The Value Of Praying With Praise

Good morning and welcome to our daily walk!

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/yrbktm

This devotional by Justin Morton.

Will Rogers once said, “The trouble with our praying is, we just do it as a means of last resort.” Too many times I am afraid that we are guilty of only praying to God when we or someone we love is in need. Often times it seems that people today use prayer as a last resort.

This morning I would like for you to see the value of praying with praise. When we pray, many times we are making request to God about issues that are on our hearts. I want to challenge you this morning to offer up more prayers of praise to God. Think about all the wonderful things God has done for you. He is there to listen and answer our prayers. He is there to help us when we or a loved one is sick. He is even there to help us when we find ourselves in critical moments of our lives. God deserves for us to pray prayers of praise.

Not only has He been there for us, but He also has delivered us. God delivered us from the depths of sin when He sent His son Jesus to die in our place (Jn. 3:16). He sent His son to pay the price for your sin. He sent His son to die in your place. Why you ask? All because of His great love for you (Rom. 5:8). God deserves to be praised.

David has left us a great example of praise in the book of Second Samuel. In chapter 22, we see David’s praise for the deliverance God has given him from his enemies. It appears that there was not just one event in his life that produced this psalm of praise. It appears that there were many because of the phrase “all his enemies” (v.1). It was during this prayer of praise that David thanked God for his deliverance, having recognized God was the one who gave him victory and deliverance.

How many times have we prayed for something that God has provided? Perhaps more times than we are able to count. Yet, with each passing answered prayer, it seems that little praise is offered to the one who made everything possible. I want to challenge you this morning to be people who understand the value of praying prayers of praise to God. He deserves it.

Many times throughout the book of Psalms, we read the phrase, “Praise the Lord.” The reason we read this phrase so much is because the psalmists understood that God was the one who brought about deliverance, help, hope and strength. It was because of God that the psalmists had reason to rejoice. It’s the same way for us today. When you look deeply inside your life, you will see all the wonderful blessings that God has provided for you. James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (1:17). The wonderful blessings you and your family enjoy each and every day are no coincidence. They are blessings that have been provided by God the Father.

This week we have tried to look at the value of prayer in a different light. We looked at how praying for yourself is of great value because it allows you a chance to speak to God about your personal issues and struggles. We saw how valuable it is to pray for others because the “effective fervent prayer of a righteous avails much” (Jam. 5:16). It is also of great value to pray during critical moments of your life. Jesus did and so should we.

We have also seen the importance being steadfast in prayer and praying for the right results. It is my hope and prayer that this study has been of some value to your prayer life. As we close this week though, I hope that you will see the value of praying prayers of praise. God has done so much to bless your life. As the song says, “God is so good.” You owe it to Him to offer up prayers of praise from time to time.

Thought for the day: “Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines.”

- Satchel Paige, 1974

May God bless you in your daily walk!

The Value Of Praying For The Right Results

Good morning and welcome to our daily walk!

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/36uvgo

This devotional by Justin Morton

A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!" As she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again. As she ran she once again began to pray, "Dear Lord, please don't let me be late...but don't shove me either."

This story, although cute, reminds me of the way many people today value prayer. When most people pray, they pray for the things that they desire. Individuals pray for the results that they want, and sometimes these results are not the right results. It is of great value for us to learn that when we pray, we need to be praying for the right results.

Hannah is a great example of praying for the right results. When the story of Hannah begins, we see how she is a woman who has no children. Her husband’s other wife has children, so Hannah is constantly provoked by her rival (I Sam. 1:1-6). To have no children in this day and time was a social disgrace. People viewed those who were barren as cursed by God. So Hannah turns to the only source she thinks can help, God. She begins praying a prayer for God to give her a son (1 Sam. 1:10-11).

At first, this prayer may seem a little selfish to most people. Hannah is a woman who is praying a prayer for God to give her something her heart desires. She wants a son so badly that she prays for him. Now, I am sure that most of us have done exactly what Hannah is doing. We have all found ourselves in situations where we wanted something so badly that we prayed for God to give it to us. Maybe you were praying for God to bless you with a child. Perhaps you were praying for God to help you get a big promotion. You may even have been praying for God to help you do something that really wasn’t important.

