Prayer Thoughts, part 2
I have heard many great bible lessons in life. However, the most memorable lessons for me have been delivered by example. It is one thing to hear a message on love; it is another to watch one person sacrifice for someone and find fulfillment and joy in that sacrifice. I have heard great prayers. I have also seen individuals who lived out the desires they expressed in their prayer. There are two prayers in the Bible that have greatly impacted my understanding of prayer and Christianity. Next week we will discuss the second, but this week I want you to read Acts 4.23-31. Take some time to consider these practical lessons from this beautiful prayer.
First, this group was united in prayer. They had a specific desire and lifted up their hearts together, united, to God. It is easy to fall into a, “This is just the time we pray,” mindset that may lack purpose at times. Please don’t misunderstand. I am not against regular times of prayer. However, I am in favor of a prayer life that has purpose. Personally, my prayers are much more focused and precise with increased specificity.
Second, they could only pray a prayer like this because they knew the word of God. They drew from passages that pertained to Jesus and were able to make specific applications to their lives. I firmly believe that the number one way for Christians to improve their prayer lives is to come to know God, through His word, better.
Third, they embraced the consequences of one who follows Jesus. Jesus was rejected and persecuted. The apostles were rejected and persecuted. Who am I to think that life as a Christian should be different for me? Instead of praying for ease, they prayed for strength to endure anything that came their way due to their allegiance to Jesus. Have we forgotten this today?
Fourth, they prayed for God’s will to be done. You may think, “No they didn’t.” Actually, they define what praying for God’s will truly means. God’s will, biblically, is not the unknown that He keeps to Himself. Rather, His will is that which is revealed to us. The apostles knew the will of God was to proclaim the message of Jesus. Therefore, they prayed for the strength to accomplish that will.
Fifth, God heard their prayer. I don’t need the ground to be shaken, or any other physical sign, to know that God hears my prayers. I have His word for that. I should also realize that this was exceptional, and God never directs us to look for physical signs so that we know He is listening.
When I turn to God in prayer for something specific related to His will, with a foundational knowledge of His word and a thorough understanding Him, while seeking His help to carry out His work, I can be confident that He hears, cares, and has a desire to help. As the well-known hymn reminds us, our prayer lives, by example, should be, “Less of self and more of thee.”