Subject: who benefits most from prayer? |
Bible Note: I have enjoyed this discussion regarding who receives the blessings from our prayers, us or the person we are praying for. BradK, EdB and others have hit the nail on the head. We are spiritual beings and the examples given in the Bible reflect spiritual truth. We are so self obsorbed that we can't see God and His power because we think somehow we can control circumstances in our lives because we think we know best. We don't. Most of the time we look at our circumstances from a very shallow fleshly point of view. God is on His thrown and is in control of this world. You and I can be a part of his will or we can choose to play God with our good deeds church attendance and the like. The Bible says that God looks on the heart. He knows our motive in service to Him and works day and night to reach our hearts in order to use us to His Glory. We on the other hand are lazy and fail Him continually. If it were not for His great love and His plan for each one of us we would be of no effect. I work with criminals and have discovered that short of God providing opportinities in my early life, and even now I would be just like them. Do I think I am better than them? No! On the contrary, I believe that God through His infinate wisdom and mercy chose to use me to Glorify Him. Shame on me for my failures. Praise be to God. HE is able, I must be wlling. As you follow the train of thought on this discussion I once again think that I need to ask the Question again. Who benefits most from our prayer life, us or the person or circumstance we are praying for. I believe God already knows the outcome of every situation that we are confronted with. He already knows at what time it is best for Him to intervene on behalf of the person in need. We must be small minded to believe that we can improve on Gods timing. That's what leads me to believe that the very act of caring about someone else and their need is a quality(love thy neighbor as thy self) that God desires in order for us to be used of Him. The outcome of our prayer is not nearly so important as the relationship we develope with the Father. In eternity only our relationship with Him will matter. As for the lost. God would not allow one soul to be lost without first giving them every opportunity to accept His Son Jesus Christ as Savior. He couldn't be God and do that. By our praying for the lost we again are practicing what Christ showed us, LOVE. I'm sorry for my rambling, I just felt a need to share what God has revealed to me as I strive to know Him better. Love in Christ. |