Bless the Lord, O my soul,   
And all that is within me,   
bless His holy name.   
Bless the Lord, O my soul,   
And forget none of His benefits.   
- Psalms 103:1-2   
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Don't Forget To Pray

           As Christians we share a special relationship with our creator. I Pet. 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises f Him who called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light;".  Because of this relationship Christians have with God they enjoy a means of communication with Him.  But often times this communication is overlooked or disregarded altogether.  Christians need to understand what prayer is, why prayer is important, and understand the benefits of prayer in our daily lives.

            Philippians 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God."  Notice here what is involved in prayer.  First of all it is a means that can ease our minds of worry by relying on God to help us with our troubles and trusting that He will do so.  The word "anxious" in verse 6 means "to be troubled with cares", the KJV renders the word careful.  While we know in life we will always have things that will demand our attention and concern, we don't have to be troubled to the point where it causes us to become discouraged, depressed, angry, dis-heartened and so on.  God is there, He is always there and He can and will help us in time of trouble and despair.  Knowing that God is the almighty and all powerful creator of all things ought to cause us to look to Him first instead of using prayer as a last resort.  How much sorrow and trouble could be avoided if we simply went to God with our troubles in the first place.  The word "supplication" here in verse 6 means "a request regarding a need".  Prayer is the means that God's people have in order to communicate with Him and request His resolution with needs they may have. 

           I Tim. 2:1-2 says, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, (2) for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."   Again we see prayer as a means of communication with God in order to ask supplication and intercession for needs, here we see that we are not only to pray on our own behalf but also on behalf of others, in this case those in positions of authority.  But the point being that prayer is a means to ask God for help, a means of relying on Him and learning to trust in Him and having the peace of mind that all things are in His control.  There is no need or trouble to big for God to handle, surely the God that created and sustains the universe can help us with anything that may arise in our lives.  We simply need to look to Him first in all things. 

            Finally, in both verses we looked at, we see that there is thanksgiving involved.  God is diligent to here our prayers and answer our requests, although His answer may not be exactly what we want or something we always understand.  We must trust and seek after His way and realize that His knowledge and wisdom surpasses our comprehension.  Prayer is a way to give God thanks for all the blessings that He has bestowed upon us.  I have heard the statement made by some, "I'm not sure what to pray for."  I submit if we reflect on all the blessings that God has shown us in our lives and think of all the things we need help with, when we think about the needs of those around us, when we really reflect on these things we could pray endlessly.

 - Garret Alsip



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