Praying Always...

Recently God has yet again been working on a particular area in my life that well...needs work! It's the area of prayer. It's not my frequency of prayer that is the issue, for praying is one of my favorite things to do! It's my heart during prayer, my attitude...my faith. God has been showing me more and more that I have a weak faith in what I think He can do in my life. I have realized that the prayers I've prayed have often been lifted up with half-hearted belief that anything will come of it. How wrong and sinful I have been to doubt our faithful, sovereign and powerful God. Everywhere I turn I am hearing, reading or seeing something about prayer and the faith that we are to have. Isn't God good to correct my thinking?! This morning I am praying for my co-worker who's son committed suicide last week, for my co-worker who just found out she has cancer after losing her husband to cancer a few years ago, for my co-worker who lost her cousin to cancer last week and for my co-worker who may have miscarried her baby this morning. There will never be a lack of things to pray for, but I hope my heart when I pray them is glorifying to God and that I will be able to be a means of grace in these ladies lives and point them to Christ during this difficult time.

"Praying always." - Ephesians 6:18

What multitudes of prayers we have put up from the first moment when we learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked that God would have mercy upon us, and blot out our sin. He heard us. But when he had blotted out our sins like a cloud, then we had more prayers for ourselves. We have had to pray for sanctifying grace, for constraining and restraining grace; we have been led to crave for a fresh assurance of faith, for the comfortable application of the promise, for deliverance in the hour of temptation, for help in the time of duty, and for succour in the day of trial. We have been compelled to go to God for our souls, as constant beggars asking for everything. Bear witness, children of God, you have never been able to get anything for your souls elsewhere. All the bread your soul has eaten has come down from heaven, and all the water of which it has drank has flowed from the living rock--Christ Jesus the Lord. Your soul has never grown rich in itself; it has always been a pensioner upon the daily bounty of God; and hence your prayers have ascended to heaven for a range of spiritual mercies all but infinite. Your wants were innumerable, and therefore the supplies have been infinitely great, and your prayers have been as varied as the mercies have been countless. Then have you not cause to say, I love the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplication? For as your prayers have been many, so also have been God's answers to them. He has heard you in the day of trouble, has strengthened you, and helped you, even when you dishonoured him by trembling and doubting at the mercy-seat. Remember this, and let it fill your heart with gratitude to God, who has thus graciously heard your poor weak prayers. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. -Spurgeon