Back To Prayer

One of the new ministries that has started up at our church is home fellowship groups.  It has been so refreshing to get together with other believers during the week for singing, fellowship, prayer, and teaching. One of the HFGs meets in our home, and it is a blessing to our family.

Brian, (my husband and pastor :-D) has been leading us through a study on prayer, and I have been greatly encouraged.  First of all, it has simply called my attention again to the importance of cultivating a deeper relationship with my Heavenly Father by directing my thoughts, concerns, and praises to Him as I go throughout a normal day.  Second, this focus on prayer has reminded me of my responsibility to pray for others all around me, and around the world.  Finally, I have been reminded through the first two weeks of this study, that God is loving and kind, tender and gracious, and shows it by inviting us to come to Him in prayer.

How humbling and awe-inspiring it is to realize that the great and mighty God who sits enthroned in the heavens, who spoke the worlds into existence, who positions and deposes kings of this earth, and who will return in judgement to conquer and destroy all His enemies -- tenderly welcomes us to come to Him! He beckons us to pour out our hearts before Him, to find comfort and rest in His love, and to go away filled with hope because He has all the power necessary to deal with all our troubles. The access to private audience with the living, holy God was opened for us by our Lord Jesus, when He purchased our redemption with His own blood. And now God welcomes us into His presence.

The Psalmist had obviously experienced this, and writes in Psalm 62:8:

"Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us."

Regardless of how long I walk with the Lord, I find that I still need to grow in every area. I'm so thankful to have an opportunity to have my heart refocused on the privilege and practice of prayer.