Today's Scripture Reading (May 26, 2023): Jeremiah 14
I love Mahatma Gandhi's
concept of prayer. "Prayer is not asking. It is a
longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in
prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart." Gandhi
wasn't speaking of Christian Prayer, but he could have been. As a Christian, I
agree with Gandhi's stance. And the Apostle Paul seemed also to agree. Paul
wrote to the Thessalonians that they should "Rejoice always, pray
continually, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1
Thessalonians 5:16-18). And to the Romans, Paul wrote: "In the same way,
the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for,
but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans"
(Romans 8:26). How can you pray without ceasing unless prayer is a longing of
the soul that cries out regardless of what it is that is going on in our lives.
And praying with a heart and without words is just a way of saying that the
Spirit of God is interceding for us and helping us to pray.
And
in this way, we pray. Those close to me are rarely far from my thoughts and
always in my prayers, as are my church, denomination, and the churches of every
denomination in my city, country, and world. I pray whenever I read an article
about something. I pray when random thoughts come my way. I pray. Often, you
are in my prayers, those who take the time to read my feeble words.
Prayer
is almost automatic for some people. And I don't think that there is anything
wrong with that. Prayer isn't supposed to be a ritual we participate in at particular
times or on significant occasions. Prayer is always a way of life. It is a decision
to live with an outward focus.
So,
what would it be like to have God instruct you not to pray? Jeremiah loved
Jerusalem and the people of God. He wept over the city's destruction and had to
be forced to leave the city and taken, almost as a prisoner to his own people,
to Egypt. Praying for Jerusalem and the people living in the city was automatic
for the prophet. I can't believe that not praying for Jerusalem and the people
living in the city was easy. But it was what God had demanded.
However,
as hard as it was for Jeremiah, I think it was even more challenging for God.
Jeremiah had spent his life praying and prophesying to these stubborn people of
which he was a part. But God had spent even longer leading these stiff-necked
people and being turned down by them. But now they had gone too far. The die
was set, and what was coming now couldn't be changed. As a result, probably for
the first time in his life, Jeremiah tried to not pray for Jerusalem and the
people who lived within its walls. God didn't want to say no to his faithful
servant's pleas, so he instructed him not to ask.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Jeremiah 15
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