Prayer

        The church in which we are now attending recently began a new series on prayer.  The first message was great and focused on the great blessings that we have as believers but are failing to use in our daily lives.  I opened three emails this morning which all mentioned the need to be in prayer and how we often say that we will pray for someone but simply don't do it because we forget to do so.    James 5:16 says,"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  
        Much of the world prays but there are not too many people who are actually praying to Almighty God.  Prayers and well wishes and good feelings and serious sentiments are ushered forth to all kinds of deities that can no more answer a prayer than any inanimate object can move itself from one place to another.  However, people offer their prayers in their own private belief, of which none of them go anywhere but bounce off of dead walls.  It is reminiscent of Mount Carmel when the prophets were shouting and dancing about even cutting themselves with knives in order to invoke a response from Baal.  Of course, nothing happened because Baal couldn't do anything because it is a false god.  The contrast was quickly manifested with the simple and short words of Elijah and the quick and mighty response of Jehovah.  It proved the point to say the least.  As the chorus says, "Our God is a mighty God."  The sacrifice, the rocks, the water were all consumed and there was no doubt Who did it.  So it comes down to you and me as we have the privilege to come before this same great Jehovah with our petitions. Our beliefs in our faith are prompted because of what God has done for us and the evidence of His creation and especially the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  So, now you and I can approach the Throne of Grace any time, any where.  Wow.  We have some great power in our lives that we can do this any time we have a need.  When you think about prayer or when someone asks you to pray for them, do so.  Don't put it off and then forget about it.  I had a number of people who were asking me to pray for them, so I would do it right then, and not later.  It makes no matter where we are, we can still pray right into the very throne room of God.  We can pray in hall ways, in restaurants, in offices, on the street corner, in the garden, well, you get the picture.  Everywhere is a place of prayer.  Praise God today that He answers prayer and that we have the privilege and honor to pray to Him