Lord, let me be alert to pray
On all occasions and every day.
May your Spirit guide as I intercede
And lift to you my brothers’ need.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of
prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on
praying for all the saints.”
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
agrupnĕō69 – to be
sleepless, i.e. keep awake: - watch.
prŏskartĕrēsis4343 – from
4342; persistency: - perseverance
prŏskartĕrĕō4342 – to be
earnest towards, i.e. (to a thing) to persevere, to be constantly diligent, or
(in a place) to attend assiduously all the exercises, or (to a person) to
adhere closely to (as a servitor): - attend (give self) continually (upon),
continue (in, instant in, with), wait on (continually).
My
second graders and I had just returned from a field trip to the Fort Worth
Botanic Gardens when one of the moms approached me.
“Miss Hale,
what was my son doing at exactly 10:20 this morning?”
“Why do you
ask?”
“I was having my quiet time and praying for others when the Spirit urged me to pray for Brian.”
“I was having my quiet time and praying for others when the Spirit urged me to pray for Brian.”
“Well…at
about that time, Brian left the group and ran directly into the path of an
oncoming car. One of the chaperones grabbed him out of the way in the nick of
time. The driver never even saw him! I made him hold my hand the rest of the
day.”
“I’m glad I
obeyed that call to prayer!”
Are we
alert to the need to pray for each other? If we wake up in the middle of the
night with someone on our mind, do we pray for them or just roll over and go
back to sleep? When we tell someone we’ll pray for them, do we offer up a
perfunctory word or two and then forget all about our brother’s need; or do we
diligently lift his burden to the Lord?
I can find more excuses for not
spending time in prayer when it should be one of the most important services I
perform. A synonym for assiduously in the definition above is tirelessly. I
need to make prayer a priority, first and foremost because it is the only way
to become more intimate with Jesus. But
I must also persevere in prayer as a ministry to fellow believers and in
intercession for those whom God is drawing into relationship with him.
Father,
help me to be more diligent in prayer. Specifically, help me to find a time to go
to the prayer room at church and lift up the burdens of others and encourage
them. I pray that you will develop that ministry in your timing and will.
Continue to grow it into the effective, fervent prayer ministry that it needs
to be. Lord, let our church be known as a house of prayer.
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