By Judith Niewiadomski, Yonkers
Why do we have a National Day of Prayer? First, to come together as a national community and take time to readjust our thinking from the problems and stresses of life to focus on the One who can deliver us. “He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from all their destructions.” (Psalm 103:20)
What is prayer? Not repetitions of preset words, but focused and specific direction of our believing, thinking, and requests. “ Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests [requests for a specific thing] be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep [guard] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6, 7) In this section, the word “prayer” means prayer which acknowledges the power of God and supplication is articulating our needs. We are usually thankful when or after someone has done something for us, yet here, it is mentioned before we make our requests. Why? An essential aspect of effective prayer is to thank God for what He has already promised to do—meet all our needs. Giving thanks frames our thinking and focus to expect direction and results.
Consider GOD as the Creator of the universe, for Whom nothing is too hard. (Jeremiah 32: 27)
We live on the one planet in the universe where the probability of numerous essential factors coming together simultaneously in one spot is so incredibly small (one one-thousandth of a trillionth) that only a handful of people even know the name for the number that expresses it. Yet at the time the Bible was written, no one knew that several of the planets in our solar system existed because they could not be seen with the naked eye. Nor did anyone know that there was ice in space until the 1930s—yet it is mentioned in the Book of Job, the first book written. Our finite minds don’t know all the parameters of a situation, nor the longer term results of a path or action. Genesis 1:3-5 Tells us that light can exist without the sun. Man, with all his scientific endeavors, did not figure that out until the Curies discovered radium. So, what does this mean for the needs and wants we pray for? First, it means that GOD can do and has done infinite and spectacular things that we cannot even imagine. Second, it means that GOD, the omniscient One, has infinitely diversified ways of meeting our needs. Third, since GOD is eternal, HE understands how the long term effects of means and strategies will affect the whole person and those around him. We humans, limited to our five senses, rarely can foresee what certain words or actions will lead to—especially if we are among those who are easily triggered.
“He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.” (Psalm 103:7)
When we pray to God, while we tell Him WHAT we want and need, we don’t limit Him by telling Him HOW to meet the need. GOD is infinitely diversified. By not boxing in how the need can be met, we can more readily give it to GOD, let Him design the perfect solution, freeing ourselves to do the easy part: following His directions. During the Exodus, when the children of Israel saw the army of Egypt coming up on them, no one had any idea of parting the Red Sea. God, the greatest engineer of all times had an unique solution and energized a one time in history event.
So, let go and let God. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7)
Don’t get agitated because your answer isn’t instantaneously coming in the way you thought and grab your cares back. Trust GOD and allow Him to work for your best, seamlessly incorporating and addressing the thousands of details with foreknowledge of their long term effects, none of which we, at our best, could imagine and plan for with our five senses knowledge. We have the easy part. All we have to do is recognize the greatness of God, be specific in what we need, and allow him to show us what to do. All Moses had to do to deliver the children of Israel was to pray to God, believe, and do the simple little step of stretching forth his rod of authority when God told him to. He did not have to move mountains, cause an earthquake, or figure out how to engineer the sea. The children of Israel did not have to build boats, they only had to follow Moses. But they had to move. He didn’t whisk them over on a magic carpet.
Pray with a partner. “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth;
for he hath not another to help him up. And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10, 12)
Matthew 18:19,20 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
“When two people agree, they are in harmony. Nothing is too big for God, and we can pray together to see God’s hand in action. When we pray with others, we build each other’s believing to expect those answers that follow.” [1]
Access Your Power of Attorney
Pray to GOD in the name of Jesus Christ. As the only begotten son of God, Jesus Christ had spiritual authority and was able to give that authority, what today we might call power of attorney to his disciples. “…Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23, 24) In my name” indicates authority. This differs from Old Testament prayers where certain men were intercessors for the people in general, e.g. Moses, priests. Since Jesus Christ is the intercessor, we pray in his name and no longer need any other intercessors. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. ” (John 14:13, 14 )
[1]https://thewayinternational.com/power-in-prayer-together//
