Christian Living
Praying Sailors
A godly woman prays often. God hears her prayers. Her Captain says, “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors” (Prov. 8:34). She hears God’s Word, watches at His gates, the place of authority, and waits on Him at the doorpost. God blesses her life.
The pirates call out to their god. If they cry for help to the true God, He does not hear them. Their sacrifices and prayers are an abomination to God—a hateful thing. Why? Because of their sin.
If we pray with sin in our hearts, God will not hear us. He hears humble sailors who confess and forsake their sins.
What is prayer? John R. Rice said that prayer is asking, seeking and knocking. O. Hallesby wrote a book entitled Prayer in 1931. He said, “To pray is to let Jesus into our hearts.” When we pray in truth, we depend utterly upon God. The Captain moves us to pray.
God commands us to pray. The Captain promises to hear and answer the prayers of godly sailors. He says, “Call upon me, and I will show you great and mighty things which thou knowest not” (Jer. 33:3).
We pray because of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. This is what it means to pray “in Jesus’ name”. Tacking words onto the end of a prayer does not do it.
The Spirit of prayer, the Holy Spirit, lives in our hearts. He helps our weakness in prayer. We cannot hear Him audibly or the Lord Jesus as they intercede for us.
The Captain delights in the prayers of those who know Him. He says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) availeth much” (Jas. 5:16). An effectual, fervent prayer means a powerful prayer that comes from a burning heart. Prayer that availeth accomplishes its purpose. God hears and answers such prayers.
How can we pray like this? Pray in the Spirit, in faith, in a forgiving spirit, with all the heart, with a prepared and true heart, with confidence in God, with submission to God, with transparency, and with humility. In myself I cannot pray with even one of these characteristics. As I wrote these things, I learned and spoke to myself. Only as God takes control of our lives can we pray effectively.
For what shall we pray? Ask for temporal blessing: food, clothing, shelter. Seek for spiritual blessing. Plead for mercy and grace when troubles bind us in them. Intercede for believers and for the lost.
The Captain implores us to avoid certain things in prayer: useless repetition and a showy exhibition, such as the Pharisees; discouragement; selfishness; sin; indifference; neglect of His Word; and doubt. One of the biggest sins is prayerlessness. God knows our needs, but He wants us to ask.
God delights to answer the prayers of His children. If we get our hearts right and pray from the heart, God will hear and answer. Many times I feel so inadequate in my prayer life. However, God hears and answers my feeble prayers.
Excerpt from Lynn’s book, Our Lifeship: Studies in Proverbs for Women, © 2008, Lynn Wallace. See Lynn’s bio, information about her book and speaking at www.writingfrommyheart.com.
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