April 24
Jesus teaches that a personal relationship with Him, and others, is central to His design.
INSIGHT
There are times when our prayers are answered and we seem "in tune" with God. At other times, our prayers seem not to be answered, and we seem far from God.
Jesus gives us two directives to keep in mind as we ponder our prayer. First, we are to abide in Him. This abiding, among other things, includes fostering a conscious awareness of His presence at all times and bringing all thoughts, attitudes, and actions in line with what we understand of His teachings. Second, "and My words abide in you" must involve studying, memorizing, and meditating upon the Word so that we pray intelligently, knowing God's will ahead of time on some things. As we grow in these two areas, more and more of our prayers will be answered.
PRAYER
· The Lord is pleased when we offer Him our praise:
Let my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day. . . .
But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
I will go in the strength of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only
(Psalms 71:8).
· Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength (Isaiah 30:15).
· Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).
· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· greater faithfulness in evangelism,
· national and world affairs,
· your activities for the day,
· whatever else is on your heart.
· Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen (1 Timothy 6:15-16).
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