“I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!” (Psalm 116:1-2, NLT)
Imagine having the private telephone number to the President of the United States; or Warren Buffet’s personal e-mail address; or Bill Gates’ unlisted Skype number (yes, Microsoft owns Skype, too!). Imagine having an invitation to contact any one of them, at any time you wanted, for any reason, as often as you would like.
Imagine the resources at your disposal!
All rolled into one — and any 100 other people you might choose to add — this resource would not be as big, or as powerful, as the help we have available from our heavenly Father.
As children of God, we have God’s “ear.” The psalmist reminds us that He “bends down to listen” to us.
Prayer is the child of God’s lifeline; and God values this relationship, as well. For example, He answered the prayers of the ancient saints; His only begotten Son taught us how to pray; and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.
There is no substitute for prayer in the life of a Christian disciple. There is no substitute for prayer in a disciple’s relationship with his or her Lord. Resolve, as the psalmist did, to “pray as long as I have breath.”
In the words of the hymn: “O, what peace we often forfeit; o, what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.” – Luther
