Prayers, Petitions and Thanksgivings

-



Scripture

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
(1 Timothy 2:1 NASB)
for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
(1 Timothy 2:2 NASB)

Observation

"I don't know how to pray!" How often do we hear this today?  In the past it seems that the art of prayer was passed from one generation to the next and yet, suddenly we live in a day and age when many people tell me that they simply don't know how to pray. In this letter to Timothy we get a glimpse of the expectation of a follower of Christ. All were encouraged to spend time in prayer, and while they were praying they were to bring their petitions before God. However, not only petitions were to be brought to God, but also thanksgiving for what God had already accomplished. We are not to be choosy about those for whom we will pray. We are to pray for all people that we may know personally but also for those who are in authority over us. Yes, we are even to pray for those who may not be confessed followers of God. Why? Because ultimately as we pray for others God brings a peace and tranquility into our lives.

Application

We must find a way to carve out time for prayer in our daily lives. In that prayer time it may be helpful to make a list of those for whom we need to pray. Maybe it's something we do on a rotating basis, praying for different people, or groups of people on different days of the week, but we need to have some type of a plan. Praying for others includes praying for those that we may not even like. We are admonished to pray for everyone! This includes those who are our leaders.  It doesn't matter whether they are followers of Christ or not, we must pray for them.  It is only through this time in God's presence, through prayer for those with whom we have affinity and with whom we do not, that we find a very deep and amazing peace.  This peace is what gives us a life of tranquility and dignity.  Now, that sounds appealing, doesn't it?  Therefore we must again practice the "art" of prayer, filling our time with God with petitions and thanksgivings. 

Prayer

Lord, may I seek the good of those around me this day.  Please, help me to love those over me and lift them daily to You.  Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more