Devotional
God Listens
The power of prayer is an essential concept for anyone who desires to walk closely with God. We are told to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV), because “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16 NIV).
See, God isn’t too busy to hear about even the smallest things in our lives, and not even the biggest things are too much for Him. He wants you to pour yourself out to Him in every moment, and to open your heart to receive what He wants to say in return. Remember that He is capable and willing to meet your every need, and He knows the best way to do so, even if his method and timing don’t seem to make sense.
You can get in the habit of talking to God more often by starting each day with a brief prayer from your heart. And don’t just say the words; mean them. There are many online, or you can adapt them from scriptures such as Colossians 1:9-14. Doing this has encouraged me to pray about whatever else fills my mind throughout the day. The routine of meaningful prayer can take time to develop, but it is always worth what you put in.
It reminds me of one of my favorite hymns. It written by Joseph Scriven nearly 175 years ago. Scriven was a preacher helping the poor and handicapped in Canada when he got word that his mother back in Ireland had become ill. He didn’t have the money to go and be with her. So, he wrote a poem just for her, and his poem became the popular hymn, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.”
“What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!”
I invite you to think of something you might not have previously considered praying about and take a moment to lift it to God in faith. His answer may not come right away, but He does care, and your faith in uncertain times will go a long way.
What Scriven wrote in 1855 still holds true today.
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer.
Amen.
The HPU senior who wrote the Lenten devotional wishes to remain anonymous.
