DRAWING NEAR
September 27
Always Praying
"With all prayer and petition pray at all times" (Eph. 6:18).
Make prayer an ongoing part of your day.
As important as prayer is to your Christian life, you might expect
Paul to list it as another piece of spiritual armor, but he doesn't.
Instead, he makes it all-pervasive by instructing us to pray at all
times. That's our spiritual lifeline--the air our spirits breathe.
The effectiveness of each piece of armor is directly related to the
quality of our prayers.
We see the importance of prayer throughout the New Testament. Jesus
instructed His disciples to be on the alert at all times, praying so
that they would have strength to face the trials and temptations that
lie ahead (Luke 21:36). The apostles devoted themselves to prayer
(Acts 6:4), as did godly people like Cornelius (Acts 10:2). Every
Christian is to be continually devoted to prayer (Rom. 12:12).
In Philippians 4:6 Paul says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God." He told the Thessalonians to "pray
without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17) and instructed men everywhere to
"pray, lifting up holy hands" (1 Tim. 2:8).
Jesus and Paul not only exhorted believers to pray, but also modeled
diligent prayer in their own lives. Jesus often went for extended
periods of time alone to pray. Paul wrote often of his own fervent
prayers on behalf of others (cf. Col. 1:9; Philem. 4).
As a child, you may have been taught that prayer is reserved for
mealtimes, bedtime, or church services. That's a common misconception
many children carry into their adult years. But believers are to be
in constant communication with God, which is simply the overflow of
seeing all of life from His perspective. Just as you would discuss
your everyday experiences and feelings with a close friend, so you're
to discuss them with God.
God loves you and wants to share your every joy, sorrow, victory, and
defeat. Be conscious of His presence today and take advantage of the
sweet communion He offers.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Thank God that He's always available to hear your prayers. Ask
Him to give you a desire to commune with Him more faithfully.
For Further Study:
What do these verses say about the most appropriate times for prayer:
Psalm 55:16-17, Daniel 6:10, Luke 6:12, and 1 Timothy 5:5?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Luke 21:36
36 "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy
to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand
before the Son of Man."
Acts 6:4
4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the
ministry of the word."
Acts 10:2
2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who
gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.
Romans 12:12
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly
in prayer
1 Thessalonians 5:17
17 pray without ceasing
1 Timothy 2:8
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy
hands, without wrath and doubting
Colossians 1:9
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease
to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge
of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding
Philemon 4
4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers
Psalm 55:16-17
16 As for me, I will call upon God, And the LORD shall save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And
He shall hear my voice.
Daniel 6:10
10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home.
And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he
knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave
thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
Luke 6:12
12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the
mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
1 Timothy 5:5
5 Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and
continues in supplications and prayers night and day.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus Is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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