24/7 Prayer Day Two
It is good to praise the Lord
and make music to our name,
Oh Most High.
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
For you make me glad by your deeds,
O Lord;
I sing for joy at the works of your
hands.
How great are your works, O Lord,
how profound your thoughts!
If there's one thing I've realized in prayer, is that prayer really teaches you how to love.
I read somewhere once about a little boy who went to bed without praying, and when questioned by his parents, said, "Because I didn't need anything from God today." How often are we similarly mistaken even today, treating prayer as a time in which we ask for things from God. However, see John 17 as to how Jesus prayed.
John 17:16 "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
As Jesus did, and as God's children and fellow heirs in Christ, we are also called to intercede for our loved ones in prayer.
So as you come before the Lord in prayer today, think about your immediate loved ones, friends and family. It can just be a simple prayer, asking for the Lord's blessing and guidance over your parents as they shuttle to and fro from work everyday, to even about that classmate who has seemed troubled and stressed out lately. Once you start going down the list, you'll find a plentiful number of loved ones in need of prayer! I've experienced this personally, and many a time prayer has become that first step and reminder to approach a troubled friend and just ask them simply how they are doing. Think about if someone asked you how you were feeling on an especially crappy day; you'd immediately feel loved and cared for, just knowing someone was looking out for and concerned about you! Even to non-believers, I've realized that just a simple, "If you like, I can keep you in my prayers." still manages to touch their hearts.
What about those who aren't "lovable" at all? Pray for wisdom in your actions and speech around them, and most importantly for courage and God's unconditional love to look past your differences and truly love them. Remember, true love isn't an emotion, it's a commitment. Oftentimes we can't get along with people, either because one side has been wronged, or maybe even just due to a simple clash of personalities. Pray for discernment and a teaching, humble spirit to accept criticism (whether be it from classmates or especially, our teachers), and that God's love will truly be able to act through you and transform hearts on both sides. Prayer is always accompanied with action.
And don't forget our teachers too! They need lots of prayer as well, and like us students, are just like any other human being, struggling with fears, stress and temptations. Let's keep them, our school admin and our nation's leaders in our prayers as well, that they may continue to persevere in faith, be it in the classroom, in the school or throughout the nation.
Pray in faith, knowing that our heavenly Father cares for us and for our loved ones too! In fact, in being there for our friends and helping them carry their burdens, we can avoid getting 'burnt out' and stressed by others problems by always first just bringing them all to Jesus,
Alrights, always keeping you all in my prayers! =)
God bless,
Petrina
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