Daniel 9:4-6 “And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.”
I will never cease to be amazed about prayer.
The more I read the Word of God, the more He reveals Himself in the everday activities. Prayer is one of the most personal, intimate things I share with my God. To hear the prayers of others who talk in that intimacy can be uncomfortable if you do not practice it yourself.
To hear their confession, to see the transparency, the honesty and almost raw humanity can be uncomfortable. But I have realized that we share such a common bond in this life that the most intimate parts of this life are common as well.
So, what keeps me from sharing my intimate thoughts?
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “…but such as is common to man: ”
Our common in this life is that we are more alike than we would ever like to think. Our enemy uses this to his advantage. One of his core objectives is to divide and destroy. When you and I take up something in our heart – a wound, an offense, a point of separation or line of demarkation; whatever it may be, we must bring it to God and allow Him to sort it all out.
It may very well be that that one who wounded us is the one we are desinged and gifted to help. Does our Heavenly Father not tell us to love our enemies? Pray for them that despitefully use you?
Daniel prayed. It does not tell us who or what he prayed after he found out that he was to be arrested for doing what he had always done. I think he prayed for those men that conspired against him.
We all want the deliverance from the storm or trial in our life.
But are we willing to be worthy of it?
Ouch! Understand that the conviction of such a statement is not only for the reader but the writer as well!!!
To take up in prayer the sins of your nation; confessing and repenting for that which has been done by your countrymen is something only a clean heart and a heart knit with God’s heart cand do.
If I am biased in any way with what it is I am praying, I need to have such an heart ass David did.
Psalms 139:19-22 “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.”
Wait for it… David was not done praying.
Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Though he had what he thought to be pure hatred; a right hatred, he yielded his heart fully, wholly and totally to God to influence the decisions he was about to make.
Prayer is to be in conversation with the God of Heaven. It is talking – we are real good at that part. But, it is also listening – the part we all need to improve.
Prayer is not just words. It is a predication, or an affirmation of what action will follow.
I am challenged today to pray – “Pray without ceasing”.
But I also challenge myself to grow in my prayer life. That takes work.
Are you willing to take up the challenge?
Daily Manna 