Oct
10
SCRIPTURE: “They all joined together constantly in prayer…” ~ Acts 1:14
OBSERVATION: Jesus just died, rose again and ascended into heaven. Chaos is raging in the streets. Here are the apostles in a room “…along with the women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” A big decision sits before them. Instead of making lists, writing out pros and cons, debating over who should take Judas’ place, they go to prayer. It’s not just a blanket prayer or a quick, “Dear God, guide us in this decision and help us choose this man. Amen.” That may have been part of it, but that was not all. How do I know? Scripture says “constantly” in prayer. What does being in constant prayer even look like? What does it mean to pray without ceasing? What would my life look like if I always went to prayer first? How would my life be different if I sought God in the daily, not just in the depths?
APPLICATION: Just today I’m freaking out about a decision I have to make and certain situations in my life. I make a mental list of what needs to be done, be even as Philippians 4 pops into my head, I STILL don’t lay it at God’s feet. Why do I neglect to seek the guidance of the Creator of the world in everything I do? When written out like that, it becomes clear as to what it is – stupid.
PRAYER: Father God, you know the fears, the anxieties and the decisions that lay before me. But I don’t want to include you in just these things. I want you in it all. My flesh, however, doesn’t. My flesh thinks we can handle the little mundane things on our own. It even wants to try to handle the tough situations on our own first before we realize we’re in over our heads and need you to fish us out…again. Lord, I want to “in every situation” (Philippians 4:6) – the big, the small, the good, the bad – I want you in it. I want to know what it means to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). I want to be a person who goes to prayer first, second and last.