Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Prayer: Constant Communion with God

Bible Reading: Daniel 6: 10-14

Key verse: Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed giving thanks to his God just as he had done before.
 

DEVOTION

E.M Bounds, an American Christian author wrote, “We can do nothing without prayer. Our praying needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistence which will not be denied, and a courage that never fails”. Daniel, a chief minister in Babylon understood the importance of prayer- constant communion with God. Daniel 6:10 reads, “Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously”. This verse illustrates Daniel’s devotion to regular time with his Creator, despite persecution. While we may not face death threats, we are distracted and pressured away from prayer by this world. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”. Prayer represents this denial: putting away the worldly distractions and submitting to God’s will. Although Jesus only had 3 years of ministry on Earth, he never neglected prayer. He taught us of the peace and joy in the hearts of those who have surrendered their anxieties through prayer. Unfortunately, many only turn to God in dire need- atheists may pray during turbulence or believers seek God in trials. It is crucial to recognize that Jesus died to establish direct communion between God and his children. Prayer is a privilege and it’s to be treated as such. Prayer transforms incapable sinners into beings with a purpose. Without prayer, David would have been called: defeated, Moses: a stuttering man, Hannah: a hopeless woman, and Daniel: a dead man. Prayer is not just a Sunday tradition, rather an opportunity for God to change the course of our lives. In Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus teaches us to pray in a private room, as Daniel did by kneeling before God with the cries of your heart. We don’t need to conjure the most complex words because the words of our heart are enough for the Holy Spirit to intercede for the pains even unbeknownst to us. Jesus encourages us to pray for our enemies and those dead in spirit. By prayer, we can be witnesses to the miracles of God and the softening of even the hardest of hearts.
 

PRAYER

Jesus, help us to surrender our will and anxieties through consistent communion with you.
 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

To be a Christian without praying is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.
Martin Luther.

Kaitlin Abraham,
LIMTC, NY

 

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