Deuteronomy 19:1-7
James 5:13-18
Luke 12:22-31
James 5:13-18
13Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.
We thinkers have trouble stopping to pray. I'd like to rationalize sometimes and say that all my thoughts are prayers to God - that I really do pray without ceasing. But I confess: I get stuck in my own head often. Thinking about a person or situation deeply and wondering how I can help, searching for something to say that will impact the need, or dare I say, strategizing, planning. I suppose it is true that all of our thoughts are holy, if they're about what matters to God.
But James reminds me there is a sequence, an order to a prayer life that doesn't start with me or what's going on. It starts with God. If I'm truly praying, my thoughts are intentionally on God first. I love the part in James that exhorts me to sing psalms when I'm cheerful, smack in the beginning of the exhortation to pray for suffering and sickness and forgiveness. I need to get my praise on more! Send the praise before my prayers and thoughts. And lighten up, Lyn. There is so much to be cheerful about, even in the midst of deep thoughts, guilt, and especially offered with weighty petitions and supplications to God.
I am trying to discipline myself to pray first and think later. Praise God when I feel a giggle coming on, then thank Him for his goodness. To lift up my hands to the heavens for no reason. I'm trying to listen to God before I analyze everything to death. I can't out-think God anyway, who had the perfect solution to every pain and sickness, grief and sin in Jesus. And I can't out pray Jesus, but I can call out his name, and sing his praises, before anything else comes to mind. There's power in the name! My first thought in prayer: Jesus.
He has thought of everything. Dear Jesus. Amen.
2 comments:
Thank you for thoughts and prayers so true.
You DO sound lighter today, and I'm glad for you! But yesterday's blog was very insightful and realistic - caught myself saying amen many times.
The bible says there will be sorrow, the way will not be easy. The ticket is finding peace through God, even in the valleys, staying focused on HIS will, trying to be pliable enough and focused enough that He may use us in His big picture.
I don't believe God wants us always to be so solemn and stoic - somber and serious about our love for Him, yes. But I don't think He begrudges our happy and cheerful moments. After all, we are only human.
Post a Comment