A Praying Church

February 8

(Acts 3:1 NIV) "One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer -- at three in the afternoon."

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) "Be joyful always; {17} pray continually; {18} give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

(Hebrews 13:15-16 NIV) "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. {16} And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

Peter and John were going to a prayer meeting at three o’clock in the afternoon. The desire of the early church was to be God-dependent, not self-sufficient. They prayed continually. Today’s culture worships at the altar of self-sufficiency. This hinders our desire to pray continually. We can obtain much of what we need without asking God for it -- no need for “daily bread” prayers. The majority of our prayers express a desire for personal blessing, rather than the desire to bring glory to God. Trusting God for all things, and in all things, is what set the early Christians apart. When they prayed, they prayed big and wide. They prayed for God to be glorified in their lives, even if it meant persecution. They just wanted more of God. When we begin to pray for God to be glorified in our lives, God will involve us in the miraculous, and give us opportunities to amaze the world, just like He did with the early church. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day