May 22, 2017
This week and this year you will face many different experiences. Problems will arise, burdens will come. Decisions will need to be made and many are life-altering.
What do you do? If you are a serious follower of Jesus, you know you must pray, because only prayer brings God more deeply into the middle of your circumstance. If you try to handle it alone you will quickly discover that the arm of flesh will fail you.
WHAT TO PRAY?
We all want to pray effectively. No one desires to lift some flimsy, selfish prayer that accomplishes little, but the ""effective, fervent prayer"" that “accomplishes much"" of which James 5:16 speaks.
Jesus, as always, gives us the answer. He models for us the perfect prayer to pray on any equation—the prayer that is always rewarded.
""Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name. (John 12:27-28)
EMBRACE GOD'S PURPOSE AND PRAY ACCORDINGLY
Jesus knew that He had been sent on purpose by His Father. That He lived on mission. The most effective, prayer, the one that is always answered is this: ""Father, glorify Your name.""
""Answer my cry, O Lord, in a way that will accomplish Your will, for Your will is good, acceptable, and perfect. It is best for You and therefore, best for me and any others who may be affected by this prayer. Father, I want you to be magnified and seen in this circumstance.""
In the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6, this is encouraged in another way: ""Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is (being done right now) in heaven.""
God delights to answer this prayer and the results are stunning. It is the prayer that never fails.
April 30, 2025
And then he said with a twinkle in his eye that had seen nine decades plus, “I believe this may be the best season of my life!”
April 24, 2025
This is only possible with God’s aid. He tells us to draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us. But that approach begins with a plea for His help in this foundational task. It is our most important step of every day and throughout the day. We must be aware of God.
