Prayer is a powerful means of grace

Prayer is God’s appointed way to receive from God what we need. The main reason why we lack God’s complete provision is the neglect of prayer.   The believers in the Bible regarded prayer as the most important activity of their lives. Give a prominent place to prayer during your Quiet Times.

Prayer occupied a very prominent place and played a very important role in the earthly life of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Follow his example. Praying is now the most important part of the ministry of our risen Lord in heaven. Ask Jesus to pray for you.

Prayer is the means that God has appointed for us to receive mercy, and obtaining grace to help us in time of need. Remember to ask for mercy – “In your mercy, Lord, hear my prayer.”

Prayer in the Name of Jesus Christ is the way he has appointed for his disciples to obtain fullness of joy.

Prayer is the means that God has appointed that we may receive freedom from anxiety and the peace of God, which passes all understanding.  Just tell him what scares you, makes you anxious and is the challenge you face. Prayer is the means that Christ has appointed whereby we will not be overcome by the cares of this life.  Tell God about your worries and concerns.

Prayer promotes our spiritual growth.  It is fellowship with God. Also share with God what makes you happy and excited – thanking him for it. Prayer brings power into our work for him.  Ask for the guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer benefits the needs of others.   Name the needs of those whose troubles and challenges are on your heart.

Prayer brings blessings to the church.  Pray for the congregation, the current agenda points you are aware of, the minister, the elders, all the leaders, members who asked for prayer - by name, for the children and youth ministries and for the outreach where our church is involved.

Courage: a result of our relationship with Jesus.

We gain courage to serve the Lord and boldness to serve others in his Name when we are not manipulated or intimidated by an unbelieving society, but draw our power from King Jesus, our risen Lord.

Jesus is the source of power by which we become confident and bold. When the first church in Jerusalem needed boldness, they knew that they needed prayer. And so they prayed:

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." (Acts 4:29-30)

They never thought that they should have to bear their challenge to live for Christ alone. They laid that problem at his feet. God would do something about it.  The mission of the early Church was to be able to confidently speak and live according to the Good News about Jesus Christ.

This is what we too should seek to do today.  

“Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness”    They lived with boldness and had mercy on others, with courage. They prayed, and fear turned into power, in the Name of Jesus Christ.

You better be careful when you pray this kind of prayer. This is the kind of prayer that God answers. The Scripture says, after they prayed they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)

Courage is a consequence of our relationship with Jesus.

Life is short: Make every second count.

Is 60:1:  "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”

This positive, exciting invitation to do meaningful things with our short time on this earth means at least three things.

Firstly, we should rise from sin’s darkness and arrive at a place where the glory of God gives light to our ways and plans. Those who arise and shine leave the space of the children of darkness in every aspect of their lives. Make every second count by living in the Light!

Eph 5: 8 -12: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.“

Secondly, it means that as children of light of the Lord, our lives should be full of the fruit of his holy light: goodness, righteousness and truth, faith, grace, compassion and faithfulness, and above all, Jesus-love.  Make every second count by living in the Light!

Thirdly, the light of Jesus will under all circumstances be visibly manifested in our lives. People should be able to look at us and see the light of Christ in us. This is how Isaiah puts it:

(Is 60:3) “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”  Make every second count by living in the Light!

For those who do not know Jesus Christ our lives must show that we own something really special that they do not have. They must see the glorious light of God’s presence in Christ in our lives, become curious and become willing “to arise, shine and come to our light”. Even kings, leaders, people with influence and authority will come to the “brightness of our dawn”. Because we carry in us the light that divine and godly Jesus brought into the world.

This is the thing:  reflect the light of Christ and show others the way to God and to heaven, because you carry the Light of the world wherever you go!  May we never hide it when we can help someone who lost their “map to return to God” and show them the way back.

Make every second count by living in the Light!   Arise and Shine!