Faith and Prayer

QUESTION: Faith and Prayer

ANSWER:

Faith and Prayer – Insights from God’s Word
“Who is a faithful, sensible servant, to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his household and feeding his family? If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I assure you, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.” - Matthew 24:45-47

Faith and Prayer - Surrender
Prayer: Jesus, I bow my head humbly today recognizing how patient You are with me. Your Presence in this place is sustaining me, and I need nothing else. The fact that I still wrestle with myself tells me how much I prefer to trust myself and my own abilities. Your Presence shows me how foolish this really is. Your truth shines so brightly against what I can only say is the veil of the cloud of my own abilities. I am humbled to see the difference, and I am grateful for Your patience with me.

I am seeking Your guidance this morning as I attempt to be that faithful and sensible slave who serves at Your pleasure. I know I fall short often of this goal, but here in Your Presence I know there is no other way. I must learn to listen carefully and recognize that I will often be called to step out in faith -- even when I don’t fully understand it. The key for me seems to be found in the truth that when You return, I desire to be found doing what You gave me to do.

I recognize today -- as I have often realized -- that Your timing is my goal. My reckless nature has often led me to step out ahead of You, and sometimes I have even found I was behind. I am grateful this morning that I am becoming more alert every day to watching where You are working and accommodating my time and energy to that effort.

As You revealed it is Your wish that I surrender myself to the things of eternal Kingdom significance, and lay aside some of the other things that are simply keeping me busy and therefore unable to serve as You desire me to serve.

I am so grateful today that I have come to understand that my true treasure is my relationship with You, and my challenge is to step out in faith when You call -- even if I do not fully understand where we are going. I acknowledge I have always preferred the safety net of the familiar and it was hard to escape that net.

I do not know where we are going today, Lord, but I do know I have spent time with You today -- and that fact alone gives me courage because I received some wisdom for my day. Whatever path You lead me on, I am willing to follow You there. Being with You is the most important thing I do! Learning to follow Your lead is fast becoming my greatest challenge yet, I have no fear because I know the victory is already mine, and Your clarity of vision will help me to grow.

My prayer today is simple, my King, please help my brothers and sisters wrap their arms around the simple truth that they can turn to You and hear Your voice guide their path. I pray that discerning the presence of our King will be the goal of their day and that in all they do today they will be looking for You. I am confident in the knowledge that You really do desire to use each and every one of us to accomplish Your purposes. It isn’t really complicated once you understand Who you serve. Everything falls into place like a gigantic tapestry. You meet every need for our day, and You promise us a life of unsurpassing greatness. It is a mystery to me why I struggle so hard when all of this is waiting for me -- but struggle I do!

Protect my brothers and sisters from the influences that could corrupt their walk. Remind them we are in this together. We are to fight together, play together, pray together, and gain strength and comfort from each other. Your divine design for our lives is far greater than anything we can concoct for ourselves. Grant us Your protection this day, wisdom in abundance, and eyes to see and ears to hear. Help us to be obedient to Your call and to have the patience we need to wait on Your perfect timing.

Faith and Prayer – Making it Personal
Reflect: We are all called but few are chosen. If you are praying this prayer You have the desire to walk Your walk as directed by the Lord. I encourage You to ask Him to deepen Your understanding of His ways so You can be confident you are walking in His timing. The times in which we live require closeness with Him that becomes the central focus of our lives. Without it we are all in danger of stumbling, and ending up in a ditch. Honestly, I do not believe we have the time to spend in ditches. He’s calling us today to walk with our hands in His hands, joined with the body of believers where we serve.