Prayer is our dependence on God. Prayer is telling God that
“I stand down while you stand up”.
In Exodus 17:8-15, we see Israel launch an attack on the
Amalekites in retaliation for the previous attack by the Amalekites. While the
Israelite army waged battle, Moses was upon on hilltop with his hands lifted in
prayer, and the Israelite army was winning.
The bible goes on to say when Moses became tired his arms dropped, and
the Israelites began to lose the battle.
Thank God that Aaron and Hur were on the hilltop with Moses while he
prayed because they were able to uplift his arms, and the Israelite army was
victorious.
Throughout the book of Exodus, we see the children of Israel
fight for freedom or to reclaim the Promise Land. Question? Do you ever wonder
why God would bring the Israelite out of Egypt only so they could go through
battles and issues with food and water to name a few. Oftentimes, people feel a just God should
protect us from the wars of life such as financial calamity, sickness, divorce,
loss of loved ones, and the list could go on. But just because you are godly does
not mean you will be exempt from life’s wars. It is through the ups and the downs that we
grow in faith and become mature Christians.
This is why prayer can’t be ignored or forgotten. We have battles in our lives we cannot
control. A healthy prayer life builds relationship with God and reminds us that
He is always near. Prayer causes us to
have true dependence on God and not rely on ourselves or those around us. Prayer brings peace and comfort in the midst
of life’s battles. A solid prayer life
establishes that you depend on God and not on flesh.
So, why don’t you pray? Are you too busy? Is life going well right
now? Have you lost your faith because of too many disappointments and what you
deem as unanswered prayers? Maybe, you don’t know what to say, or you don’t want to see your
shortcomings revealed through time spent
with God? Or is it that you feel you don’t know how? Or maybe you don’t want to
hear the answer from God because you know your prayer is not aligned with His
will for your life.
If any of those questions apply to you, pray anyway and
allow the Holy Spirit to work out the kinks of your prayer life. Allow prayer to make you malleable to the
will of God. Allow prayer to bring about submission to God because prayer is
not how you secure control it’s how you release control.
Prayer tells God “I trust you”. Prayer allows us to submit our life and will
unto God so that He can direct our path.
We should not pray and expect God
to bow to us. There may be sometimes
when we have to wait on His answer, or the answer might be “no”. You’re probably thinking if the answer is
“no” then how can that be of benefit. Well,
remember that God is not confined by time or space. He is omnipresent…infinite.
He has the ability to see into our future, and He knows what’s best for
us.
Continue to read His holy scriptures to understand His
will. And then pray His will be done in
your life. When that is done, align your
actions with prayers to show God that you trust Him to make good on His
promises to you. What do I mean by that?
If you need a job, start applying for one so God can meet you where you
are. If you need additional finances and
education, enroll in school to show God that you trust Him to get you through.
Finally, we want to stop acting as if God is a magician who
will speak the magic words and “poof” the thing you prayed for appears. Prayer allows us to establish relationship
with God, and that is the key. I challenge you to trust God in this journey of
life and watch Him bring victory into your life.
In closing, remember the words written in Philippians 4:6.
Do not be anxious
about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Remember today--this day, is the first day of the rest of your life.
