Encouragement to Pray

Last evening we were scheduled to attend a Prayer Conference in Louisville, KY. The Worship time was powerful, a choir from Covington, KY moved the congregation through their anointed singing as they pointed us to Jesus Christ who is the Holy One. Pastor Bryan Cutshall of Twin Rivers Worship Center of St. Louis, MO shared a very challenging word from the Lord. He spoke not only to the leaders but to the laity; I want to share what I heard and received. This is the time to "be about the Father's business." All of us must be committed to fulfilling our place in the Body of Christ so that the witness of the Spirit can be released in our world. Are we truly seeking to do what we can do for the glory of God? Have we become willing to let everyone else do the "work of the Kingdom" while we sit idly on the sidelines of ease? How many times have you prayed for your spiritual leaders this past week? I am talking more than just their name crossing your mind; I am talking about sincere, heartfelt intercession for those that the Lord has placed in our lives to bring the Word of God alive to us? I came across this comment from Richard Burr: "A dynamic praying church must be built from the inside out, employing all four levels of prayer: the secret closet, the family altar, small group praying and finally, the congregational setting." Andrew Murray, a prolific writer when it comes to prayer, makes this statement: "Prayer opens the way for God Himself to do His work in us and through us. Let our chief work as God's messenger's be intercession; in it we secure the presence and power of God to go with us." I am convinced that God is calling all of us to a serious commitment to prayer. We must learn to pray in private as well as public. We must learn to seek God not just for our needs or wants but we must learn to seek Him so that we can know Him more completely. We learn His ways in those secret moments of prayer in which He releases His Grace into our hearts which begins to rearrange our desires and plans. Prayer allows us to surrender our life to Him. Take a moment and examine your prayer life. Is prayer a major component of your relationship with God? Is sincere prayer important to you or do you participate out of guilt or embarrassment? God is calling us to the "closet of prayer?" Are we willing to follow Him into this needed area of Christian involvement. I believe the answer will be YES for many of us and God will use us to make a difference in the portion of our world.