Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Benefits of Prayer-DD 8/17/2010

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Eph 6:18

Prayer is the ultimate communication vehicle. Think about it. Though we serve a God that is omniscient, prayer gives us the ability to initiate the sharing our thoughts with purpose. We certainly are not telling the Almighty anything He does not know, but He is pleased that we choose to interact with Him. Prayer also gives us the opportunity to praise Him and give Him due honor. Clearly, there is an element of worship in our prayer to our Father.

Contextually, this scripture comes at the end of the apostle Paul's description of our spiritual armor. This armor is needed because we are pitched in a spiritual battle. The importance of mentioning prayer here is that it is an indispensable part of our protection. This is why it is said that we are to include our requests and to remain alert. Again, God knows our needs even before we do, but praying to Him demonstrates our acknowledgement that all good things come from Him. It demonstrates our reliance on Him and our faith in Him.

Finally, it gives us a chance to do for others. It is fine to pray for ourselves, however it is a virtue to pray for others. In fact the more we stop thinking of ourselves and start thinking of others in our communication with the Father, the better we will all be. No soldier ever goes into battle alone. We need each other to protect, defend and help watch out for one another. Said otherwise, we need to cover each other's backs. Beloved, let us cover each other in prayer. Just as God has encouraged us to pray, surely there will be an answer.

In Revival,

Lee

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