Jan 14, 2022 Devoted To Prayer: What We Believe – Words of Grace – January 14, 2022
Our prayers reveal what we truly believe.
Ask a Christian what he or she believes, and they might say the gospel. Their prayer life will tell you the truth. Ask a congregation what it believes, and someone might hand you a statement of faith. Show up on a Sunday and listen to the prayers and you will know.
The most reliable sign of our beliefs is our practice of prayer. Let’s pray like we really believe what is true.
Our prayers reveal our belief in God. God is a trinitarian being. He is one living and true God who exists in three persons while remaining one being. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the three persons of God. Understanding who God is shapes the way we pray and praying shows that we understand who God is.
Today, when you pray, go to God your Father. Remember that you are there because Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, died on the cross to remove the sin barrier and open the door for you to enter the presence of the Father. Rely upon God the Holy Spirit to help you in your weakness to pray.
Our prayers reveal our belief in the gospel. Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose for our life to reconcile us to God. Every time we turn to God and cry out, “Abba, Father”, we are experiencing and grace of Christ on our behalf. Every prayer prayed is a statement of faith in the gospel.
As you cry out to God today, rejoice in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Boldly pray as a person who believes the gospel.
Our prayers reveal our belief about our need. We need Jesus to be saved and we need him to be sustained. We need daily, moment-by-moment measures of grace to think clearly, love appropriately, and act obediently for the glory of God and the good of others. We need what we don’t have in ourselves- renewed strength to mount up with wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary, to walk and not faint.
Begin, continue, and end this day believing you are a needy person by remaining constant in prayer.
Our prayers reveal our belief about God’s work in the world. It has been said that prayer doesn’t change God, it changes us. There is an element of truth to that statement. But it is also true that God has ordained prayer as a way he includes us in what he is doing. Prayer is, in fact, connected to the work of God.
Several times in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul asked for prayer so that God would help him in his missionary work (see Romans 15:30-32, 2 Corinthians 1:11, Philippians 1:19). Jesus said to “pray earnestly for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:38) Paul’s request and Jesus’ command make sense only if God responds to the prayers of his people.
This weekend, view prayer as partnership with God in his work, and pray for God to be glorified in our congregation by helping us make disciples of Jesus Christ.
What do we believe at Grace Community Church? We will know by our prayers.
-Scott