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#DailyDevotion You Need To Pray

#DailyDevotion You Need To Pray

Mark 6:45 Immediately [Jesus]  made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.

 

Again we come up with the topic of prayer. My goodness, if the Lord and Creator of all takes time to pray, what should we poor fallen creatures do but pray all the more. The need is certainly greater on our end.

Luther writes: “I tell you the truth, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” Jn. 16:23 AAT In the second place, you must also consider the promise contained in Christ’s words: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, He will give it to you in My name.” Lay hold of these words, and impress them on your heart. For you hear that Christ not only gives you the promise but also strengthens and confirms it with a twofold oath. He swears most solemnly: “Just believe Me. As surely as God lives, I will not lie to you.” Surely he Who wants to be a Christian should blush a bit and feel ashamed if he has never prayed from the heart after hearing these words. Is it not an everlasting disgrace before God and all the world that even though Christ must assure us with such a solemn oath, we still do not believe and are not finally impelled to begin to pray from the heart? After all, what are we going to say before God or in answer to our own conscience when we are asked: “Have you ever prayed the heavenly Father earnestly and with an undoubting heart that His name be hallowed? Do you not know how earnestly I have commanded this and how solemnly I have sworn that your prayer will surely be heard if only you pray from the heart?” I say that in all fairness we should blush with shame before ourselves and really fear God’s terrible judgment if we attach so little importance both to His command and to His solemn promise and allow them to fall on deaf ears. It will do no good to excuse yourself and say: “I really did not know whether I was worthy” or “I lacked the desire, and it was inconvenient for me” or “I had to attend to other business.”

 

Again Luther writes: “I  tell you the truth, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” Jn. 16:23 AAT Cultivate the habit of falling asleep with the Lord’s Prayer on your lips every evening when you go to bed and again every morning when you get up. And if occasion, place, and time permit, pray before you do anything else. In this way you get ahead of the devil by surprise and without warning, whether you are ready or not, before he catches up with you and makes you wait. For it is better to pray now, when you are half-ready, than later, when you are not ready at all, and to begin to pray only to spite and vex the devil, even if you find it most difficult and inconvenient to do so. Do this also when the devil assails you and restrains you because of your unworthiness, when he asks you to wait until you have become more pious and purer. For if you do not want to begin until you become worthy, you will never pray. Therefore begin at once, even though you feel unworthy. Be courageous, and leap over both worthiness and unworthiness, even though you are steeped in sin.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, as you took time to pray, grant us faith and your Holy Spirit that we may believe your promises and come to the Father in prayer for all our needs of body and soul. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

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