In Hebrews 5:7, the writer says this about
our Lord:
“While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and
pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from
death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.”
I do not fully
understand the mysteries of how a sovereign God answers the petitions of human
beings, like us, but it does seem clear that effective praying often involves
more than just saying the right words, more than saying “Grace” at mealtime or
“Now I lay me down to sleep” at the end of the day. Seeking God with our whole heart is a kind of
praying that secures not just answers but the blessing of God that we all
need. And seeking God takes time and
some effort.
If Jesus Christ
Himself prayed with “loud cries and tears” at times, then we can certainly feel
free and unashamed in pouring out our own soul to God in prayer. If Jesus recognized the need to be alone with
His Heavenly Father in prayer, then we need to find the time away from a busy
world to wait on God and to persevere in prayer.
I am grateful for
several faithful servants of God here at Redeemer that have committed to coming
in to my office each Sunday morning before the first of our three services
begin and praying with me. These members
of our newest Prayer Small Group engage in heartfelt prayer for our
congregation and have been a source of encouragement to me. On occasion, when they can’t be here in
person, they have emailed me a prayer or sent it via a text message. Their faithfulness, I believe, has been
rewarded. God is bringing lots of new
folks to our church and He is making our hearts receptive to His Word.
And I am convinced
that we will continue see God bless Redeemer Church as we are obedient and
faithful to Him in prayer.
Pastor Rod
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