I have spent an entire year getting my license transferred. The State of Illinois is ridiculous! One day as I was lamenting my journey through the Secretary of State of Illinois to get my driving privileges set in lamination, God reached down and humbled me. I was just like the disciples in Mark 9:28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? I had no idea why something so simple was being so difficult. The answer is obvious though, Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
The apostle Paul commanded the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. Sometimes it is good to hit that reset button in your prayer life. We get so focused on praying for the sick, praying for salvations, praying for church events, praying for wayward family members, and praying for the rain, that we forget that we can boldly take anything to God’s throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16.
My license has only been so difficult, because I have not been taking it to God in prayer. The projects around my house are only taking so long, because I have not committed myself to praying for everything in my life. My expenses only worry me so much, because I don’t pray over my budget. Literally, everything in my life could be taken to God in prayer, but I have to make sure to carry it there. Being saved is not just an acquirement of goods, or a promotion to a new level, or an insurance against danger. It is a relationship. God has let us know plainly in the scriptures that we are welcome to come to him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. He promises to listen, to answer, to give, to find, to open, and much more! All we have to do is tell Him.
What in your life feels heavy? What is difficult? What is stressful? What induces anxiety? Jesus says this:
1. Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
2. Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
3. 1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intersessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
4. 1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
5. 1 Timothy 4:5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Just a few of many verses on prayer. Why are things so difficult in my life sometimes? Because I don’t believe what God says in His word about prayer. Why am I so worried and careful about many things? Because I don’t sit at the feet of Jesus enough. Why does my to do list take so long to get accomplished? Because I don’t prioritize prayer for my daily duties. I teach my kids to pray for every meal. Why? Because that which is without faith is sin, and whether we eat or drink we should do all things in faith. I should apply this principle to every thing I do. If I eat, I should pray for it. If I work, I should start off that work in prayer. If I travel, I should start and travel in prayer. If I have a task, I should bring it to God to ask for what I want. If I shop, tinker, play, preach, talk, listen, I should do all in the spirit of prayer first.
Jesse McCammon | Pastor
Calvary Baptist Church | Flora, IL
