Tuesday 21 October 2014

Prayer-Our Spiritual Ballast



Prayer-Our Spiritual Ballast

Sailboats are designed on the principle that there must be more  This principle is also a law of life. A sailboat without ballast is safe only when it is tied to the dock in harbour. People without a ballast are stable only when life is safe and unchanging.  Prayer is our spiritual ballast when it comes to navigating life.  The Bible is God’s compass which points us in the right direction but only a living relationship with our Lord, nurtured and deepened by prayer will keep us upright in the storm.
weight below the waterline than above it. It the boat encounters violent storms and wind, the ship will right itself as long as the weight of the keel is attached.
Hebrews 4:14-16.. “we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess… Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
When we pray, we pray to the living God, who ahs become like us; Jesus became human and he understands and identifies with us. But Jesus also cares for us, empowers u and intervenes on our behalf. We are given three encouragements to come to Him in prayer, because He is our completely capable High Priest.
1)      Knowing who the great high priest really is; Jesus- who meets the deepest needs of every heart and fits every human need; He is the answer to all our questions, the satisfaction of all our wants, the bread for all our hunger, the light in our darkens, the strength in our weakness and the medicine for our sickness, the life for our death. (p.74).
2)      Understanding this High Priest- Jesus offered prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to God who could save him from death; Jesus suffered pain, exhaustion and hunger. He experienced grief, fear, shame, rejection, aloneness, misunderstanding and opposition, mistreatment and misrepresentation, adulation and animosity. Jesus experienced what we do—he understands.
3)      Gracious High Priest—let us keep drawing near to the presence of God; the throne of grace where God dwells and grace characterizes the One who sits on the throne. We are to approach the throne of grace “with confidence”.
Pray- to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

           Effective prayer relies upon the willing power of God. We have a confidence inspired by the work of Jesus. When we pray we come to the throne of grace with our need to find God who responds. We align ourselves with God’s purposes and find ourselves gaining a perspective on reality that reorders our entire understanding of life. When we pray we draw close to God in humility and dependence and begin to discover life as stated by James 4:6-8. God opposes the proud, but gives grace o the humble, Submit yourselves then to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. (p.67-80)
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            REFLECTION: How strong is your prayer connection with God? Would you consider your prayer a ballast that is in a sailboat and can return the boat upright? Does your prayer time include “I wants” more than Thank you. How strong is your prayer life today?
            In reading Hebrews 4 does knowing Jesus experience a human life like ours bring you closer to God the Father? How? Why?

PRAYER
Holy God as we reflect on Jesus as the great High priest enable us to realize who he really is. Show us your way, your life and enable us to holy on to you. Amen.

This reflection is based upon some ideas offered by Gary Inrig in his book, True North: Discovering God’s Way in a Changing World,  Discovery House Publishers, 2002; ch.4

Canadian Bible Society presents “Bible Week” resources for October and November 2014.This is a seven day focus on God’s Word for churches and individuals. Each day, walk through a short devotion designed to help you appreciate God’s Word and to take action. To register for free go to biblesociety.ca/bible-week.

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