We have all prayed prayers like the little girl who prayed, “Dear Lord, don’t let me be late!” When we pray we must make sure that we are praying prayers with the right end in mind. Was Hannah’s prayer really selfish or was her heartfelt request something more? As we continue reading the story of Hannah, we begin to see that her prayer was not a selfish prayer but a prayer that followed with a sacrificial vow. Yes, she wanted a son. Yes, she asked God to grant her this request. In the end though, we see that Hannah’s prayer was a prayer that had the right results in mind. Hannah didn’t pray for a child for herself but a child for God.

Hannah made a vow to God that if He would grant her petition that she would in return give the child back to the Lord all the days of his life. In the end, that’s exactly what she did. She gave her son, Samuel, back to the Lord just as she had promised. Hannah was faithful to the vow that she made. She truly understood the value of praying for the right results.

What about you? When you pray do you pray selfish prayers or do you pray with the right result in mind? You may be wondering, “What does he mean ‘praying with the right result in mind’?” Helga Bergold Gross once said, “What we usually pray to God is not that His will be done, but that He approve ours.” Jesus understood this concept when He prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Lk. 22:42). Praying with the right result in mind means that we pray for God’s will to be done in all things and for Him to be glorified. Yes, Hannah prayed for a son, but, in the end, she was praying for God to give her a child who she could train and give back to Him for His glory.

It is my hope and prayer that you will be a person who understands the value of praying for the right results. Be sure you always pray, “Father, not my will, but yours be done.”

Thought for the day: “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for power equal to your tasks.”

- Phillip Brooks

May God bless you in your daily walk!

The Value Of Praying Continually

Good morning and welcome to our daily walk!

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2hfof5

This devotional by Justin Morton

Have you ever prayed for something a couple of times and then stopped praying for it? So many times it seems as if we will pray for something once or twice, and then we stop praying as if our work is done. I don’t believe this is what the Bible teaches. In fact, I believe that the Bible teaches us to be steadfast in our prayers and pray continually. Paul said, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). When was the last time that you prayed for something more than a couple of times? If you are like most people, probably not often enough.

Prayer is something that we need to be doing continually. When we go to God in prayer about a situation, we should pray fervently and continually about whatever is on our minds. Paul is a great example of this. On more than one occasion, we read about Paul praying for those churches he had worked with. In First Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul says that he constantly thanked God that the Thessalonians received the word of God and accepted it (v.13). Did Paul only pray once or twice? It appears not. He seems to indicate that he continually prayed a prayer of thanksgiving to God for opening their hearts to accept His word.

In the book of Romans Paul says that God is his witness as to how “unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers” (Rom. 1:9-10). Paul seems to be indicating that he prays to God on behalf of the Church in Rome continually. He must think being steadfast in prayer about certain situations is of value.

Also, in the book of Timothy, we read how Paul tells Timothy that he thanks God as he constantly remembers Timothy in his prayers, night and day (2 Tim. 1:3). Again, we see here that Paul uses the phrase “constantly.” These verses all seem to indicate that Paul did a lot of praying about a lot of different things. It seems that the more he prayed, the more he prayed for, because he was constantly praying for all these other issues from before. Paul was a man who was steadfast in prayer.

What about you? The things that you pray for today, will you pray for those same things next week? The people who ask for your prayers today, will you remember to pray for them tomorrow? You and I should be people who see the value of being steadfast in our prayers. We should understand that prayer requires patience and persistence. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that many times we only pray about a certain situation a few times, because we are only wishing it to happen and not really believing it will happen. If we truly believe God will answer our prayers (and I hope you do), we will continue to be steadfast in our prayers.

Nehemiah is a great example of this. When he first learns about what has taken place in Jerusalem, he prays. When he realizes how bad his people have it, he prays. It is during this prayer that he asks God to be with him and to grant him success as he goes before the king to ask permission to go back to Jerusalem to help out. At this point this looks and sounds exactly like what most of us would do. The first thing we might do is pray. After we pray we would probably go approach the king about our situation. However, this is not what Nehemiah did.

