2012. This New Year dawned with the hum of praying voices that filled the air. There were about 50 of us and we all sat in groups of 5 or 10. The steady chorus of voices resounded through the room and God's presence was felt by all. We were praying in the New Year; thankful for the old and anticipating the changes yet to come.
There is no doubt that changes will occur, and with an election coming up those changes are bound to be exponential. With the national debt crisis looming over our heads we hope the change will be for the better. And with the Euro threatening to fail at any moment in Europe we fear for the world at large. In this world of uncertainty what can we expect from this New Year?
So we prayed, and we keep on praying. We prayed for our president, for God to work in his heart and show him wisdom. We prayed for our government and its many other leaders. We prayed for peace in the Middle East, and we prayed for peace in our own homes. We prayed for debt throughout the world, and we prayed for debt throughout America. We prayed and prayed and prayed.
When it comes down to it what is there left for us to do but pray? Our actions will come to nothing if they are not first decided on through prayer. So what better way to start this New Year than with the assurance of prayer?
The Psalms are riddled with the prayers of David during good times and bad. Jesus's prayer of petition was raised to God during his most desperate hour, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). Paul speaks often throughout his many letters of the importance of prayer, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:8). The soldier on the battlefield cries out to God in his time of need, and the family left behind prayers for their family to be made whole again. Some pray who do not even know God; others pray who have known him their whole lives. In the end prayer is used by many when all other hope is lost, when the only option left is to plead for the impossible.
We accept that this year of 2012 will bring with it trials and seemingly unsurpassable obstacles. But before these trials even have time to gain a foothold in this precious New Year which God has given us, we have prayed for God's strength to overcome them. We have started this year in the best way we know how and we must keep on praying because that is one of the greatest weapons we have in this life.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." ~ Philippians 4:6
"I want the times we live in to be praying times. I want the Christians of our day to be praying Christians. I want the church to be a praying church. My heart's desire and prayer in sending forth this tract is to promote a spirit of prayerfulness. I want those who never prayed yet, to arise and call upon God, and I want those who do pray, to see that they are not praying amiss." J.C. Ryle "A Call to Prayer"
ReplyDeleteGood article, Anne. We should ever be ready to pray.