The Wednesday Word
A
Praying People
by
D.G. Miles McKee
Christians
have the privilege of being a people who can talk to and worship God.
The way to God´s throne has been opened by the blood of the precious
Saviour.
Is it any wonder then that the Lord tells us to call upon Him in the
day of trouble and He will deliver us (Psalm 50:l5). We are also
encouraged to cast our burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain us:
He shall never allow the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22). The
Apostle Paul also instructs us that the antidote to worry is prayer.
He writes, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known unto
God …” (Philippians 4: 6-7).
The Lord´s people are a
praying people. When Jacob feared Esau, he prayed (Genesis 32:9).
When Moses found the people ready to stone him, he prayed (Exodus
17:4). When Israel was defeated at Ai, Joshua prayed (Joshua 7:6-7).
When the Philistines attacked at Keilah, David prayed (1 Samuel
23:1-2). When Hezekiah received the letter from Sennacherib, he
"spread it out before the Lord.' In other words, he prayed (2
Kings 19:14).
When
Peter was in prison, prayer was made in the Church without ceasing
for him. When he was thrown in prison at Philippi, Paul prayed (Acts
16:25). Our Saviour Jesus prayed for 40 days in the wilderness
(Matthew 4). He rose up early to pray (Mark 1:35). He sometimes
prayed all night (Luke 6:12-13). Before the ordeal of the cross, He
prayed ( Matthew 26:36). And no wonder for it was prophesied that He
would be a man of prayer (Psalm 109:4).
All roadblocks to
the throne have been removed. And what and Whom do we see on the
Throne of God? We see a Lamb. What an encouragement to pray! Who has
ever been afraid of a Lamb? As our Lamb, the Lord Jesus, even though
He is enthroned in power, is tender and overflowing with love for His
people. Behold the Lamb of God who has already taken away the sins of
His people. May we talk to and worship Him. Who amongst us can be
afraid to draw near to Him? Even the most timid amongst us cannot
fear to go to Him.
New believers may not know much about
prayer, but they know this, they want to pray. When Paul became a
believer, it was said, ”Behold he prays” (Acts 9:11). I like
Spurgeon´s observation about this fact. He said, “These words are
the hall-mark of genuine conversion. “Behold, he prays” is a
better witness of a man’s conversion than, “Behold, he sings,”
or, “Behold, he reads the Scripture,” or, “Behold, he
preaches.” These things may be admirably done by men who are not
regenerate; but if in God’s sense of the term, a man really prays,
we may know that he has passed from death to life. True prayer is a
reliable evidence of spiritual quickening: the Holy Spirit has put
spiritual life into the heart of the man who prays, for prayer is the
breath of heavenly life.”
The unsaved, unlike believers,
have no time to set apart to enjoy fellowship with the Lord in
prayer. This is well illustrated by the story of a godless seaman who
was in a boat fishing with his companions when a storm came up. It
seemed the boat was going to sink. His companions then begged him to
offer a prayer; but he objected, saying it was years since he had
prayed or entered a church. But finally, upon their insistence, he
made this prayer: "O Lord, I have not asked you for anything for
fifteen years, and if you deliver us out of this storm and bring us
safely to land again, I promise that I will not bother you again for
another fifteen!" Ah well, what else do you expect from a pig
but a grunt?
And that´s the Gospel Truth!
Note: please find enclosed link to audio Gospel sermons & Contact Info for preacher Miles - http://milesmckee.com/ and https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?speakeronly=true&currsection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Miles_Mckee
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