From the time that chapter one opens to the time that chapter two opens, four months have past. This means that Nehemiah learned of Jerusalem and then waited four months before approaching the king for his permission to go to Jerusalem. You may be thinking, “Why did he do that?” I’m sure there may been several reasons, but one reason that comes to mind is perhaps Nehemiah wanted to spend that time in prayer to God. Perhaps he understood the value of being steadfast in prayer so much that he was unwilling to approach the king until he felt that it was the right time. Perhaps he wanted to pray steadfastly to God before taking the next step.

What about us today? Are we willing be steadfast in prayer until our prayer is answered, or do we just pray for a day or two and then stop? It is my hope and prayer that you will be a person who sees the value of being steadfast in prayer. When something is on your heart, pray to God and don’t stop until the issue is resolved.

Thought for the day: “Wishing will never be a substitute for prayer.” - Ed Cole

May God bless you in your daily walk!

The Value Of Praying During Critical Moments

This devotional by Justin Morton

Good morning and welcome to our daily walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/25hcph

There are times in our lives when we find ourselves in critical moments. Many times when we find ourselves in these moments, we are unsure about what we need to do. We may even feel that we have nowhere to turn for help and guidance during these critical times. Jesus often found himself in critical moments just like you and me. It is through His example of handling these moments that we learn what we should do in similar situations. When Jesus found himself in critical moments, Jesus would stop and pray.

Prayer was an important part of the life of Jesus. In fact, most of the times we read about Jesus, He is praying. One of the critical moments in His life was when He was choosing the apostles. Jesus did not take this decision lightly. He chose to spend all night in prayer before choosing these men who would be sent with a special commission (Lk. 6:12-13). Why did He do such a thing? He was the Son of God. He should not have had to spend that amount of time in prayer about a decision. The reason He did was because Jesus knew the importance of including God in His decisions. Thus, He decided to spend the entire night talking with His father before He made that important decision.

Many times in our lives when faced with critical decisions, we only think about ourselves and often times do not consider the possibility of prayer. Jesus teaches us that we should be people who spend time in prayer before an important decision must be made. Many times we fail to consult with God and the decisions we make have a major impact on the rest of our lives. It is of great value to pray before we make decisions. During these decisions we should ask God to help us make the best and most godly decisions possible.

Another time we see Jesus praying is before the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk. 22:39-46). Jesus understood what His purpose was on earth. He understood that His mission was to come to this earth to set an example for us to follow (1 Pet. 2:21), to seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10), and to go to the cross and lay down His life (Jn. 10:17-18). Although Jesus understood His mission, that did not mean it was going to be an easy mission. Just hours before He was going to give up His life for you and me, He prayed to God to remove this cup if there was any other way. Jesus did not want to die that painful death. Yet, when closing His prayer, He said, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Lk. 22:42).

Even in the midst of a critical moment in His life, Jesus prayed asking that the Father’s will be done above His own. What a great example that is for you and me today. It is of value for us to pray that God’s will be done above all else. After all, God knows what is best!

Of all the prayers that Jesus prayed, the most familiar may be when He prayed on the cross (Lk. 23:34; 46). While hanging there in front of those who wanted Him dead, Jesus, having the power to call twelve legions of angels and to cast himself down (Matt. 25:53; Jn. 10:17-18), chose to pray instead. During the most critical moment of His life, Jesus chose to do what he had done so many times before: pray to the Father. Whenever Jesus found himself in those critical moments, He took time to pray, no matter what the situation was.

What about you? When you find yourself having to make an important decision, what do you do? When you find yourself in those unfamiliar and critical moments, what do you do? When you are unsure where to turn for help, what do you do? When you want to stop and give up, what do you do? Do you pray?

Praying is something that we are called to do. Paul said, “Pray without ceasing”

(1 Thess. 5:17). Prayer is an opportunity for us to speak to our heavenly Father. Prayer is a chance for us to lay our burdens down at His feet. Prayer should be an important part of our lives. James tells us, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jam. 5:16). During those critical moments in life, do you pray? It’s of great value to always include God in our decisions.

Thought of the Day: “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go.” - Abraham Lincoln

May God bless you in your daily walk!

The Value Of Praying For Others

This devotional is by Justin Morton

Good morning and welcome to our daily walk!

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2lvf9x

Charles Finney once said, "Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other's hearts in prayer." One of the best things you and I can do for another person is pray with and for them.

