Praying….
One summer, a lesson in prayer unfolded, when I was eight years old. In the hallway of our home was a small door into which we deposited our dirty laundry. On Wash Day, Mom would unzip the laundry bag below to retrieve the laundry that needed to be washed in the old Maytag machine. One day, I heard my brothers empty the toy drawer up the hall near my bedroom. I wondered what they were playing this time. They were playing ‘Prayer’.
One brother knelt by the open laundry bag and began praying, “Oh God, please send me the teddy bear.” My brother, upstairs, sat with toys all around him, and threw down the requested item. Then I heard thanksgiving sent up through the laundry chute for the requested toy.
The Wash Day was the only day they could play ‘Prayer’. The only time that messages could be received and blessings be dispensed. So it had a designated time and place. I thought about God in Heaven,with all the blessings to give surrounding Him, waiting until we pray for those things we deem necessary. When we receive our answer to prayer, do we remember to thank Him, the
One who holds our life in His hands?
Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Then came the day when God was railed against. As my brothers readied themselves for their weekly prayer time, one prayed for a certain toy, but received another. There were recriminations voiced vociferously toward the brother upstairs, “I didn’t ask for the ball, I asked for the truck. Didn’t you hear me?” They went over the rules again for the prayer game.
Now as I think back to that time, I wonder if I have ever gone over the rules with my Lord, that when I ask for something, I expect it to be delivered. No deviations. My heart is filled with shame as I recount the prayers I have uttered and were not answered as I thought they ought to be in a timely manner. Do I continue the prayer or give up praying? Do I thank God in all situations?
In time, the game of prayer lost its appeal for my brothers. Much as we often neglect ‘knee-time’. Who knew what that game would teach me later on in life?
1. Specificity of prayer requests. 2. Pray continually and without ceasing. 3. Concentrate and work hard at prayer. 4. Be thankful in all situations 5. Acknowledge God as Lord and Master.
6. Pray believing.
Recently, our grandson drove more than 1000 miles with a friend to attend a college. During the 17 hours of travel, no matter what else happened in my life, my mind kept returning to God imploring Him for safe keeping for our Ben. It was a labor of love, and prayer is just that, labor hard work. It is a concentration of our minds and hearts on God Who is Able. However, I have never prayed as earnestly as our Lord….
Luke 22:44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Recently an email closed with this quote, “Remember, when the world pushes you down, you are in the perfect position to pray“.
The matter of faith enters into praying – how often I sit with others who have been praying for a specific need, and then learning that the prayer is answered, we look at each other in surprise. “Well, it is what we prayed for….” is the comment. What did we expect?
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
When evening comes and day is done,
I seek my Lord’s Face in prayer.
I feel my mind cleared of today,
Because I know He cares.Such a peace happens then
A peace through and through
He cleanses my mind and heart
I give Him praise anew.I give Him my family all
And trust in His love and care
He knows my desires and needs
Through our nightly prayer.
Pictured, Dad, Herman Siemens, in Prayer, shortly after a severe heart attack, 1967