Daily Devotion (November 16, 2024)
1 Timothy 2:1
Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
Our prayer life is vital in our relationship with God. Who do we pray for? All People!
We are not to neglect our daily prayer but also we are not to neglect to pray for others. Every person needs prayer. We pray for those we know, our family, friends, fellow church members. We pray for those who are leaders in God’s ministry. We are to pray for those who do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
We pray for our enemies. When we pray for our enemies, we are praying for their salvation and if they are saved we pray for their growth in the Lord.
The follower of Christ is to be in constant prayer. The follower of Christ is to pray with the right motive.
If Christians took prayers seriously then the world would be shaken. People would see the power of God at work through the church. If the church took seriously then we would see the lost saved.
Do you pray? Do you pray to God for your will to be done or for His will to be done? Maybe our focus is wrong. James 4:2 states: “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.” The asking is for God’s will not ours to be done.
Prayer is not haphazard. Yes, we can go to God at anytime, but we must set aside a special time to pray in devotion and worship. My time of prayer is first thing in the morning during my time of devotion.
Our motive in prayer is not to pray for our will to be done. We are to praise God, make intercession for other, giving thanks to God. Just think of all the mighty things God has done in your life. Pray for those who despitefully use and abuse you. Jesus says in Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”
Paul writes in Philippians 4:6–7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”