Relevance out of Prayer ...

Thursday, Sept 25, 2014. Relevance comes from prayer. It comes from God through prayer. It comes from him, who is the beginning and the end. Humans were never meant to bear relevance by themselves alone. But they are relevant as a part of the Most High. Relevance is in prayer!

Prayer is Your Relevance …

We are called to prayer. We are told to pray. We are called to come to the Lord with our needs, with our requests, with our desires, with our hopes. There is a heaven to gain for us. There is a wonderful land, a kingdom of freedom, where he reigns. Let us have a look into all those passages which try to guide us into a life full of prayer and full of relevance:

Phm 4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,

Phm 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

Heb 5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Jas 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

1Pe 3:7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

1Pe 4:7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

Re 5:8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Re 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne,

Re 8:4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

Time of Prayer …

Often, we think that relevance comes from action. But I do not believe that any more. Action just leads to a very superficial type of relevance. It is also a very short-lived type of relevance. It is quickly forgotten! But there is much deeper relevance, the true relevance. It comes from a different source. It comes from prayer.

When you pray, you talk to the Lord. He talks to you as well. We should not think that he would have difficulties to talk to us. We will probably not hear a voice. That is not what he has chosen to do, in general. But if we want to know his will, he will show us what he wants, personally and clearly. Silence in prayer needs times where we study the bible, where we prepare to learn about him, where we search him in the community of believers. On the basis of this teaching, our silent times will be fruitful!

We need to know what he wants for the community, and then we need to find our own role in all of this. The first step is carried out jointly, in worship services, in seminars, in weekends or bible schools. The second step needs our personal prayer. When we listen, when we search for prophetic words into our personal life, we will find, and he will guide us.

I am finding great freedom and joy in these personal times of silence. They are a fantastic counterpoint to busy days, to interaction, to community. And God is there, he is just great, fantastic, majestic, breathtaking, silent, kind, fresh, creative, wise, … (Roland Potthast) ... more texts