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How
to Pray
Prayer
Some
people’s prayers need to be cut short at both ends and set on fire in the
middle.
Prayer
Often
we pray with our minds on hold and our mouths on automatic.
Prayer
”In
prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a
heart.”—John Bunyan
Prayer
by Asking in Jesus’ Name
A
father took his children to the county fair one day. Since they were obviously
not interested in the prize pig or calf
the father bought a whole roll of
tickets for the various rides at the fair. As each of the children approached a
ride
they would hold out a hand to get a ticket from their father. At one
ride
after all his children had received tickets
a strange boy whom the
father had never seen came up and held out his hand
obviously expecting a
ticket.
The father drew back his
roll of tickets. He wasn’t about to give this boy a ticket. Upon seeing this
the man’s son Stephen turned and said to his dad
“It’s okay
Dad
this is my
friend. I told him you would give him a ticket.”
Do you know what the
father did? He gave the boy a ticket in Stephen’s name. That boy had no right
to a ticket
but since his son had said he would do it
the father honored the
name of his son by giving that strange boy a ticket.
Guidance Through Prayer
An aircraft pilot was following a major highway and observing the traffic
below. One particular car caught his attention. The driver was attempting to
pass a large truck
but because of oncoming traffic and no-passing zones
he
was not able to pass safely. Over and over again
just as he would pull out
an
oncoming vehicle would force him to retreat. The pilot
being able to see
several miles down the highway
thought to himself
“If I could only talk to
the driver
I could tell when and where it is safe to pass.”
God
of course
is the ultimate Pilot and his perfect knowledge is exactly what we need to
guide our life. Prayer is how we talk to God
and as we learn to listen to his
responses
we will find the guidance we seek.
Perseverance in Prayer
A woman left her diamond brooch in a hotel. When she got home she
remembered her brooch and called the hotel. She told the manager what happened
and he went to look for it. He found it
put it in the safe
and returned to
the phone to tell her the good news
but she had hung up.
So
many of us are like this. We aren’t willing to wait on the Lord.
Perseverance in Prayer
When Edmund Gravely died at the controls of his small plane while on the
way to Statesboro
Georgia
from the Rocky Mount-Wilson Airport in North
Carolina
his wife
Janice
kept the plane aloft for two hours. As the plane
crossed the South Carolina/North Carolina border
she radioed for help: “Help
help
won’t someone help me? My pilot is unconscious.” Authorities who picked
up her distress signal were not able to reach her by radio during the flight
because she kept changing channels. Eventually Mrs. Gravely made a rough
landing and had to crawl for forty-five minutes to a farmhouse for help.
How often God’s
people cry out to him for help but switch channels before his message comes
through! They turn to other sources for help
looking for human guidance. When
you cry out to God for his intervention
don’t switch channels!
Perseverance in Prayer
A father related that during their family time each person was going to
pray for one person. His son prayed to ask God to help his friend Eddie be
better at school because he was so bad. When they got together the next week
the father asked his son if he was going to pray for Eddie again. “No
” the son
replied
“I prayed for Eddie last week and he is still bad.”
Perseverance in Prayer
A young man
who was obviously worried
stepped into an elevator to go to
the second floor of a hospital where his father was in the intensive care unit.
Although the button labeled “
As the man thought of his father in
intensive care
it was comforting to know that God does encourage believers to
continue to pray the same prayers until he answers (Matt. 7:7~8).
Perseverance in Prayer
In Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
Christiana (the hero’s wife)
Mercy (a young pilgrim)
and the children are graphically pictured knocking on
the Wicker Gate. They knock and knock
but no one answers. Meanwhile
a
ferocious dog comes and begins to bark-making the women and children very
afraid. They simply do not know what to do. If they continue to knock
they
must fear the dog. If they turn away
they fear the gatekeeper will be
offended. They determine to knock again
ever so fervently. Finally they hear
the voice of the gatekeeper asking
“Who is there?” And the dog ceases barking.
What dogs are
barking in your life that the Lord can silence?
Perseverance in Prayer
For your desire is your prayer; and your desire is without ceasing; your
prayer will also be without ceasing.—
Perseverance in Prayer
The story is told of a long-ago couple who said farewell to their home
church as they were about to leave for an African mission field known as “The
White Man’s Grave.” The husband said
“My wife and I have a strange dread in
going. We feel much as if we were going down into a pit. We are willing to take
the risk and go if you
our home church
will promise to hold the ropes.” One
and all promised to do so.
Less
than two years had passed when the wife and the little one God had given the
couple succumbed to the dreaded fever. Soon the husband realized his days were
also numbered. Not waiting to send word of his coming
he started back home at
once and arrived at the time of the Wednesday prayer meeting. He slipped in
unnoticed
taking a back set. At the close of the meeting
he went forward. An
awe came over the people
for death was written on his face.
He said
“I am
your missionary. My wife and child are buried in