do we ever expect to know Him or be known by Him?

No, it's not like a human and human friendship but it's something very, very special and if you do NOT choose to speak with God, to listen to God through His word, then you are missing out on something incredibly beautiful.

Col 4:2  Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving

Continue in prayer-
Watch in prayer-  we have to watch, we have to pray as we watch, and we need to be very, very thankful knowing our God hears us, our God loves us, our God wants us to know Him.

Please Lord, help us.

Through Your love!

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