Thoughts on Prayer

Decided to also put up some of the thoughts I have been writing up on prayer for the church, just for sharing purposes.

15th March

Just a short sharing, I just attended a friend's funeral (just 31 years old) this week. He left behind a wife and child (around Elijah's age). He was supposedly Catholic, a friend from the Army, and all of us army friends gathered at the funeral. We didn't know under what circumstances he died or how, but it was reported that perhaps it was a suicide. None of us expected this to happen, neither should any of us had, but it was a reminder, of how brief our sojourn on this earth can be. It was strange indeed, I did not know how to feel, and alongside with this, there were other news of suicide and rampant, deliberate killings in cold blood all within this short week, it did have a sort of numbing effect, but indeed, let us not take life lightly, and let's remember that in every of our friend's unsaved hearts, is a mission field waiting to be reached (with the help and permission of the Holy Spirit). It's no use crying at a funeral, sorrowing over why we never 'have the time' to speak to this friend or the other about God or the gospel.

Again, thank God for the reminder of His compassion on all peoples, regardless of age, race, good or bad (in human terms) through the study of the book of Jonah, and let us hold on to this and pray in earnest for those around us who have yet to receive the gift of God's love.

There have been many reports in recent days of suicides and killings and loss of life. Reflect on it. Remember the frailty and brevity of life:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-15


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22nd March

The passage below is a model of fellowship the believers in Jesus' time had. Today, we find ourselves plagued with busyness from all quarters, and all of us, have at one time or other neglected spending time with God and each other. The passage is a picture of the beautiful relationship that the believers of the day had with each other and God. The intertwining of their spiritual and secular (if there was even such a split) lives was evident and the fellowship between them was more than just chit chat of the days hottest gossip or of the successes and failures in their week, or even just about thanksgivings and supplications. It was more than that, there was meaningful time spent together, in prayer, in praising God and in learning about his word. Today, on this Sabbath day set aside for the worship of God and the fellowship between brothers and sisters in Christ, let us set this time aside and intentionally and purposely choose to reach out to each other, at a spiritual level, to pray together. listening to each other's heart cries to the Lord, responding in kind, echoing each other's love for the Lord and His work, let us grow to know each other, in the way we pray, in the intimacies of our times with our heavenly Father, and let us be blessed and bless each other through that experience.


42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2: 42-47

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April 5th

Interestingly, while we were in Northern Thailand, during our devotions and sharing, the topic of restfulness and solitude came up. Not once, but twice. Whenever, we speak on the topic of restfulness and solitude, the picture of Elijah comes to mind (not my son, but the one in the bible =P). The incident of how he came to the Lord at a point where he was harassed and running for his life, and it almost seemed that he could take no more. Then the Lord gave him rest and food, and a cave where he was secure.

In 1Kings 19:9-18, the Lord asked Elijah, what he was doing there? and Elijah gave the response summarizing his situation, only to be told by the Lord to stand on the mountain the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. This was followed by a series of events, we do not know how long or how short the events transpired over, there was first a powerful wind, and then earthquake and following that fire. Elijah, stood at the mountain through all that. He was indeed waiting for the Lord and was sensitive to where the Lord was. Only when all was still did he hear the gentle whisper of the Lord. And the Lord asked him the same question again, and indeed Elijah gave exactly the same reply. But the answer he got from the Lord was one that was clear and instructive.

Are we willing to stand on our mountains or in our caves and wait upon the Lord, and wait to hear his gentle whisper. Are we able to be sensitive to him and not be distracted by the Winds, Earthquakes and Fires around us? Let us as prayer coordinators and encouragers, take some time away from the noise of the world to spend time with the Lord and rest in Him. Let's ask the Lord to truly reveal his will for us and to seek him and rest in him, even though we may be facing the most difficult situations of our lives, just as Elijah was, running for his life.

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April 12th

we are in the midst of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, a very poignant and important period in Christian history. We take these days to commemorate the death and resurrection of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. It is a time of reflection and remembrance of the work on the cross and the sacrifice and pain that Christ bore for our sins, something that we can never justify, the gift of true grace, of unwarranted mercy, meted out for us by the God, the almighty, the omnipotent one, the Creator of this universe, and the keeper of our souls. Unimaginable and unfathomable, but yet played out in history. A God whom we have little regard for, one whom we forget to acknowledge in our joyful moments, yet are quick to blame in our moments of misery. Our provider we take for granted, yet a debtor when we are in need.

The greatness of this deed is only overshadowed by the person who did it. That God condescended to our level to give up His Son to die - not for His sins, but ours. Yet we are quick to blame God when some part of our lives fall apart, when we feel something 'unfair' or 'unjustified' happens. I am not going to pretend that the same does not happen in my life, but it is a stark reminder of what is fair and what isn't. From Jesus' perspective, was it fair that he was going to die for a bunch of undeserving, self righteous sinners, who in a breathe will turn around and place value judgements on what God should or should not have done.

And what makes this scene even more beautiful was the fact that just before Jesus was arrested, he was praying. Praying - not sleeping, not engaging in last minute teaching to his disciples, downloading the next 5 year plan to them so that they could continue to effectively run his ministry, not having a midnight snack or drink (him having the foreknowledge of what was to come) but Praying. And who was he praying for, for himself, for the disciples and ... US .. the Believers.. the very people he was dying for, the very reason for his suffering.

Jesus prayed
"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." John 17:25-26

Jesus loved us, but above all, loved the Father and wanted to glorify His name, and make Him known. Today let us take a couple of moments to reflect on God's wonderful work of grace and salvation for us, and also on the prayer that Jesus prayed for us. And let us pray that we will have the love that God has for Christ within us, and that Christ will also abide within us.