Prayer....

Just a word for the herd today.  Was going through some old books and found a great quote about praying.  Doing inventory about my life and some of the situations I find myself in.  Trying to weasel my way out and find that I am not able to.  Many people think Jesus is a crutch and that to pray to Him is beneath their dignity.  Let them get a heart attack or a cancer and they squirm under the weight of the Eternal Reality.  But for us that trust God for all things, there is a way in which we should pray.  Jesus in Matthew chapter 6 gives us a "model" prayer.  That is not all inclusive of how we should pray, just a model.  Watchman Nee, writes about one aspect of praying....and that praying effectively....

"Many prayers are inconsistent prayers.  A person can pray for one or two days.  But after three months, he completely forgets it.  Some people can pray about something only once.  They cannot even pray a second time for it.  Such ones care little whether they receive what they ask for.  Please count how many of your prayers have been offered for the second time, the third time, the fifth time, or the tenth time.  If you have forgotten your prayers, how can you expect God to remember them?  If you do not have a heart to pray, how can you expect God to have a heart to listen?  If you have forgotten your prayer, how can you expect God to remember it?  Actually, you have never wanted what you asked for.  A person will pray persistently only when he is pressed in the environment and driven by needs.  In such cases he may persist for decades and still not give up praying, 'Lord! If You do not answer me I will not stop asking."  If you want to ask for something, you should trouble God about it.  If you really want it, you must ask persistently until God hears you.  You have to ask in such a way that God cannot do anything except answer your prayer.  You have to ask until God is forced to answer you."-  Watchman Nee Prayer.

Like it or dislike it, chew on this statement.  (Also see Luke 18). May the Lord reveal how sincere we are with our prayers.  One thing the Lord corrected me on recently is, "Stuart, you are complacent in your lack".  I said, 'wow! are You serious?  I am trying to be content!'  and God says to me in my heart, "I want to bless you!"  Pray people....and pray persistently and sincerely.-   Stu