Prayer

By Mary Burkey

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Need I say anymore? Why do we pray? So we can tell God what to do? No! First of all in His Word He tells us to pray. After reading the Bible one can see that God needs no directions from us and that He is powerful enough to do anything. When we pray we are letting God know that we want Him in our lives and that we want His will. We want His answers and we want Him to be glorified.

How can we pray? There is no better way to start the day than to wakeup and say "Good morning, God!" And what comes to mind is Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." We let God know first thing in the morning that we want to know Him, see Him, see how He works things out, and have His love.

Prayers do not have to be long and wordy. I'll never forget a sentence prayer that was answered as I was slumped over a pile of bed sheets on top of the dryer. Any place, anytime, any circumstance, God will listen and answer our prayers. Quiet time, the time set apart for just you and God, is the time to wrestle with situations in your life and be in touch with Him so that He can direct and speak into each unique situation. Our confession of sin is important in being able to know God. It is the time to get rid of that which is in His way of working out His will. When one has a major prayer time the lines are open for continual conversation. Like turning on the cell phone, not hanging up, but using it all day.

Central Church has many prayer groups: Wednesday Morning and Evening, Thursday Morning, Sunday Morning, etc. We as a body know the importance of prayer. We are a praying congregation.

Our church is in transition and God is aware of our needs. Speak to the PNC, Session, Staff and many more, all will testify to the power of prayer. Central would not be where it is today or be able to move into the future without your continued prayers. I would like to challenge all to faithful pray for each other and the church body daily and then watch and listen and see God work out His will in our lives and in this place. Nothing is more glorious on this earth than to see God at work.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7