The Work of Prayer
God could have arranged to do everything for us; but the object is to teach a child to stand on its own two feet. God’s ultimate purpose is that we will not be helpless dependents, like babies at the breast, but his coworkers. At present, prayer is our sole access if we wish to be useful to Him, it is so often forgotten that he actually created the kind of world in which prayer would be necessary. Prayer was not an afterthought when the devil upset things. Even Jesus prayed. To help the ongoing affairs of the kingdom of God, prayer is essential. A lot goes on that God does not want, but we should pray that his will shall be done. We ask, then He performs. He planned that we should cooperate in that way, just as he put Adam “in the garden of Eden to attend and keep it.” That is how to read the promise; “if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” We ask for whatever is necessary for the will of God on earth to be fulfilled. “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” We are his collaborators.
The world and the people in it need care, and the promise that Christ will do whatever we ask is for the fulfillment of that purpose, not to get to the moon or have a half a dozen Rolls-Royce cars. It is obvious that the apostle James (the half-brother of Jesus) grew up in an all too human family, with all the tugs and pulls of siblings. His description of human family life—and how God wants us to learn to view him as our father—rings so true; “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure and war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask you do not receive, because you ask that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James :1-3). God is not going to wet nurse us. He feeds the sparrows … but does not throw food into their nest. If you want God to work, you must work in prayer, with the right motivation.
—Reinhard Bonkke
We’re told to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17). Jesus used a parable (Luke 18:1-8) to illustrate that “men ought to pray and not lose heart.” And yet, so often we pray as if it’s a last resort, saying, “There’s nothing else we can do now but pray.” In this devotional, Bonkke speaks of the priority prayer needs to be in our lives if we are to live and walk close-in-step with our Lord. Prayer isn’t easy; prayer is hard work. And doing the hard work, making a priority of it, yields a harvest. Are you speaking with God frequently? —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics