Jesus taught by example. And over the course of His ministry here on earth, He modeled for the disciples not only the power of prayer…but the necessity for constancy, and steadfastness in the process. Prayer wasn’t an after thought for Jesus…it was the main thought. Nor was it the last thing He did after everything else had failed, it was the very first thing. So after Jesus had ascended into heaven and the disciples were alone and scared, they relied on the discipline of prayer Jesus had shown them to face the uncertain world ahead. The early Church was devoted to prayer…the Church of today should be as devoted.
Tag: pray for your enemies
Ephesians 6:18 ” And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
Any outreach you do must be built and maintained on/by prayer. But for some, their concept of prayer is to only take a certain posture, using certain words. Or for others, their concept of prayer is to beg and plead before an intimidating and menacing judge. Prayer should be as natural as breathing. It’s a continuous running conversation with a close friend and confidant. So maybe instead of using the term prayer – you could use the word talk. Talking to God is a much more non-threatening idea. You’re conversing and consulting with your friend not some ominous power out in the cosmos. Having an ongoing conversation with God during the day will enable you to focus on what’s eternally important while quelling the world’s incessant chatter that’s filling your head.
Matthew 5:44 ” But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”
Some later manuscripts show this verse as saying, “Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you.” Either translation is a tall order to fill. For we are a people who retaliate at the slightest notion that we’ve been wronged. Taking revenge and repaying evil with evil is touted and even celebrated in today’s social media. But this verse tells us to do the very opposite. And our example should be Jesus, who in I Peter 2:23 demonstrates, “When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate, when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” Taking the high road in the face of cruelty may be a clenched fist, gritted teeth type of grace under pressure, but allowing God to fight your battle is worth it in the end.
Safetypinlove 