The reason praying for others is valuable is because it helps us built a strong relationship with that individual. When two people come together and talk about their struggles and problems, they are coming together to share and seek advice. When you pray with and for others, you are helping that individual deal with their problems and difficulties in a small way, but you are also showing that person that you believe God can help more than anything else. When you talk with, listen to, and pray with someone having troubles, you build a powerful relationship with that individual.

It is important that we always pray for others. Another reason this is important is because praying for others demonstrates our faith in God. In the book of Exodus, we see Pharaoh urging Moses to pray to God on his behalf asking him to lift the various plagues that are afflicting the Egyptians (Ex. 8:8-11; 9:28-29; 10:17-19). All three times Moses goes to God in prayer on behalf of Pharaoh.

Yes, Pharaoh did have the children of Israel as slaves, and yes, the plagues were punishment that God brought on Pharaoh for not letting His people go. However, when Pharaoh asked Moses to pray for him, he didn’t hesitate. One of the reasons he did this was, perhaps, because Moses understood the value of praying for others. By Moses praying to God, he was demonstrating his faith in God to Pharaoh. Moses was proving that God was the one who brought the plagues upon Egypt and He was the one who could take them away.

Praying for others is of great value. It is of great value because there will come a time in our lives when we will want someone to pray for us. There will come a time when we will find ourselves in a situation that is difficult and hard to bear. It will be during this time that we will want all the prayers we can get. Perhaps someone we love will be sick, maybe it will even be us who are sick. It really does not matter who or what it is, we will want others to pray for us. Janice Hughes once said, “Rich is the person who has a praying friend.”

The children of Israel provide us with a lot of good examples. One such example is found in Numbers 21 when God sent fiery serpents among the people. The people spoke against God and Moses, so God brought about these serpents as punishment. When the people were bitten, they would die. The people of Israel realized they were in a difficult situation. They went to Moses and asked him to pray to God that He may remove the serpents from them (v.7). The last part of verse 7 says, “And Moses interceded for the people.”

The children of Israel brought this punishment on themselves. They spoke against God and Moses, the man that God had chosen to be their leader. Moses could have held a grudge and said no. He could have sat back and laughed at the people as they died one by one. Instead, Moses did what the people asked him to do, he prayed. Despite the fact that he was wronged by these people, he prayed to God on their behalf.

Moses understood the value of praying for others. What about you? Do you remember those individuals who are struggling with personal problems in your prayers? Do you pray for those people who are sick and dying? Do you ask God to help those friends of yours who are living in sin to come back home? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you, my friend, do not understand the value of praying for others.

It is my hope and prayer that everyday that you live you will take time to offer up prayers on behalf of those who are struggling and in need of them.

Thought for the day: “The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing; but it is the chief thing. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray." - S.D. Gordon

May God bless you in your daily walk!

The Value Of Praying For Yourself

Good morning and welcome to our daily walk!

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2w9fum

This devotional by Justin Morton

I often have heard people say that prayer is an important part of their lives. They begin and end each day with prayer. Prayer is something that is of great value to all of us. It allows us to speak to our heavenly Father on a regular basis, just as we would one of our best friends. Prayer is a valuable resource that we have at our fingertips everyday. I believe that it is important that we learn the value of prayer. As we begin this series of lessons, I want you to first understand the value of praying to God on behalf of yourself.

When we read through the Bible, one thing we notice is that many times individuals prayed for themselves. Hezekiah, for instance, received word from the prophet Isaiah that he should set his house in order because he was going to die. It was upon hearing this awful news that Hezekiah prayed to the Lord (2 Kgs. 20:1-3). He wanted God to heal him of this deadly illness.

There are times in our lives when we get sick and maybe even near the point of death. During those times many people approach the throne of God in prayer. Is there anything wrong with doing that? Absolutely not! When Hezekiah found out that he was terminally ill, the first thing he did was pray. Peter tells us, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). When I am faced with an illness, I am going to pray. I am going to ask God to please restore my health back if that be his will. You see, like Hezekiah, we must understand that sometimes our prayers are not answered the way that we want. Sometimes we pray to get well but never do. We must always understand that God has a plan for everything. Even those things that we don’t understand, God can use for good. Paul said, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

It is also valuable for us to pray for the strength to overcome temptations. Jesus, talking to his disciples, specifically Peter, said, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). Each and every day that we wake up, we need to pray to God on behalf of ourselves for the strength to overcome the temptations that we will be facing throughout the day. If we want to fight the good fight and live a life of faithfulness, we must have God’s help in dealing with sin. He can provide us with the strength to overcome any obstacle, even the obstacle of temptation.

