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"THE WORD OF GOD IS THE FOOD THAT MAKES YOU
STRONG TO PRAY" Prayer is a concept designed especially for human beings. No other beings have need of prayer. Jesus, the Son of God intercedes for us with His Father in heaven but He intercedes face to face. The angels live in God’s presence. But humanity, since the sin of Adam and Eve, is no longer able to communicate face to face with God. Because of God’s foreknowlege He had a plan ready to put in place immediately. The Bible tells us that the Son of God was the Savior from the foundation of the world. Through faith in a coming Redeemer, prayer--heart to heart communication with God, in place of face to face--was instituted at the gate of Eden to make it possible for Adam and Eve and their descendants to speak with God. When the Son of God became a human being and lived among us His means of communication with His heavenly Father was through prayer. Because of the record of His prayer life we are better able to understand the power of prayer. But sometimes we find it hard to find words to pray. God has made it easy for us by giving us scripture examples, the very words of prayer. "The more constantly you feed on the word, the richer and deeper your life of prayer becomes. The Word of God is the food that makes you strong to pray." (Wesley L. Duewel, Mighty Prevailing Prayer, p. 290.) |
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| "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:12,13.) | ||
| "God’s Word to the holy men of Old Testament times was intended to reveal God and to offer a route of access to the Heavenly Father. Of Jesus’ birth it was declared, ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth’(John 1:14). The written Word became the living Word, but the purpose of the Word remained the same--access to God. Christ is the Word incarnate; the Bible is the Word codified." Judson Cornwall, Praying the Scriptures, p.10 | |
". . .The Word was given, both in written and living form, to return us to a personal relationship with almighty God. Such a relationship, of course, demands communication, and prayer is communication with God. The Bible, then, is a textbook on prayer. It teaches us the need to pray, the nature of prayer and the rewards of prayer. This is well-known. What seems to have been forgotten by some of today’s generation is that the Bible can also become the very prayer we need to pray." ( Judson Cornwall, Praying the Scriptures, pp. 10, 11.) |
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| "Praying becomes more meaningful when we allow the Scriptures to open our eyes, unveil our hearts and illuminate God’s will. It ceases to be small talk and becomes smart talk. It moves from merely expressing feelings to expressing God’s will and our submission to that will. When God’s word to us is mingled with our word to God, we have a meaningful dialogue that genuinely communicates. This, in itself, is sufficient to increase our prayers." (Judson Cornwall, Praying the Scriptures, p. 104.) | ||
| "There is no greater source of the expressed will of God than the Scriptures. As we bring them into our prayer lives, we are far more likely to pray according to the will of God than when we merely pray out of our minds and emotions." (Judson Cornwall, Praying the Scriptures, p. 104.) | ||
| "Worship. In two thousand years we haven’t
worked out the kinks. We still struggle over Scripture. We don’t know when to kneel.
We don’t know when to stand. We don’t know how to pray. "Worship is a daunting task. "For that reason, God gave us the Psalms--a praisebook for God’s people. The Psalms could be titled God’s Book of Common Prayer. This collection of hymns and petitions are strung together by one thread--a heart hungry for God. "Some are defiant. Others are reverent. Some are to be sung. Others are to be prayed. Some are intensely personal. Others are written as though the whole world would use them. Some were penned in caves, others in temples. "But all have one purpose--to give us the words to say when we stand before God. "The very variety should remind us that worship is personal. No secret formula exists. What moves you may stymie another. Each worships differently. But each should worship. "This book (the Psalms) will help you do just that. "Here is a hint. Don’t just read the prayers of these saints, pray them. Experience their energy. Imitate their honesty. Enjoy their creativity. Let these souls lead you to worship. "And let’s remember. The language of worship is not polished, perfect, or advanced. It’s just honest." ( The Inspirational Study Bible, Max Lucado, General Editor, The Introduction to the Book of Psalms, p. 607). |
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