A Message From The Publisher
…you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.
—2 Corinthians 1:11
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
I’m not sure if you’re familiar with all the acronyms used for the word pray or those used for reasons to pray; however, for me a few always will surface when I forget to, “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
A lot of the people that I have contact with and can discuss concerns without the fear of being made to feel uncomfortable will only pray to ask for something or when they find themselves, friends or family members in the thick of unwanted situations. They also limit their sphere of prayers to a close knitted tight circle of people they know.
Like most learned things, we have the tendency to only do what we are comfortable with. To stretch oneself is to go beyond the bounds of our comfortability and a willingness to expose a vulnerable portion of how we feel, think and in several cases how and what we love.
Our selfish human nature, while not in the spirit, is shrouded in FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real) and it is that fear which prohibits us from thinking, acting and praying unselfishly. Remember, 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Thinking and selfish acting lead to closed hands and a full cup mentality; you can’t give with closed hands, and you can’t put anything into a full cup.
Have you heard that the prayers of our ancestors have been answered, or that “my grandmother prayed for me? It was a reminder of what God can do through prayer when I did not know how or where my help would come from to relieve me of worrisome burdens.
Without a doubt the scripture James 5:16 from the New American Standard Bible says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much,” and that’s especially true when I wasn’t the righteous one praying.
Our heavenly Father is pleased as we come to Him for the sake of others as in a family dinner sharing the goodness of His grace as we are fed from His bounty.
We don’t have to wait until we are drowning in despair or standing on the edge of giving up. We can recognize how God helps us through the prayers of others in the mist of insurmountable misery: “He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers” (2 Corinthians 1:10–11). “Then many will give thanks . . . [for the] answer to the prayers of many.”
Dear God, in the name of Jesus. Please remove any obstacles that would prevent us from praying for each other before calamity comes into our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS BEFORE THE STORMS, DON’T WAIT TO PRAY
