The apostle Paul urges us to pray about everything.
In one of my favourite Bible passages, he says in Philippians 4:6:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but, in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
I was reminded of this by something our pastor said yesterday.
He said he was going through a time of discouragement when he decided to take his son's bike for a ride in the fields of his farm. On the way, he lost a bike pedal.
He felt badly and prayed about it. As he went back to search for it, he looked down and saw the pedal in the fields.
For him, it was a sign that God cared for him and was with him. It was a shaft of light in a dark time.
Mark Batterson, author of a really fine book on prayer Draw the Circle, puts it better than I can: "Prayer is the difference between the best we can do and the best God can do."
Batterson gives an example of someone who prays constantly in everything he does.
His friend, Ross Hill, is the founder and chief executive officer of Bank2, a community-owned bank in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the U.S.
Batterson says: "Ross defines business as mission. And he's great at both."
The bank leaders anointed the doors of Bank2 with oil when it opened, praying for everyone who would walk in and out of them. Board meetings begin with prayer; there is prayer when the bank recruits new employees; and Ross frequently prays for employees and customers in his office.
Bank2 took a big hit in the 2008 recession, but Ross says "we prayed through it". The following year Bank2 was named the number 1 community bank in the U.S. by a leading American bank journal. And in 2011 the bank was the number 7 mortgage operation in the country.
"Prayer is the difference between appointments and divine appointments," Batterson writes. "Prayer is the difference between good ideas and God-ideas."
In the end, we must do as Paul did - take our anxieties to God and pray, looking for God's ways in the midst of our troubles. His ways are always best.
In one of my favourite Bible passages, he says in Philippians 4:6:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but, in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
I was reminded of this by something our pastor said yesterday.
He said he was going through a time of discouragement when he decided to take his son's bike for a ride in the fields of his farm. On the way, he lost a bike pedal.
He felt badly and prayed about it. As he went back to search for it, he looked down and saw the pedal in the fields.
For him, it was a sign that God cared for him and was with him. It was a shaft of light in a dark time.
Mark Batterson, author of a really fine book on prayer Draw the Circle, puts it better than I can: "Prayer is the difference between the best we can do and the best God can do."
Batterson gives an example of someone who prays constantly in everything he does.
His friend, Ross Hill, is the founder and chief executive officer of Bank2, a community-owned bank in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the U.S.
Batterson says: "Ross defines business as mission. And he's great at both."
The bank leaders anointed the doors of Bank2 with oil when it opened, praying for everyone who would walk in and out of them. Board meetings begin with prayer; there is prayer when the bank recruits new employees; and Ross frequently prays for employees and customers in his office.
Bank2 took a big hit in the 2008 recession, but Ross says "we prayed through it". The following year Bank2 was named the number 1 community bank in the U.S. by a leading American bank journal. And in 2011 the bank was the number 7 mortgage operation in the country.
"Prayer is the difference between appointments and divine appointments," Batterson writes. "Prayer is the difference between good ideas and God-ideas."
In the end, we must do as Paul did - take our anxieties to God and pray, looking for God's ways in the midst of our troubles. His ways are always best.
No comments:
Post a Comment