Thoughts on Prayer

 

I have been reading about prayer for some time. I ran across a quote that speaks to my heart, “Sometimes we think prayer is a way to get what we want. Prayer is actually a way to get closer to God.” {Oswald Chambers}

The Best Way to Pray

Several years ago, I was on a prayer chain at the church we were in. We would receive some requests that were quite serious. Sometimes my response was “How can we pray for that need?” The lady on the other end of the phone always said, “The Lord’s will.”

I have thought about her response many times since and have realized two things. First, that’s what God wants us to do. Jesus prayed at Gethsemane that God’s will be done rather than His. {If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me, not as I will but as You.  Matthew 26:39 {NKJV}} Secondly, when we pray for God’s will over ours, we allow God to display His power and His might for all to see.

Seeing God at Work

In our church, we have seen God at work. January 29,2024, a call went out from the church office that our pastor was taken to the ER by his wife and was admitted to ICU. We found out later that week that he had suffered a stoke. It has been a year of prayer and trusting the Lord for his family and for our church.

On the third Sunday of January 2025, the pastor’s wife spoke. Pastor Rick has chosen to retire. This did not surprise me or those that I have talked to about it. Due to the weather forecast for our region and a few reasons of our health, I chose to stay home. One thing I heard that Pastor’s wife said was that she had been told that medically speaking, our pastor should not be alive. She decided that He was still with us due to prayer.

At present, Pastor Rick is in a hospital in a neighboring city. He has has one set back after another. Please pray for them and for our church as we begin to search for a new pastor.