By Al Behel “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1) The disciples of Jesus
had listened to his sermons, but never asked, “Teach us to preach.” They had
observed his powerful miracles, but never said, “Lord, teach us to do
miracles.” The one thing they asked for Him to teach them was how to pray.
Knowing how to pray effectively is far more desirable than knowing how to
preach a powerful sermon. Moving heaven is much greater than moving men on
earth. Of course, there are
many desirable gifts or privileges, but none surpasses the privilege of prayer.
We can train men to preach moving sermons, but powerful praying can only come
out of hearts that have been touched by the Master. More is accomplished
through prayer than through sermons for without prayer sermons are empty and
ineffective. Obviously, the disciples
had witnessed Jesus on His knees. They had seen the hand of God moved through
His prayers. No one had prayed like Him. No one had talked with the Father the
way Jesus did. They stood in awe as they listened to Him pray and they wanted
to pray like Jesus prayed. Only Jesus could teach them to pray like that. I’ve heard many moving
prayers. Some were very short but powerful. A little boy in New York prayed,
“God, I thank you for making me a human being and not a dog!” Some of the old
saints knew how to pray. The key? They knew they were really talking to God and
that God was listening. Prayer is every believer’s privilege. Not
everyone is called to become preachers, or elders, or teachers, but everyone is
called to pray. Later, Jesus would say, “Men ought always to pray and not to
lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Praying opens the doors of heaven and moves the hand
of God. Unfortunately, many
Christians do not avail themselves of this privilege. Instead, there is an
expectation that life moves on its own, most days are reasonably comfortable,
and we maintain good health. We forget that prayer is not solely about us. It
is primary about communing with our heavenly Father. It is about advancing His
kingdom in a world of darkness. |
- Al Behel served the Great
Smoky Mountains Church of Christ in Pigeon Forge, TN, for many years prior to
this death in April 2022. The congregation may be contacted through their
website - https://gsmchurchofchrist.com/ |
Monday, December 5, 2022
Our Greatest Privilege
Labels:
Prayer
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