Optimist’s Roundtable
By Martha Sykes
Prayer can be most vital part of a Christian life and ministry. God says we are to pray. Prayer prepares us for our work. Prayer is our work. We must keep our communication lines open and strong with God. This means we must know Him well, because we pray to Him. We must know who He is and what He can do for us. The Bible says, “ Be still and know that I am God”. The better we know Him , the stronger our faith will be.
Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that, “they should always pray and not give up”.
Rubenstein, the great musician once said,” If I omit practice one day, I notice it. If I miss two days, my friends notice it; if three days, the public notices it.” Usually prayer needs more practice than proof.
We are to pray always at all times, under all circumstances, in our prosperity, and in our adversity. We are not only to pray in our regular quiet time, but all during the day. We can even when we are driving our cars, making our beds, or whatever we are doing throughout the day, and whenever possible.
Of course, the devil doesn’t like a strong prayer life. He likes to discourage us, but God reminds us “not to faint” and “never lose heart”
In a gospel meeting in the western United States, an elderly man was converted. Another elderly man stepped forward and with tears in his eyes, related that 50 years before, a group of 25 young people, of which he was one, had agreed to pray for this man every day, until he became a Christian. He said, “ I am the only one of the 25 still living to see our prayers answered “.
We are to continue to pray, and not become discouraged. As long as there are people who do not know Jesus as our savior, we must keep on praying.
In the book of I Thessalonians 5:17, we are reminded to pray without ceasing. When in doubt, ASAP, Always Say a Prayer!! This world needs prayer , and it is our biggest hope that God will answer our prayers according to His will.
