NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER?
DOES GOD ONLY ANSWER PRAYERS ON CERTAIN DAYS?
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Today prayer is very important part in a Christians’ life, but sad to say, most of creation (including Christians) are ignorant of how, and why we are to pray. Prayer should not be mechanical; which most people will do only at bedtime, or when sitting down at a meal or in a mindless chant, or in crying for God’s help, or on appointed ‘days’ set by man. Man seems to think that if he can get enough people together praying at the same time, same day; that it will make God do something for them that will change their circumstances, even though it is not according to His will, but theirs. Most Christians want someone to make decisions for them, that’s why some will say “pray for me” when problems and sufferings come up in their life, and most don’t know how to deal with “these things” that may come up in their life.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
God designed prayer to be a direct communion between Himself and man in a mutual thinking and understanding, knowing each other’s hearts and minds. We are told that “the whole creation” is going to have “sufferings”, not only the unsaved, but “ourselves” also. Verse 26 says the Spirit “helpth our infirmities”; this is accomplished by the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (the bible) working within the saint, and producing a godly thinking toward our problems. God never promised to change our circumstances, but He did promise to change our way of thinking about our circumstances. Verse 26 says that the natural man does not know what to pray for as he “ought”, what we ought to do is open the bible and read how the Spirit helps us today, when we read through the pages of our bibles, we can fully understand what the Spirit says concerning our prayer life, and how we ought to pray concerning God’s will, not ours. We are told that we will “groan” and suffer in this body, and that we are to be “patience” in waiting for our heavenly body, and we are told not to pray, or “hope for” things that are “seen”, but for what God really promised us.
2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
We are all going to suffer, get sick, and eventually die, but we are to have a godly understanding concerning the things in this life. We need to understand that our problems are “temporal”, and God is not going to ‘help’ our “outward man”, but our “inward man”. Our prayers should be concerning our “inward man”, and not the things which are “seen”. Every day should be a ‘national day of prayer’, but it should be according to God’s will, not our wants, or desires in this life.
By Rod Jones