Winning The Battle of Life - Never Stop Praying!

Never stop praying - I Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)
I remember being able to pray to God for help since I was very young. I used to see my mother and grandmother pray and ask God to help us. Whenever things were tough we could always count on God to make a way out of no way. My Mom, Billie Jean, never stopped praying for what our family needed, and somehow it seemed as though every single time God would answer. I came to believe that my mother had some special relationship between her and God. It seemed as though when Mom prayed God heard. I have seen her on her knees asking God to bring home my sister who was her wayward daughter, as she would say. She prayed consistently for my sister when she ran away from home. One day through a lot tears and praying my sister, Helen, finally came home. My Mom never stop praying, she never gave up on any of us kids, and she never gave up on God. There were times in our family when we had no food in the house even though my father who was a Stevedore (longshoreman) worked hard it was just not enough money to feed nine kids doing the winter months when the ships did not come in. So I would watch my Mom pray that God would not forget her and her kids, and I am not kidding you, it seemed as though as soon as she was done praying God sent someone to our door with what my Mom needed to put a meal on the table. I learned to depend on God before I knew how to multiply 2 x2. The older generation could and probably would not call on the “Oprah Show” or “The View” to help them out and give them advice. They called on Jesus and they wanted Jesus to walk with them through sickness, disease, mountain of debt, jobless, or any trouble they found themselves in. Jesus was and still is the answer!

I learned to trust in Jesus throughout my life and especially during the times that I felt alone and sick. I learned that He alone had the answers!

But as I matured with my walked with God I moved from only calling on God when I was in trouble to communicating with him on a regular basis no matter what kind of day I was having. I have learned that prayer is not just a cry out to God, but a talk with God. It becomes a way of life.
Prayer is simply communion with our Heavenly Father in Jesus’ Name! Pastor Bill Kirk who was my mentor helped me to put together a study on prayer. I have sat under his teaching as he taught us how to pray effectively and powerful. He said, “Since Christianity is not a religion but a relationship, then that relationship requires communication. And this communication is prayer. It is union, intimacy, fellowship and oneness. It is God’s way for us to find wisdom, obtain resources, overcome temptation and strengthen our soul. It is necessary to the spiritual man as breathing is to the natural man.”

God cares more about me talking with him daily then just calling him when I need something. How would you like it if your best friend or your children or husband only called you when they needed something? If they did not need anything from you they would not call just to say hi, how are you doing? They cared nothing about your need to be successful or what you were interested in. They did not care to get to know you. They only wanted something from you because they know you are able to provide it. I think most of us would feel hurt and disappointed if most of our relationships were that way. I know that God Almighty, the Great I Am, is not depending upon me as a human being to care about him so he can feel anything! But I believe that if I claim to be in His kingdom, and to be his child, I think He expects me to want to know Him and the power of His love for me. Prayer is the first step to knowing God. I must never stop praying if I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection.

Remember also; Prayer is the preparation for that entire plan that God wants to do in your life. “Therefore, do not be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:16) A wise woman prayers and she communes with God. So God is waiting to have time alone with you, begin now to overcome every hindrance to prayer. Begin now to thirst and seek His face. And don’t stop praying for your answer is on the way! It could be there with a simple knock on the door. Remember the law of the harvest: “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you” James 4:8.

Love,
Pastor Patricia McNair