Lord teach us to pray!

The disciples did not ask Jesus to teach them preach, heal the sick, turn water into wine, cast out demons, perform miracles or even raise the dead. Their request was simple but profound: “Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 11:1 Why did the disciples ask this and not the other? I believe they understood that prayer was the power behind the Person. And since we are lacking in power it is because we are lacking in prayer. Powerless people and churches are due to prayerless people and churches. I fear we have erred in leaving out prayer in our services. We seem more interested in giving time for the preacher to preach and the musicians to sing and the only time we pray is to ask the Lord to stir hearts to put money in the offering plates. Performance is more of a concern to us than having the power of God on us. All the while wondering why we don’t get much accomplished. The disciples and the early church accomplished more for the kingdom with only a few people and little resources than we do with many and more resources. I believe the reason was because they prayed and cried out to God. Lord teach us to pray!

Victorious in Christ

2Cor 2:14
Every servant of God faces hardships and setbacks. Some are because of his shorts comings and some are not. Yet our Lord always leads us in His triumphant possession so that even our setbacks become part of His victorious march. He alone is able to turn defeat into victory. The key for us is to be faithful.(Prov.24:10,2Cor4:1)
If anyone knew about discouragement and depression it was Paul. He had no rest in his spirit even though he had been given a door to preach the gospel. He knew what those sleepless nights were like and he was well acquainted with adversaries. What was it that kept Paul out of the dungeon of despair? How did he wade though the slough of despondency? He had learned a secret that we all must learn or sooner or later the ‘ministry’ will get to us. He had learned to view his life from God’s perspective. In spite of the setbacks Paul knew that somehow some way God was leading him toward the end. He knew that all the hardships and adversaries would be worth it when he reached his final destination.
When our Lord takes us as His captive, He has claimed victory over us. In effect it becomes the first of many victories in Christ. Paul saw himself and a host of others being lead in Christ's glorious victory march through history.
Note: Many of us can look back and see what seemed to be defeat and disappointment now makes the victory even sweeter. Here is one reason why we should not make crucial decisions during hard times if we can avoid it. We can see much better once the darkness has passed and the light has come.