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Sept.22.06: Light for the Day - "Prayer
- The
Closet Door" (Viet)
(C)
(S)
(F)
No Christian is greater than his Prayer
Life
The secret of Praying is Praying in
Secret
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-- Matthew 6:6
But when you Pray, go into your room,
close the door and Pray to your Father, who is unseen.
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
-- Jude 1:20
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most
Holy Faith
And Pray in the Holy Spirit.
-- Romans 12:12
Rejoicing in hope, Patient in tribulation,
Faithful in Prayer.
-- Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to Prayer, being watchful and thankful.
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In almost every area of life, there is persistent pressure to perform.
Except, perhaps, in
Prayer. There are no rules for Prayer. And there
is no cosmic scorecard. "Don't be like the hypocrites when you
Pray, ..."
(Matthew 6:5), Jesus was saying that Prayer is not a competition.
Prayers aren't recorded in a heavenly performance evaluation and
saved for a posthumous review.
Prayer is simply this: communicating with God. It is expressing
your thoughts, feelings, concerns, fears, desires, hopes, and praise
to God, who also happens to be the Creator of the universe.
Prayer can also be an instinctive, heart feeling. It can an unspoken
yearning, a thankfulness, a gratitude, an attitude.
The idea that you can talk directly with the Creator of the universe
might seem a bit imposing at first. What could you possibly say that
would be important enough for God to want to listen? Hearing talented
pastors or other leaders
Pray with intricately crafted, ornately decorated
words often compounds this trepidation. How could your
Prayers
possibly compare to those words of art?
They don't have to. Go ahead and enjoy the beautiful
Prayers of
others, but know that God isn't looking for great oratory from you.
He's looking for honesty. If you use thee and thou in your
Prayers,
great. And if you stutter or stumble over your words, that's fine too.
Do you close your eyes to help you focus? That's great.
Pray with eyes open? There's nothing wrong with that.
Do you kneel? That's fine. What's most important in Prayer is that
you speak to God from your heart. Tell God what you're thinking.
Tell Him what concerns you have. What dreams you have.
What you're thankful for.
Pray for yourself, your family, your friends,
people you don't know. Pray for colleagues, teachers, pastors,
politicians, ... Don't be afraid to tell God what you've feeling.
And don't forget to listen.
Prayer isn't simply a one-way street.
Always include a time of quiet, a time for listen to God.
What if your heart is hurting or angry or confused?
Honest Prayers embrace those emotions as readily as they
embrace joy, thankfulness, and relief. An honest
Prayer is an
expression of what's on your mind right now.
Perhaps in light of the very personal nature of honest
Prayer,
Jesus also teaches the importance of "going to your closet to
Pray."
Public Prayer has its place -- it's important part of life of faith --
but private
Prayer is essential. In your closet, it's just you
and God. No fancy words needed here.
Your "closet" could be a quiet corner at home where you can
Pray or a park bench near your place of work. Maybe it's a table
at a coffee shop. Perhaps it really is a closet. Choose one or more
places you can go that will not only afford you some privacy,
but can also become a consistent and familiar
Praying place.
Then be deliberate about going to your private place each day
to
Pray. In that very focused time, you will get to know God and
yourself better.
Your "closet" can also be wherever you are, within yourself.
No matter where you find yourself, in whatever circumstance --
standing, sitting, kneeling, flat on your back, clinging to a rock --
you can silently reach God. Prayer anywhere, anytime is
always an option.
By being mindful of God presence throughout all of your day,
you can develop an attitude of
Prayer. That way, when you face
a challenge, discover a need, or hear some great news, you can
shoot off a
Prayer to God no matter what your surroundings.
The next time you are back in your
Prayer closet, you can devote
even more time to those concerns or praises.
Pray boldly and often. You won't be marked down for awkward
pauses, poor grammatical construction, or unexpected emotional
outbursts. God wants to hear your
Prayers. He wants to hear your
express the desires of your heart. He wants you to be you.
And He wants to answer those
Prayers. Pray often. Pray boldly.
Then embrace the quiet and listen for God's answers.
-- Checklist4Life
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Prayer is a mighty instrument, not for getting man's will done in Heaven,
but for getting God's will on earth. -- Robert Law
Prayer delights God's ear. It melts His heart. It opens His hand:
God cannot deny a
Praying soul. -- Thomas Watson
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-- Mark
1:35
The next morning Jesus
awoke long before daybreak
and went out Alone into
the wilderness to Pray.
-- Luke
6:12
Now during those
days Jesus went out to the mountain to Pray;
and He spent
the night in Prayer to God.
-- Matthew 26:36, 41
36 Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane,
and He said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and
Pray."
41 Watch and Pray so that
you will not Fall into Temptation.
The Spirit
is willing, but the Flesh is weak.
-- Ephesians 3:12-15
12 In Christ and through
Faith in Him we may approach God
with freedom and confidence.
13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you,
which is your glory.
14 When I think of the
Wisdom and Scope of God’s Plan,
I
Fall to my knees and Pray to the Father,
15 The Creator of everything
in Heaven and on earth.
-- 1 John 5:14-15
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him,
that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask,
we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
-- Ephesians
6:18
Pray at all times
and on every occasion in the power of
the Holy
Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your Prayers
for all Christians
everywhere.
-- Philippians 1:4
In all my Prayers for all of you, I always
Pray with joy
-- 1 Timothy 2:1
I urge, then, first of all, that requests,
Prayers,
Intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone --
-- Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be Anxious about anything, but in
everything,
by Prayer and Petition, with
Thanksgiving,
Present your requests to God.
7 And
the Peace of God, which Surpasses all understanding,
will Guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
-- Acts 4:31
After they Prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and spoke the Word of God boldly.
-- Acts 6:3-4
3 Therefore, brothers, seek out from among you seven men of
good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom,
whom we may appoint over this business;
4 But we will give ourselves continually to Prayer
and to the Ministry of the Word.
-- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Pray continually.
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-- Psalms
5:3
Listen to my voice in
the morning, LORD.
Each morning I bring my Requests
to you and Wait Expectantly.
-- Psalms
34:15
The Eyes of the
LORD are on the righteous,
And His Ears are Open to
their Cry.
-- Psalms
119:166
I Wait for Your
Salvation, O LORD,
And I Follow Your
Commands.
-- Psalms 119:174
I Long for your Salvation, O
LORD,
And Your Law is my
Delight.
-- Psalms 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul
Waits,
And in His Word I Hope;
-- Jeremiah 33:3
Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell
you
great and hidden things which you have not known.
-- Isaiah 65:24
Before they call I will
answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
-- Lamentations 3:25-26
25 The
LORD is Good to those who Wait for Him,
To the soul who Seeks Him.
26 It is Good that one should Hope and Wait
Quietly
For the salvation of the
LORD.
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-- Luke 11:1
He was Praying in a certain place,
and after He had finished,
one of His disciples said
to Him, "Lord, Teach us to Pray, ...."
-- Matthew 6:9-13
9 Pray like
this:
Our Father in Heaven, may Your Name Be
Honored.
10 May Your Kingdom Come.
May Your Will be done here on earth, just as it is in Heaven.
11 Give
us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our
sins,
Just as we have Forgiven those who
have sinned against us.
13 And don’t let us Yield to
Temptation,
But Deliver us from the evil
one.
(for Yours is the Kingdom and the
Power and the Glory Forever. Amen)
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