Devoted Plea

12/13/2020

Luke 18:1 “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”

Prayer can take on many forms. There are formal prayers, there are worshipful prayers, there are silent prayers, there are meek and bold prayers, there are public and private prayers, there are prayers with hands lifted high or prayers with heads bowed on the knees, there are tearful prayers of the brokenhearted, there are joyful prayers of the fulfilled, there are prayers of despair and prayers of praise, there are personal prayers and prayers of intercession for others; and I am sure there are many other forms that I haven’t even thought of. No matter how we come to God in prayer, He always listens. He even hears prayers from the deepest part of our hearts.

I was raised praying in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Recently my pastor has been closing Sunday service prayers this way as well, and it feels familiar and right to me. The Blessed Holy Trinity is one of the Christian faith’s mysteries, and I cannot, with my puny human mind, begin to understand the astounding awe of my God. I can, however, submit to Him and find mercy and saving grace through my Savior’s atoning sacrifice. I am also able to seek the Holy Spirit because of what Jesus did for me on the Cross. Does the power of being able to come before the Creator of the universe humble and astonish me? Indeed it does, and I am often brought to an unutterable place of tears because of the power of the Holy Spirit filling a church, a gathering of believers, or a room where only I reside. To know that Jesus is my best friend and loves me more than anyone ever could is another mystery to me.  Even in my weaknesses and failure, He loves me nonetheless. Amazing grace.

I am able to come before my Lord to intercede for others. I feel burdened for those in pain or in need, and I feel humbled and honored to be able to lift them up to Almighty God. However, my deepest and most important intercessory prayer is for those directly around me, and even those globally who I do not fully know, to come to the foot of the Cross, seek forgiveness, and yield to Jesus as their Savior. With intercessory prayer, Chambers tells me to remember this: “The thing to watch in intercession is that no soul is patched up: a soul must get through into contact with the life of God. Think of the number of souls God has brought about our path and we have dropped them.” This is truly a sobering thought and one that I must admit to doing. Again, my most important and profound purpose is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. I must live the truth of faith, speak the truth of faith, and pray the truth of faith to be true in the hearts, minds, and souls of others.