Verse
of the day: Genesis 24:15 And it
happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born
to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with
her pitcher on her shoulder.
Prayer
is probably one of the greatest battlefields we will fight on as born again
believers. The enemy does not, I repeat, does not want us to be in constant
communication with our God. The devil knows that a Christians who is in
constant prayer is a Christian who is one of the greatest threats to him and
his demons. A praying Christian is one who is continually relying on the Lord,
and seeking God’s guidance for every step he/she takes. Our God desires to hear
from us continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. This
is a very simple thing to do. To pray without ceasing is to be continually
mindful of God’s presence in our lives, and continually speaking to Him as we
walk with Him throughout our day. Think about this for a moment…how long would
a friendship last if all we ever did whenever we got together with our
friend(s) were be silent and not say anything to each other? This is exactly
what we do to God all too often. The study of God’s Word is of utmost
importance. However, how do we effectively live it, preach it, or teach it, if
we do not pray? How do we find out if we are walking in the center of God’s
will and plan for our lives if we do not pray? What a great example of how we
should carry out daily tasks is demonstrated for us here in this portion of
Scripture. Abraham’s servant, in setting out to carry out the task given to
him, knew that the only way to succeed in the mission ahead was to rely on God
completely. So, what did he do? He prayed (v. 12-14). What was even more
amazing was that even before he finished praying, God answered his prayer! What
many do not realize is that this servant’s prayer was not even an audible prayer,
but a prayer he said in his heart. In verse 45, as he recounts the event, he
states that the prayer was communicated in his heart. Being in continual prayer
does not mean that we have to stop, drop, and pray all the time. We can pray as
we walk, drive, jog, work, or while doing whatever it is we are doing at any
given moment. It does not have to be some eloquent or fantastic prayer, but
simply be prayers from the heart. Isaiah 65:24 reads, “And it shall come to
pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I
will hear.” If we, as God’s children cannot find comfort, peace, and joy from
knowing this, then we had better check our pulse! 1 John 5:14 reminds us that
this is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything,
according to His will, He hears us. In Matthew 6:8, Jesus told us that our
Heavenly Father knows what we need, even before we ask. Can I also point out
one other thing about this situation? Abraham’s servant was not idle. Too often,
we pray about certain things; maybe we are seeking to serve God in some way
that we feel He wants us to, but then we sit idle and wait for the opportunity
to mystically fall out of the sky into our laps. As God’s servants, we must put
our feet to the pavement and actively seek God’s will and plan, moving along
prayerfully, and paying attention to God’s leading; which may come in the form
of open or closed doors of opportunity. Too often, we complain that God is not
answering prayers or doing anything to show us which way to go, but we fail to
see that we have not moved forward! How well would a GPS unit work to get us to
where we are going if we never move toward our destination? That may sound obvious
and absurd; however, this is the approach we often take in our Christian walk. The
bottom line is that moving forward, prayerfully, is also another way to
demonstrate our faith, and trust, in that God will guide us as we go along. Let
us not be idle in our relationship with the Lord, but let us be prayer warriors
on the move, taking over more and more of what the devil and his demons have
claimed as theirs; and being encouraged each, and every, day as we see God
answering our prayers.
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