“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.”
--Nehemiah 9:6
So much of our prayer life can be shallow, weak, and self-centered. But when you read the great prayers of the Bible, you discover that they are God-centered.
A fascinating example is the prayer in the book of Nehemiah chapter 9. It’s the longest recorded prayer in the Bible, and so much of it focuses on the nature and acts of God throughout history.
In the book of Psalms, you can see this pattern in the prayers of David also. Even in times of danger or need when David was greatly burdened, he would spend time praising God for who he is, and recounting the good things God had done in the past.
This is an important key to breathing life into your prayers!
It can be easy to become focused on your problems. But when you pray, put your cares aside for a moment and let your mind focus on the Person to whom you are speaking. Remind yourself of who he is and how much he has done for you.
Remember how the Lord’s Prayer begins: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” (Matt 6:9).
Of course, the Lord wants you to bring your cares to him—he tells you to in his Word. But when you pray, let your very first words, and the attitude of your heart, be to bring him praise and glory.
LET YOUR PRAYER LIFE BECOME INCREASINGLY GOD-CENTERED!
The Importance of Meditation
Friday, July 19, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.”
Psalm 119:97-101
Every day we are bombarded with a vast array of information. It is easier than ever before to stay connected to the world around us. Vast libraries are held in the small phones most of us carry everywhere we go. Media is intentionally created to cater to the shorter attention spans of the modern age. Sight and sound and information come at us in a flood. And in this flood, it is easy for us to lose sight of the vital importance of taking the time to think deeply and meaningfully about the Word of God.
Dr. R. A. Torrey said, “A verse must be read often, and re-read and read again before the wondrous message of love and power that God has put in begins to appear. Words must be turned over and over in the mind before their full force and beauty takes possession of us. One must look a long time at the great masterpieces of art to appreciate their beauty and understand their meaning, and so one must look a long time at the great verses of the Bible to appreciate their beauty and understand their meaning.”
The present controversies and issues of our world will quickly fade into irrelevance. But the Bible endures forever. If we are going to walk as God commands, we must set aside the temporary for the everlasting, and we must be people of the Word. Only through meditation can we grasp the full riches of God’s directions to us.
Today's Growth Principle:
The devil does not care what fills our minds as long as it is not the precious Word of God.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment