Prayer Is Our Avenue To God, An Eternal Refuge

March 30, 2003

           It has been said that, “Everybody either has a problem, lives with a problem, or is a problem!”  You are probably familiar with the following prayer:

            “Dear Lord, so far today, I’ve done all right.  I haven’t lost my temper.  I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or overindulgent.  I’m very thankful for that Lord.  But in a few minutes, I’m going to get out of bed.  And, from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot of help.”

            This prayer may seem humorous, but it contains a lot of truth.  Life has obstacles and difficulties.  Prayer is our avenue to God, our eternal refuge.  He provides strength in every circumstance.  We cannot save ourselves, but with God we meet conflicts with confidence.

            Planet earth is experiencing unprecedented challenges.  We have made great strides in technology, but so has our enemies.  Now, more than ever, we need wisdom, guidance and direction.

            There are many Biblical instances of God’s victories in war.  You can read about how God confused the Philistines in 1 Samuel 14.  Read how God directed Joshua in the falling of the walls of Jericho in Joshua 6.  Deborah led God’s people and “cleared the way” in Judges 4.  Gideon had 32,000 soldiers but God chose 300 and sent the rest home.

Gideon had victory because he depended on God.  In 2 Kings 19, Hezekiah prayed “O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand (Assyrian king) so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, our God.”  Hezekiah prevailed!  Dependence upon God produces a cutting edge in battles.  Prayer is the weapon.

  My life has been a testimony of God’s saving grace.  I awaken with eyes that can see, ears that can hear and strength to get out of bed.  I have food to eat and clean water to drink.  I have family and friends that love me.  I’m thankful I can pray every day for those loved ones, committing and trusting them in his care.  God blessed me with a 31 teaching career and the health to perform it.

  Many people across the world do not have what I have and I daily thank the Lord for life.  I thank him for the “Words of Life” in the Bible.  It is a privilege to pray, not just in hard times, but all the time.  He is the strength of life, the fortress and refuge in life’s battles.  With him on our side, nothing is impossible.

Among one my many favorite Scriptures is “And it shall come to pass, that before they call I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear”  (Isaiah 65:24 KJV).

Let us pray for our president and those surrounding him.  May we pray for the military, policemen, firemen, doctors, nurses, teachers and others who are so vital to our lives.

A nation’s greatest defense is “knee” praying power.  Abraham Lincoln once said, “I have frequently been driven to my knees by the conviction that there was no where else to go.”