September - Prayer
A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.
“I guess you were expecting me, he said. ‘No, who are you?” said the father. The minister told him his name and then remarked, “I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up.” “Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?” Puzzled, the minister shut the door. “I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man. “But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the preacher talk about prayer, but it went right over my head.” I abandoned any attempt at prayer.”
The old man continued, “Until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, “Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. “Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because he promised, ‘I will be with you always’. “Then just speak to him in the same way you’re doing with me right now.” “So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though if my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.” The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him and returned to the church.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon. “Did he die in peace?” he asked. “Yes, when I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?” The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, “I wish we could all go like that.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17
17 pray without ceasing;
Christians can not live their life without God. God’s help is available by showing our dependence on him and asking him for guidance. A Christian should develop his spirit of prayer and devotion and preserve it in his heart so that he is in constant communion with God at all times. Christians should treasure the spirit of prayer and let their devotion to God be their primary goal in life.
Colossians 4:2
2 Continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving;
Paul is writing to urge the church in Colossae to continue to pray and be thankful as they prayed. Prayer and thanksgiving go hand in hand. A Christian should always be thankful for the many blessings that he receives from God. The faithful Christian should continually strive to maintain the constant communion with God. The Christian not only prays about his own needs but also the needs of the church and the world. (the last sentence made me think of I Timothy 2:1-4; not sure if you wanted it but just a thought)
Luke 18:10-14
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
A Pharisee was one of the two principal sects of the Jews (Sadducees). They were noted for their rigid observance of the law and of traditions. A publican was one of the tax collectors and classed with the sinners or outcasts.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
The Pharisee assumed an attitude where he could be seen. He gave thanks, which was an important part of prayer, but he gave thanks for the wrong reason. He trusted that he was sufficiently righteous to merit God’s favor. He was thankful that he was not like any sinners
Extortioners = Robber and Plunderer
Unjust = One who deals unfairly with his fellow man
Adulterers = Those who have violated the requirement of a pure life
The Pharisee reached the climax when thanked God that he was not even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I get.
The Law of Moses only commanded one fast a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus). In his selfishness and vanity he has used the pronoun “I” five times within his short prayer.
13 But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner.
The publican approached God humbly for he would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven. He pounded his chest as a proof of his sincerity of his grief and an open confession of his sins. He then pleads to God to be merciful to him because he recognizes the fact that he is a sinner.
14 I say unto you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
The good man went home a sinner and the sinner went home a good man. The tax collector realized he was a sinner and asked for God’s mercy. The Pharisee believed that he was not like the sinful man and needed no forgiveness. He failed to recognize that his pride was his sin. When one relates himself to the standard God wants us to live by, he will realize that he is a sinner. The Bible continually teaches that the one who acknowledge his sinfulness and approaches God with a repentant heart will be accepted by God. This is the reason that repentance is necessary in salvation.
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Great lesson. I have always liked the story at the beginning. There is life-changing power in prayer.