21/08/09

Let your prayer be made correctly

Philippians 4:6 - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;


We learnt in yesterday's message how our every need is already provided. But, yet we see ourselves suffering with wants. This is only because we lack knowledge; knowing who God is, who we are in the Lord and the authority we hold in Him.

The Lord is a merciful God and does not stand aside till we come to the stage of knowing Him and ourselves; He stretches His Hand forward to help if we ask Him.

Asking Him does not mean we ask Him for what we need, since that would be showing lack of faith in Him. Let me take an example: Galatians 3:13 and 1 Peter 2:24 says Jesus has already redeemed us from all the curses and healed us from all our sicknesses. Therefore to pray 'Lord I am sick, heal me' would be a prayer lacking faith. We could pray 'Lord I am sick, help me receive my healing which You have made available for me by your sacrifice on the cross', now that would be a more appropriate prayer.
We do not have to ask what we need in our prayer, but we need to put forward our needs and ask God to help us receive it, for our needs have already been provided.

Thus instead of praying 'Lord, give me the grace to overcome' which would be like stating Jesus never came on earth and into our life, it would be better to pray 'Lord, we thank You for the grace which my Lord Jesus Christ has made available for me, help me receive this grace to overcome'.

Therefore when we pray, we should first thank the Lord for giving us our needs and then ask Him to help us receive them. When we do this we will never be anxious and we will surely receive it by faith.


[ Prayer Starter ]

Lord, You are a merciful and awesome God. You have given unto us all that we would want on our journey here on earth. Lord, we suffer because we do not know You and know ourselves, who we are in You and the authority You have given us. Lord in your mercy and grace, help us overcome our needs by receiving all that we lack, which You have already given...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]

Galatians 3:13
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

1 Peter 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Mark 11:24
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)