Prayer Time

Psalm 5:1-2
O Lord, hear me as I pray. Pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but You. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to You and wait expectantly.

E.M. Bounds referred to prayer as "the currency of heaven". It moves God to act on our requests when we pray "IN" His will. In other words, I am breathing back to God, through my prayers, what is on His heart to do. I am moving in cooperation with His Spirit and His will to usher in His plans for me and those around me. Why do some of my prayers not get answered? Because I pray wrongly, or for the wrong reason. What I ask God for is not what He wants for me. My prayer may be filled with that which comes from my flesh (old sin nature) rather than what is communicated to me by His Holy Spirit. To put it plain and simple...."I am learning to pray. I am trying to listen to what God is stirring my heart to pray about. 

Yesterday at Rapha was a really good day.
Our One O' clock Bible study was a keeper. Had eight men show up and all seemed eager to get at the word (which was a plus). We took at look at a man named Naaman. A military man who had racked up some impressive victories in battles he had fought. He was kind of a national hero at the time, and had all the credentials to prove it. If you described Naaman's resume it would read like a who's who. But at the end of his list of accomplishments was a "BUT".....now I don't know about you, but when there is a "But" tied to a man's accomplishments, that isn't always a good thing. Here's how it works....

He was brave....
He was a military genius....
He was a leader of men....
But....(see what I mean...you're waiting for the shoe to drop)
Naaman was a leper.
That short phrase undid everything positive about Naaman.
It took the Power of God applied to Naaman's life to undo the "BUT".
It takes that same Power of God in our life to undo our "BUT's".

Are we not like Naaman? People talk about us...and maybe their conversation goes something like this...
He's a good boy....
He's so smart.....
He loves his family.....
"BUT"......
He is an alcoholic...
Or
He is an addict.
See how that "BUT" just tears it all up?
Let God remove that "BUT" so yours can be saved.


Here are the prayer requests from yesterday's Bible study.

1.) Three of the men present at the Bible study asked for the Lord's help that they may be focused on working the steps, and developing a relationship with God.

2.) One asked for God to grant him favor as he begins the process of looking for a job.

3.) There was a request for God to show him how to be humble and sufficient on God and not anything of this world.

4.) One man asked for healing for his legs. He is suffering with a painful condition that really takes a toll on him when he tries to walk.

5.) There was a request for restoration of a family relationship. He readily admitted that he was the reason for all the discord in his family. He was ready to do whatever it took to clean up the damage and destruction he had caused through his addiction.

Well, there you have it.
Please join me in praying for these requests.

God on you...
mbb