Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Prayer: Constant Communion with God

Bible Reading:St. Matthew 6:5–15 

Key verse:  “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “
St. Matthew 6:5–6

DEVOTION

Whenever we use the Lord’s prayer we’re united with Christians down the centuries and across the world. Christ starts off the model prayer by addressing who we are praying to.  We are praying to the Creator of the Universe who is still our loving Father.  We have the privilege of coming to Him directly with our needs.  It is literally impossible to describe what prayer is. It is the sigh of the soul; it is one of the most beautiful words that mankind has ever used.
Ultimately, prayer is about relationship. Deep personal relationship with God. He made us, and He loves us—He loves you—more than we can comprehend. His desire to be with us is so strong, we often say that God thirsts for us. He aches to be with us. Prayer is our response to that unfathomable ache, to His invitation to relationship with Him. He invites us to bring our own aches, our own desires so that we can find fulfillment in Him.
The best model for prayer is Christ himself. Jesus spent long hours all alone in communion with God. The prayer he taught his disciples saying, “This then is how you should pray” (Matthew 6:9) is the greatest model of prayer our Lord has given us. The way Jesus prayed attracted his disciples to him, and he taught them to pray. It is while he was praying, that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 3:21, 22); in Luke 5:16 Jesus withdraws to lonely places to pray; in Luke 8:12-13 he prays at the most crucial time of selecting his twelve disciples; in Luke 9:18 before the great faith affirmation of Peter; in Luke 9:28-30 at the transfiguration mount before the change of appearance of his face; in Luke 22:40-42 at the garden of Gethsemane; in Luke 23:34,46 when he was fulfilling his mission on the cross: everywhere we see him praying constantly.  

“Therefore, do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:17)

An oyster sieves out one speck of sand from the millions of sand particles in the ocean and places it inside it and then undergoes days of severe pain to bring out the most beautiful pearl. In the same way, the groanings of our hearts should emanate from us as prayers to help us lead a holy and pure life. Let us walk with the Lord; let the holiness of prayer constantly purify us. A prayerful less Christian is a powerful Christian. 

PRAYER

Loving Lord, we thank You that You are a God Who hears and answers all our prayers.  Lord, teach us to pray according to Your perfect will. In Jesus' name, Amen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message. —Oswald Chambers


Rev. George Abraham
Diocesan /Bishop’s Secretary and Vicar of Ebenezer MTC, New York

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