Walk of Life, Day 15- December 2020- Thoughts from the Book of Proverbs.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST- PRAYER ANSWERING GOD.

Proverbs 15:8 “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.”

Proverbs 15:29 “The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.”

Prayer is not a new concept to us. We need no introduction or rules to be explained. Different people have different postures and means to pray. However, there is only one definition of prayer and that is, communicating with God.

We all must have been growing up considering prayer as begging from God. This is what I have learnt in the days of my Sunday school. I learnt from my teacher that when we pray, we beg from God and when we worship Him, we thank Him for what we have received. From what God taught me through His Servants I would like to share the meanings of the worship, prayer and thanksgiving.

Worship is to adore and exalt the Lord Jesus by uplifting His qualities.

Prayer is to seek God’s help, communicating with Him. In simpler words prayer is sharing your feelings with God.

Thanksgiving is to thanking God for His goodness that you have been experiencing in your lives.

We know it very well that God has three answers for our prayers- Yes, No and Wait. Sometimes when we pray seeking for God’s approval on a thing, we get a yes from Him. The way will be clearly shown in His word. When we follow His word, we reach the goal.

There will be times when God says no to our prayers. He warns us to refrain at once. It is at this time when He protects us from getting undeserving things. If we choose to give a deaf ear to His no, we should be ready to face the worse consequences.

The third one is wait. God asks us to wait sometimes. He neither tells us go nor does He say to leave it. He asks us to keep praying for it. It is at this time where our patience, faith is tested. If we fail to wait and work according to our own will in haste, this brings damage to us.

There is yet another answer which we often take it as a fault from God. Have you met anyone who once was very much active in Lord’s Service but now is far from every spiritual work? There might be many reasons for their backslidden life, but one common reason is that they blame God. They say that God is not listening to their prayers. They neither get a yes, nor a no and they keep waiting without signs.

Does God really give us a deaf ear? The gracious God, merciful Father, Can He be quiet when you go to Him in your distress?

Yes, it is not that He is partial, it is because He cannot hear you. Is it not surprising that God cannot hear? I apologize, but it is true and we need to know what kind of prayer reaches His ear. Having a good spiritual age, we consider it is an insult if our prayer goes unanswered. Having fault in us we blame the Lord. How unreasonable it is!

There was a fair in a city to which a little boy went along with his family. After going there, he got lost in the crowd. He was weeping and was calling out loud for his mother and father. Though there were many parents in that crowd busy in purchasing things, none of them felt to attend to that kid’s cry. Just then the boy stopped crying when he saw his mother running towards him.

The people who were at the fair were also parents to their kids, even they have all the qualities that a parent should possess. Then why could they not make the little boy stop crying? It is because they were not his parents, he would never be able to reach his parents by crying out louder staying far from them. Only the people around can hear him cry and sympathize.

This is what most of us do in our lives when we pray. We get lost spiritually and cry in places where we are far from God.  We use higher terminologies, which becomes difficult for people around us to understand its meaning. We weep, use different postures. However, that prayer keeps hitting the four walls of the room in which we are praying. God does not require bigger words and crying is not a traditional approach to pray. God sees our heart. Pouring our heart before Him, that is, sharing our thoughts with Him in truth and uprightness is the right prayer, the prayer that reaches His ears.

A child who is hungry need not give a speech, but he can just ask his mother,” Mom, I am hungry.”

Do not feel discouraged when you have got a bundle of unanswered prayers in your hands this day. It is because you are calling upon God being far from Him spiritually. Are you journeying with God? Can you say that God is with you always and in whatever work you do? If you feel you can rush to Him during the time of trouble, or if you feel that you can entice Him with your skills in acting, Sorry, our God is not your slave to keep waiting on you and He is not man to fall for your tricks. He knows the very deep thoughts of yours.

Make your ways right, submit them to Him. Give Him the authority over your life, then you can get answers for your prayers.