There are times in our lives when we fall short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23) and give in to those temptations that we are faced with. When that happens, what are we suppose to do? I am a firm believer that we should pray to God on behalf of ourselves for forgiveness. In fact, that’s what we read in God’s word. John tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). When we are weak in the flesh and give in to sin, we must pray to God and ask Him for forgiveness.

David is a great example of this. In 2 Samuel 11, we read about David’s sin with Bathsheba. We read about adultery, murder, lies and cover-ups. We read about how that one sin led David down a path of sinful behavior. When confronted by Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12, David realized that he had sinned against the Lord. In Psalm 51 we read a beautiful prayer of forgiveness that David prayed. He had messed up. He had been weak. So He prayed to God asking God to forgive him.

Praying to God on behalf on ourselves is of great value. It is valuable because we are able to pray to God when we are sick asking Him to help heal us or asking Him to be with the doctors and nurses who are going to care for us. It is also valuable because we need to pray daily for the strength to overcome those strong temptations we will be facing. It is when we are weak and give in to these temptations that praying on behalf of ourselves is valuable because we need to seek forgiveness. If we confess, God will forgive!

It is my hope and prayer that you will see the importance and value of praying everyday to God on behalf of yourself.

Thought for the day: “Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude, an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God.” - Arthur W. Pink

May God bless you in your daily walk!

I'l Fly Away

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2a2qom

What child hasn’t sat in a classroom and dreamed of being outside instead? Who among us has not daydreamed about being in the cool of the shade while still working in the heat of the day? It is natural for us to look forward to better places. For the student in school it is recess or the last bell of the day. For the worker it is the end of the shift or retirement. All of us can enjoy our dreams of a more enjoyable place.

Albert E. Brumley wrote his most popular hymn, “I’ll Fly Away” in 1932. In fact it was his first published song and he received $12.50 for it. Brumley went on to write more than 800 hymns but this one remains his most popular one.

Like the school student or the shift worker, Brumley also dreamed of a day of relief from the hardship of his labors. While working hard on the family farm picking cotton he dreamed of escaping one day to a much better life. After a few years he reflected on his time in the fields and wrote this song. He was inspired by the lyrics of another song, “The Prisoner’s Tale,” which told of a prisoner who wished for angel wings to fly over the prison walls. To Brumley, his time in the fields was just like being in prison. “I’ll fly away,” he thought.

Here is the first verse and chorus of his song.

Some glad morning when this life is o’er

I’ll fly away;

To a home on God’s celestial shore,

I’ll fly away.

I’ll fly away, O glory,

I’ll fly away;

When I die, hallelujah, by and by,

I’ll fly away.

Only in Christ can we really look forward to the end of this life. Many people will look forward to death as an escape from pain, trouble or hardship. But only in our Savior can we look forward to life after our death.

To provide encouragement to the church in Thessalonica, Paul wrote the following in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

I love that part of the passage talking about being caught up together with the Lord in the clouds. Friends, we will then fly away for sure. But not just away from this earth. No, we will fly away from mortality and fly with our Lord into eternity.

Brumley’s song captures a wonderful, peaceful longing to escape this evil world and be free from these old, worn bodies. It speaks of the hopefulness in death that can only come by having the assurance of salvation from our Lord.

That song, “I’ll Fly Away,” remains popular today. It has been recorded by over 100 gospel singing groups and has been recorded over 1,000 times in total.

When that morning comes when you are no longer alive, will you be glad? Will you be ready to fly away?

On Our Daily Walk today, may we be reminded that this life is only temporary and that our spirits will live on forever. May we look forward to the end of this life, not only to escape pain and old age, but rather to fly away to our eternal reward.

Our thought for the day: “Where you go hereafter depends on what you go after here.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.