Hearts and Minds at Peace

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Having been provided access to God through prayer by His grace, it is both a privilege and duty of believers to pray.  What ought to be a first impulse can be relegated to a last resort when God is not in all our thoughts.  It is God's will we would pray without ceasing, and those who are wise discipline themselves to often align our hearts and minds with His.

The prophet Samuel provides a good example of a person who often sought the LORD in prayer in 1 Samuel 8:4-6:  "Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, ⁵ and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." ⁶ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD."  When I am displeased, there are many things I can do instead of praying to God.  I can mull it over in my mind and become bitter, and I can complain or vent my feelings to others.  Samuel took his displeasure to the LORD who guided him in wisdom, discernment and humility.

Nehemiah was another man for whom prayer to God was instinctive.  When the king questioned him about his despondency, Nehemiah said his grief was fitting because of the sad, wasted state of the city of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah 2:4 reads, "Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven."  It would have been easy for Nehemiah to trot out his wish-list before a king who had great power and means, yet he sought the God of heaven to know how to answer.  He turned aside the blank check offered him by a king and bowed his heart before his LORD and God because the Jews were His people; He was their God.  Instead of thinking he knew what needed or should happen, Nehemiah looked to the LORD and waited on him to give an answer.

Daniel is an example of a man who prayed at regular intervals of the day with thanksgiving, and this shows us the manner of our prayer to God.  Even when praying was outlawed by the decree of king Darius for 30 days Daniel 6:10 tells us, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days."  Daniel was a man who had been taken captive into Babylon and knew Jerusalem was burned with fire.  Yet from his early days he had a custom of giving thanks to God in prayer on his knees three times a day.  Regardless what was going on in his life or what laws came into effect, Daniel knew God always remained worthy of thanks.

Paul exhorted followers of Jesus to rejoice in prayer in Philippians 4:4-7:  "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  As an unregenerate man self-righteous Saul breathed out threats and murder against Christians, and later as a born-again Christian Paul rejoiced with thanksgiving to make his requests known to God.  By faith in Christ he experience the peace of God that guarded his heart and mind through Jesus.  Prayer for Paul and and us ought to become intentional, instant, regular with thanksgiving and rejoicing, knowing we have been heard and are protected by our LORD and Saviour Jesus.  How blessed we are to enter the throne room of grace where we find mercy and grace to help in time of need by the Prince of Peace, Jesus.