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Obligation or Expectation?

by | May 24, 2013 | Faith | 0 comments

Read: Ephesians 6:18-19

18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.”
Reflect:

I received this quote on Twitter earlier this week:

“To pray without expectation is to misunderstand the whole concept of prayer and relationship with God.” A.W. Tozer

We believe that God hears us and that He is able, but I think we have all sometimes prayed out of obligation with little expectation, wouldn’t you agree? I know I have.

Paul’s words encourage us to pray for all the saints and for Paul’s ability to proclaim the Gospel.  In 1 Peter 5:7, l we are encouraged to cast all our cares or anxieties on Christ.  So if I have a headache I pray.  If I am frustrated by a personal problem, I pray. The point is to make sure we remember to enlarge our view of what God has planned and remember to pray for others and to continue to pray for the message of Christ to be proclaimed to those who need to hear.

Secondly, while we should “pray at all times in the Spirit” by praying while we drive or work or during conversation, there is no substitute for specific time alone with God.  The Gospels detail Jesus’ example for each of us as he consistently withdrew from the crowds so that he could spend time with the Father.

Respond:

Prayer is often the missing ingredient for today’s Christian and today’s church and probably is the biggest reason we sometimes are not successful in seeing God at work in our lives.

So let’s pray at all times and pray a specific times.

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