My prayer list is getting longer than my arms these days. So much so, that whenever I don't take the time to sit in Yehovah's presence, it seems that all Gehenna breaks loose. There have been so many deaths and so much sickness. I'm sitting here at this moment in shock at the sudden passing of a young man who visited my home only a few weeks ago. I have lost an uncle, a great-aunt, and a grandmother this year alone and it is only May. A cousin of mine has lost five family members this year, including the two that we share.
At the same time, I have seen much answered prayer as well. I continue to hear the words of the Messiah ringing in my heart, "But you, when you pray, enter into your closet and lock your door, and pray to your father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you in public." Matthew 6:6 ABPE
I am seeing answers to prayer that no human has heard me utter.
I like to pray in my closet (literally), but I also like to pray when I am alone in the car. I am easily distracted, so I set a timer and pray at least a minute for each prayer request. It doesn't sound very spiritual, I know, but but I can go from "Bless my husband" to "I wonder how long it will take for my child to notice I have not cleaned up her mess" in 60 seconds or less.
Since my journey into Hebraic roots, I see that prayer, in the time of the temple, took place at specific times of the day. At 9 in the morning, noon, and 3 in the afternoon. I see it repeated in the book of Acts (3:1, 10:30). Some attempt to continue that practice at those exact times, but I'm thinking that they were connected with the daily sacrificial system and since there is not temple and we are not living on Jerusalem time, my goal is to pray three times a day, but not necessarily at those exact times.
"Evening and morning and at noon will I utter my complaint and moan and sigh, and He will hear my voice." Psalm 55:17 AMP
"Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." Psalm 141:2 AMP
"And another angel came and stood over the altar. He had a golden censer, and he was given very much incense (fragrant spices and gums which exhale perfume when burned), that he might mingle it with the prayers of all the people of God (the saints) upon the golden altar before the throne." Revelation 8:3 AMP
"At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You because of Your righteous ordinances." Psalm 119:62
"And in the morning, long before daylight, He got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed." Mark 1:35 AMP
"And Isaac went out to meditate and bow down [in prayer] in the open country in the evening; and he looked up and saw that, behold, the camels were coming." Gen. 24:63 AMP
"And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone." Matthew 14:23 AMP
In addition to the time of prayer, do we know the DIRECTION of prayer?
"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously." Daniel 6:10 AMP
I Kings 8:22-61 is Solomon's prayer of dedication to the Temple. The temple is no longer standing; however, we know that one day The New Jerusalem will come down as a bride adorned for her husband. In faith, we continue to pray in that direction, believing that He who has promised is faithful.
So the conclusion of the matter is that I need to set aside time at least three times every day with my hands spread (different than the clasped, folded or palms together hands, isn't it?) towards Jerusalem, and let my voice be heard by the Most High and lay all my burdens at His feet.
My favorite verse is:
"But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]." Hebrews 11:6 AMP
No comments:
Post a Comment