All of our communication devices and computers are supposed to help us slow down and take life easier. But they don’t. We meet ourselves coming and going. We live in a world that runs at a fevered pitch. Prayer and worship and Bible study is the antidote for the fevered pitch of this world. When you’ve let your stress and anxiety skyrocket to new heights, prayer and worship brings you back down to earth. Prayer, worship and Bible study also lifts you toward heaven. Prayer reminds us that we are not in control. Through prayer, we acknowledge that ultimately God is in control. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 5: 22 – 23 that, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When we pray, attend worship and study our Bible, we are reminded us to use these fruits.
In 1932 Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr wrote what we know today as the Serenity Prayer. Most of us have heard part of it but have you ever heard it all? “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking as God did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. Trusting that God will make all things right if I surrender to God’s will, that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with God forever in the next. Amen.”
Prayer, worship and Bible Study are also the fuel for faith. You can run out of gas in your spiritual life. If you spend more time watching TV, golfing and going to the casino than you do your devotional life, by studying God’s Word, praying, and attending worship, then you are probably running on empty. If you are running on empty in your spiritual and prayer life, you could find yourself stranded one of these days and being stranded spiritually is no fun. Scripture reminds us that Jesus went to a place to be alone and centered Himself in prayer. Jesus received wisdom, courage and strength from prayer and so can we.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Seek God and discover God and make God a power in your life. Without God all of our efforts turn to ashes and our sunrises into darkest nights. Without God life is a meaningless drama with the decisive scenes missing. But with God, we are able to rise from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope! With God, we are able to rise from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy! St. Augustine was right, we were made for God and we will be restless until we find rest in God. Take time this week to find your rest in God by taking time to pray, read your Bible and attend worship!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment