Prayer With Open Hands
“The experience of the race is clear that some things God never can do until he finds a man who prays.” (The Meaning Of Prayer by Harry Emerson Fosdick) Prayer is meant to be like breathing to a follower of Jesus, our life depending on it constantly. Too often, from what I’ve seen, it’s become expensive jewelry, only pulled out for special occasions. We pray when we are in an emergency, when we have a ceremony, when we need to show people we’re Christians, when we want someone to fall in love with us, when we need to pass a test, all big and intense times in our lives. What we really need are people committed to praying consistently.
Maybe we need to take a look at what prayer is for anyway. Here is a video clip (although it is really just sound only) of a man named Ravi Zacharias talking about prayer. It’s only three minutes, so don’t worry about losing an entire afternoon to listen. Prayer is about hearing from God & letting Him change, transform us. But there is a reason for that as well.
“And God himself cannot do some things unless men work. Will a man say that when God wants bridges and tunnels, wants the lightnings harnessed and cathedrals built, will he do the work himself? That is an absurd and idle fatalism.” (The Meaning Of Prayer by Harry Emerson Fosdick). God is looking for the impact of His children, His followers, the hands of His Body to make the changes in the world. To work towards justice, food for the poor, friendship for the lonely, and love for the unlovable is the job of God’s children. In essence, to become like Jesus, and live a life concerned about others rather than selfishness.
Are you willing to tackle this part of following Jesus? It takes courage, time, commitment, desire and effort. We can’t make a God-sized impact of love and tenderness in this world without being shaped by His love and having access to His power. Please take this call seriously. The needs are great, the hurts to be healed are overwhelming, and our attention is too scattered.
