A Prayer Answering God!

A prayer answering God!

 In the book of Nehemiah, we read about the rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem & the renewal of faith among the people. Giving up a comfortable and wealthy position in Persia, Nehemiah motivated and rallied the people to rebuild the walls. We see his prayer, perseverance and sacrifice for the cause. We read that he took prayer as a spiritual ministry. Although he secured co-operation of the people and favor from government authorities, he heavily depended on prayer (1:5)

We pray to a great and awesome God, owner of heaven and earth, the one who is greater than our problems and available to hear us and help us in times of our needs. In a way we are given the privilege to enter into His heart when we bow our heads before Him. Although He sustains the entire universe, He gives special attention to our  prayer items as if it  is the only item in front of him.

When Nehemiah identified himself as God’s servant, he was aware that the servant cannot go anywhere else other than to his master. We read that he was transparent in admitting his inquities and got his guilt removed, (1:7) He was therefore able to pray boldly (1:6).

The Lord fulfilled his promises in bringing those in exile back to Jerusalem. The Lord is able to bring us back to where He wants us to be. We need to make sure that we are restored to the place God intended for us. Let us owe we are reconciled with Him, we can pray boldly and expect Him to answer our prayers

LIVE BY INNER PURPOSE AND BE HAPPY

 Once we begin to recognize the meaning and purpose of life, we will be able to live a life motivated by that purpose. It is said that once a goal is set, there will be motivation to reach the goal. When we take part in spiritual events, our goal is to know God. Knowing God enables us to love and serve Him. We become useful instruments as we serve God among people.

There can be opposing or retraining forces that may exert external pressure to deviate us from even recognizing the purpose of our life. I remember a man of God asking me about my purpose in life when I was a teenager. I responded to him by saying that my purpose is to become a scientist. But he did not seem to agree with my answer. I wanted to be specific, and so said, I wanted to become a nuclear scientist in order to find a remedy for the destructive and harmful effects of nuclear bombs! He was not satisfied with that statement either. Finally, he told me that whether I become a scientist, doctor, engineer or for that matter, any occupation or profession, my purpose in life is to do my task faithfully and meticulously as if I do it for God. He explained further that the central goal of our existence is to glorify God by a life that is utterly poured out for Him. He advised me that this purpose must be reflected in my studies, work and even in my ambitions.

Purpose is derived from what we believe. If we believe that the purpose of our life is to glorify God, then we should make use of the opportunities we get to perform our best and please God. We can seek His guidance for excellence in our services. For example, if we are cleaning a room, we need to do so assuming that God is going to use the room. We can then obviously perform well. Whether the task entrusted to us is insignificant or something great with high visibility in the eyes of others, our inner purpose should be to perform it as if for God.

There can be many other factors, internal and external, that motivate us. Desire for awards, rewards, fame, job satisfaction and the like can be some among them. Often pressures such as fear of punishment, losing face, material loss, relationship failure and the like may also make people to perform. Here is the choice to either glorify God or fulfill our selfish interests. The more we try to fulfill our selfish desires, the less happiness we will derive from our deeds. We can truly be happy when we become unselfish in our services.

If love is the motivation for our services, we need to experience God’s love. Remember, God loves us through others. Similarly God’s love goes to others through us. We can be channels of God’s love and blessings. We can be a blessing to even people that annoy us. Our natural tendency may be to put down people who scheme to work against us. It is God’s love in us that make it possible for us to love such people

We are living in a world that largely seeks happiness by dishonorable means and shortcuts. We will not find lasting happiness if we try to seek it by such means. If we earnestly seek to put God first in our lives and be righteous (Matthew 6:33), we will discover that we are really happy! Happiness is living by the inner purpose of glorifying God.

Prayer with Trust; Believe It’s Answered 

(Mark 11:24)

 An alcoholic colleague of mine was constantly in my prayers. For quite some time, I prayed for a change in his character. It was only for his well-being that I prayed for him and counseled him. But in his drunken state he used to misunderstand my good intensions and get wild at me. When drunk, he was violent with not only his colleagues but also with his family. I prayed for him, feeling that his transformation would benefit many others as well. But even after years of prayer, no change was to be seen.

I kept a distance from him because of his unpleasant behavior. Let me confess, I even felt that he might learn a lesson when he would reap the result of his misdeeds. But I used to pray for him in faith. Even though I did not see any visible change in him, I believed that God would listen to my prayer and provide definite answer.

When we pray for something particular, Christ asks us to believe that we have already received it. I prayed for him believing this promise; but I still did not observe any change in him. The term “believe that you have received” means that one should be able to see the answer to prayers with eyes of faith. This means that when I look with my eyes of faith, I have to see him as a transformed person. If I can see him thus as a good man, I should interact with him as though he is a changed person. My friendly loving approach to him paved the way for his transformation. Besides, there was a positive change in my own attitude and behavior. Both of us were blessed when the prayers were answered.