"Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes." (Daniel 9:3)
Now I know you will take this correctly, but the thought occurred to me this morning that prayer is "fun," even though, as a Christian leader once said, "Prayer is hard work," perhaps akin to what Daniel experienced in chapter 7, "....my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed...." I have found, however, that if you and I look at prayer as fellowship/participation in the "Divine Directive," as in, "Thy Kingdom come...," and as enjoying the Life of "friendship" in Jesus Christ, the word "hard" may not be an overriding fact.
The Church in America and, indeed, Western Europe in these days should be praying the prayer of Daniel 9. I did this morning, and found it as "up-to-date" as January 9, 2020. I repeat; the Bible is full of prayers for us personally, our families, our communities, work place, church, governments. Yes, I, "....make your requests known....," yet so many times I pray a Bible prayer and think, "I just could not have said/prayed that any better."
Father, in Jesus' Name, thank You for giving me prayers that are Your Heart. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
