Tuesday, April 15, 2014

2014 April 15 - Morning Manna

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.  Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
(Luke 11:1-4)
 
Today's Morsel: I was pondering on my prayer life the other day, and I came to the conclusion that I probably spend more time interceding for folks than just giving God thanks and praise for what He's already doing.  Because my mind is so programmed for interceding, I often find myself as more of an intercessor than a praiser.  I've read so many books on prayer, and prayer indeed is so important for us all, but I wonder have and are we missing the mark sometimes in our understanding for the purpose of prayer?  The disciples asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray", not "How to pray."   I think all of us that have been around the church for a while know how to pray, but many haven't caught the purpose for prayer.  I read that Jesus rose early before day and entered into a solitary place and prayed.  And I've heard many reasons given that He did so, but none of them are found in scripture.  The disciples knew that Jesus prayed, and they were curious for the reason.  And so they asked Him to teach them to pray.  If I know the reason, I can figure out my own way how to do it. As General George Patton said, "Don't tell a person how to do things, tell them what needs to be done and they'll surprise you with their ingenuity."  In some ways, I think our prayer should be somewhat like our alms, don't let the right hand know what the left is doing.  Maybe this is why we have people requesting unspoken prayer requests.  Someone once asked an old man why he always hummed songs.  He replied, "That  way the devil doesn't know what you are saying." 
 
Sing:  Hear my cry O' God, attend unto my prayer, from the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, and when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to that Rock, that is higher than I, so much higher than I.

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