About PRAYER:
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| Groups like this are scattered
throughout Kiev praying for the presence of God to be revealed |
You and I have a choice. We can say prayers, or we can pray.
Prayers are easy to say because they are centered on performance
and focuses on ourselves. Prayer is centered on relationship and
focus upon our Heavenly Father. Saying prayers drives us to persuade
God by impressing Him. True prayer comes as a result of our hungry
hearts longing to melt into the heart of the Father.
The choice is ours. We are created to long after Him. We can
yield to that longing and allow His Spirit to lead us to His presence,
or we can continue wandering around in the confused darkness of
trying to get His attention with unimpressive words and meaningless
thoughts.
Jesus told His disciples in St. John 14:12-14 that they would
do His work through prayer. This is possible because He sits at
the right hand of God interceding for us, and He has sent the
Holy Spirit to live within us to help us in our praying. This
creates the link by which we can pray.
Jesus identifies five things in these verses about doing His
work through prayer.
- He shows us the scope of our praying ---- we can pray about
anything.
- He shows us the means of our praying ---- simply ask. He
loves us; He will answer.
- He shows us the power behind our praying ---- His name. God
accepts us in the name of His Son.
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| Prayer walking teams such
as this one from the U.S. follow special routes to pray
for specific needs and conditions |
- He shows us the ingredient of our praying ---- trusting Him.
We must be convinced He will respond.
- He finally shows us the motive of our praying ---- that God
will be glorified. Our ultimate intention for praying must be
that God is honored and glorified by His response.
If we are to pray for our city, we will do so only from broken
hearts crying out for His presence. It is in His presence we find
His attention to our need. We do not find His presence by trying
to get His attention. We get His attention by coming into His
presence. I hear Him saying, "come." He waits for us.
The door is open.
Let’s pray for Kiev in this way. God assures us that when
we pray, He hears, understands, and responds.