February 12
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer,” Psalm 19:14.
What is prayer? Prayer is an act of worship in which we have a heart-to-heart talk with God. Either we are asking Him for something for ourselves or for others, or we are thanking and praising Him for one or more of His many blessings.
Our prayers should be directed only to the one true God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since prayer is an act of worship, we should pray only to the God who is able to hear and answer our prayers. Jesus said, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve,” Matthew 4:10. Praying to the saints or to any of the dead is idolatry. Furthermore, the saints cannot hear or answer our prayers. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Doubtless You are our Father, though Abraham was ignorant of us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father; our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name,” Isaiah 63:16. The people who have died, like Abraham and Israel, are ignorant of us. They do not know that we even exist. Through the psalmist, the Lord asks us to pray to Him alone. “O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh shall come,” Psalm 65:2. Another interesting verse written by the prophet Isaiah that should move us to pray to God alone reads as follows: “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear,” Isaiah 65:24. God knows for what you are going to pray even before you start praying, and He promises to answer promptly according to His good and gracious will.
Of course, people who do not believe that there is a God will tell you that it is silly and useless to spend your time praying. I think of a man who was in the hospital and an acquaintance of his asked me to visit him. When I arrived at his hospital bed, he said, “I don’t want you to read from the Bible and I don’t want you to pray for me.” Of course, I did not have to read from the Bible; I have many portions of the Bible committed to memory. Then he went on to tell me that he was an atheist. He said that he had graduated from a Lutheran elementary school. However, when he attended university, the professors convinced him that there is no God and that we don’t need a God! The next day, he entered into a coma, and several days later he died. Indeed, he had to face the God whom he denied!
We who believe in the one true God certainly want to talk to Him, not just occasionally, but regularly. King David had many difficult days; some were difficult because of his own making, and others were difficult because of his enemies. Regularly, he placed all his problems into God’s hands. He wrote, “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears . . . The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer,” Psalm 6:6, 8-9.
Yes, dear Christian, whoever you are and wherever you are, you can be sure of this: When you are talking to God in prayer, whether it is with joy or with tears, you have His full attention! The words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart are acceptable in His sight! He is your Strength and your Redeemer.
This meditation is written to encourage you to pray to the one true God, and to pray regularly, frequently, and faithfully. Trusting in the Lord Jesus, who suffered, died, and rose again to save you, you can be sure that God will hear and answer your prayers. Tomorrow, we will consider other aspects of the subject of prayer.
With the Lord begin thy task, Jesus will direct it;
For His aid and counsel ask, Jesus will perfect it.
Ev’ry morn with Jesus rise, And when day is ended,
In His name then close thine eyes; Be to Him commended.
Let each day begin with prayer, Praise, and adoration;
On the Lord cast ev’ry care, He is thy Salvation.
Morning, evening, and at night, Jesus will be near thee,
Save thee from the Tempter’s might, With His presence cheer thee. In Jesus’ name. Amen.