Father, as I read the prayer requests over the last few days and prayed for your people my spirit was deeply grieved. In reading many of the responses to prayer rather than praying for your will to be done I found much criticism of many requests from those who came to request prayer. I also saw criticism of some of the prayers that were made in their behalf. Please remind us of who we are called to be as prayer warriors. Remind us that our function is to seek your face and discern what YOU would have us to pray...not to judge others for their heartfelt requests or the prayers that are made in behalf of their situations as directed by You. Your word says it best...
John 8:7 Let him who is without sin cast the first stone (paraphrase)
We are all sinners saved by the grace of God through the shed blood of His Son, our Lord Jesus the Christ. None of us has lived up to the standard of Christ everyday of our lives. If we had we would not need a Savior. Father help us to love one another and to leave the judging to your Son. Soon he will come to judge the living and the dead. When he arrives let those of us who toil in the ministry of prayer be found with softened hearts and compassionate and clean spirits. Let us be found with desire planted deep in our hearts to bring peace and comfort to those in need and respite to their hurting.
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Let us not forget that our righteousness appears as little more than filthy rags to You the Lord our God. Let us not become like the Pharisees who were righteous in their own sight and through their misdirection and erring thoughts condemned the Son of God who did only good and only the will of the Father. We do not remember the names of these men who lived and preached legalism, but He whom they condemned will be remembered and worshiped through all eternity now and in the world to come as the Risen Savior, Jesus the Christ the only perfect man who took back the keys of the heavenly kingdom for those of us on earth from Satan. Our Lord came to fulfill the law and by doing so ended the legalism by which man had tried to live and failed to accomplish since creation. It is therefore clearly outside of the will of God for us to say you should not pray for this or that for this or that reason...The Lord says present our petitions to him and believe...Only He can answer prayer and only He can judge them. Through answered and unanswered prayer alike he teaches us daily about his will for our lives.
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Through His sacrifice and the second covenant we may live freely by following the teachings of the Son. We are also told to ask freely for the desires of our hearts. His teachings are of peace and forgiveness not criticism and judgement. He reserves that right for You the Father through Himself.
Father help us to be more loving and to respect the gifts that each of us bring to your kingdom. They were given by You to each of us and they are to serve You not our own opinions or ourselves. Teach us to pray as Your Son says we ought and help us to develop greater love and tolerance for ourselves and our brothers and sisters.
Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
In the name of Jesus our soon and coming King...Amen.
(This post was last modified: 05-01-2012 12:17 PM by adoring1.)