Scriptural Foundation:
For many are called, but few are chosen.
Matthew 22:14 King James Version (KJV)
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Romans 12:10-13 New King James Version (NKJV)
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:10-11 New King James Version (NKJV)
Reflection:
In the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of prayer is an earnest hope or wish, solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God.
Growing up, I understood prayer as memorizing certain prayers like the Lord’s prayer, Hail Mary, etc. Even as a young child, it always seemed very repetitive and mechanical to me. I couldn’t comprehend how the God of the universe was so stagnant when creation was so vibrant and complex. Thankfully, that was not where my spiritual journey ended. After I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I learned that prayer was not a ritualistic string of statements summed up by prayer, but something a lot more than that, they are candid discussions with the God. The frankest conversations of anguish and spiritual joy are captured in the Book of Psalms. These seemly one sided conversations by King David are great examples of the spiritual process of dying to flesh and becoming more aware of the Lord’s presence.
In the most basic of form, prayer is the interface between the natural realm and the spiritual realms. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we learn how to navigate through this communication medium to the Lord. For those that take the time (Matthew 22:14), prayer can become life changing for them and for the individuals around them (Romans 12:10-13). What I have learned in the short time, about 16 years, of serving the Lord; is that your primary responsibility as a Believer is to connect with the Lord through prayer. Money maybe the highest form of currency in the natural, however prayer ignited by faith is the highest form of currency within time (natural) and eternity (spiritual). Once you get the revelation of that, your life will begin to transform into something that you never dreamed possible (2 Peter 1:10-11).
Seeking Revelation:
In my humble opinion, the best way to document change in one’s life is to journal it. It doesn’t have to be fancy, a simple notebook that helps you can reference back to a place of remembrance. In the book of 1 Samuel, David witnessed to Saul all the times the Lord had vindicated him from danger for the purposes of belittling the current threat which was Goliath:
1 Samuel 17:34-36 New King James Version (NKJV)
But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”
Grab your note book:
- Think back and list all the times in your life where you overcame a difficult situation.
- Present that list to the Lord in prayer. Don’t be surprised if the Holy Spirit doesn’t add to the list things that you have totally forgotten about.
- Keep that list as a reference when things get challenging. In essence, you’re creating your own trophy “room” of victories that the Lord had delivered you.