John Mulligan’s sermon on Sunday was on “Prayer: 4 Lessons on the Greatest Opportunity on Earth.” Biblical prayer is communication with the God of the Bible, who created the world. When Christians are praying, Satan is powerless! One important point: praying is different than offering "thoughts and prayers" (which is a simple offering of sympathy). Praying is a deliberate, meaningful action.
Why pray? John gave us two reasons to pray regardless of the answer. One, God expects us to pray. It’s the nature of our relationship with Him. The bible gives us at least 10 specific instructions on how to pray. In Matthew 6:5-14 it says multiple times “when you pray” (not if you pray) then goes on to give us the Lord’s Prayer. It’s a privilege to pray, even if you don’t know what to say; you can never go wrong with the Lord’s prayer.
Another reason for prayer is that we *need* to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This reflects your identity as a Believer and reflects your dependence upon God.
There will be times when we don’t *feel like* praying. Being in anguish isn’t conducive to opening up your heart but, again, you always have the Lord’s prayer to use. Also, let’s remember that God will influence our situation, one way or another.
Finally, let’s not pray for everything. There are some challenges we won’t solve, no matter how self-sufficient we feel. Let us be thankful for what is, in spite of what isn’t. He is always here and He always hears.
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