In Prison But Praying

the minister, “the Lord and you have certainly worked wonders with this farm.”

“Yes,” replied the farmer laconically, “but you should have seen the place when the Lord had it by Himself.”

Sometimes in life we humans think we are pretty good at what we do. In fact, we might even wonder what the Lord could do without us. WRONG! It’s the reverse of what we should be thinking. It should be: what would we do without the Lord’s help in life?

We don’t get anywhere in life that is good without the Lord’s help and blessing! Some people don’t believe this but I am convinced of it. Therefore, it seems only natural that we need His help every time we turn around.

We shouldn’t open our eyes without offering a prayer of thanks to Him. We shouldn’t take a drink of water to our lips without saying "thank you, Lord." We shouldn’t ingest one bite of food without giving thanks. We shouldn’t receive one paycheck from anyone without praising God for it. IF IT’S GOOD, IT’S FROM THE LORD!

Now likewise, when life gets tough we need to seek Him, seek His will, His blessing, His help, His grace. I’m saying that we should be a praying people! The church should be praying. We should be praying privately and congregationally. In church and out of the church. Anywhere and everywhere. Driving, etc.

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

II Cor. 1:10-11 "He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers."

Eph. 6:18 "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."

Phil. 1:19 "Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance."

Phil. 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Col. 4:2-3 "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains." It sounds to me like we should be a praying people!

5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

Whenever a brother or a sister is burdened or is in trouble, etc. we should be praying for them! That’s what the church did for Peter. And knowing that people are praying for you can make a big difference in life.

This is probably one of the best things, if not THE best thing that we could ask of others.

ILL.- Walter Knight wrote: The ancient church had a minimum of organization, but it had a maximum of power. The average church today has a maximum of organization but tragically lacks power. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan once warned, “One of Satan’s methods today is to start so many organizations in a church that the members have no time for unhurried communion with God. Many Christians are so busy that they can hear only the clink and clatter of church machinery.” Too often we are over-organized and under-agonized.

Let’s pray! Let’s pray more! Let’s more fervently! Let’s pray