Years
ago I bought a coffee mug at Cracker Barrel because of the message
printed on it. “Life is fragile. Handle it with prayer.” The
clincher is the verse at the bottom which instructs me to “pray
without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV).
How
can I possibly pray continually through the day when I have other
things that I need to do–like a job or to take care of others? Is
it possible? Yes, it is. Because “praying without ceasing” is a
state of mind and a state of spirit. The state of my mind determines
the state of my spirit. If I am yielded to Him, then my mind is also
yielded, and my spirit is willing.
“Praying
without ceasing” is not going through my day praying and praying
and not taking care of the responsibilities God has given me. It
happens when my will (my mind) has been yielded to His will. My mind
has surrendered and has determined to be in a state of anticipated
prayer. My spirit is surrendered to His Spirit, and it is ready at
the moment His spirit within me calls to prayer. When He wishes me to
pray, I am at His immediate call. My spirit rests in a state of
anticipated prayer because I have surrendered my mind and my will.
Life
is fragile. I am constantly reminded of this fact. Friends and family
pass away. Accidents happen. Sickness comes. Suffering comes.
Heartbreak comes. But He tells me to “rejoice always, pray
continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s
will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV). He
wants me to knows that in the fragility of this life, He is the only
constant. No matter what is faced, I will rejoice, and I will pray
continually, and give thanks no matter what comes, because it is His
will. But to me it is more than just His will. It is His promise of
peace. Whatever I face, if I have surrendered it all to Him, through
a yielded praying heart, then His peace will rule. (Philippians
4:6-7). The desire to be on call for prayer will also rule in my
heart, because I shall have experienced the miracle of His spirit
praying through me (Romans 8:26).
This
life is very fragile‒here
today and gone tomorrow. I will handle the life He has given me
carefully and be ready for each prayer He calls me to lay before Him.
As I go through the responsibilities of my day, my spirit will pray
for what He has asked. My heart will rejoice in His call; it is His
will for my life. I will give thanks from a heart that is owned by
the Master, and with His Spirit alive in me I will be complete.
No comments:
Post a Comment