Prayer Evokes Your Infinite Ability
- Category: Gospel Truth
- Date 21-09-2014
- 422 views
Prayer is submission to the Divine identity to generate success. A person, who prays surrenders to the Divine Authority, expresses helplessness and pleads for help. Prayer means that you are calling upon a higher intellect than your own. By praying frequently, you go beyond your limited ability to attain a higher capability. All human effort must be buttressed by Devine Providence to yield meaningful outcomes. Man is a mixture of earthly substance and divine character; it is necessary to evoke the internal divinity in whatever you do to achieve your goals. The natural way to express our divine character is through prayer.
The Bible shows that “With God, nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37). God is an integral part of every personality, which means you can achieve anything you want if you fully apply your God-given potential. To pray is to go beyond your personal life and tap into the God within. God created man in His image and gave him life by puffing His own breath into him (Genesis 2:7). In this way, God infused Himself with man and is the cause of human success.
Jesus Christ compares the unity of God and man with the bond between a tree and branch. “No branch can produce fruits by itself; it must remain on the vine…. I am the vine; you are the branches… (John 5:4-5). He also gives instructions on how to make the God-man bond unbroken, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood, lives in me and I in him (John 6:56). Through Holy Communion, a Christian is able to receive the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ; and the Eucharist is the best way to replenish the Divine presence within.
Prayer is the acknowledgement of God’s participation in your private and public affairs and, since nothing is impossible for Him, we are always sure to register success through prayers. By praying, we express confidence in the infinite power of our Creator to pay attention to our needs and desires. The key word is “confidence” which may also be described as ‘faith’ or ‘trust’. It may also be described as ‘the will’; a person’s inner drive to commit resources in terms of time, mind and body to get results. When you allow your human character to dominate the Divine identity within, your propensity to pray becomes suppressed, along with it, your sacredness. Jesus Christ encouraged people to pray always, but also lamented that many are too weak to pray adequately. He said, “Stay awake and pray all of you…. The spirit is willing but the body is weak” (Mark 14:38). Prayer therefore demands deliberate effort to interact with God.
In Gethsemane, the disciples were overcome by drowsiness. Jesus wished they could stay alert to witness his final moments before crucifixion. At heart, the disciples desired to continue interacting with him but were physically pooped and tended to sleep. Although Jesus understood their human weakness, he advised them not merely to be strong and remain awake but mainly to pray. Prayer is a conversation with God. A good conversation involves speaking and listening to one another; an exchange of views in an interactive way. To have a fruitful dialogue with God, you should be able to talk and listen to your heart for the obligations God assigns you. Listen to the lessons He wants you to learn in order to reach your intentions.
When you pray with sincerity, you earn God’s grace to achieve anything that you would otherwise have not been able to accomplish. Jesus Christ says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you… everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). There are standards to uphold in order for prayers may be answered. St. James says, “…you do not get what you want because you do not pray for it. You pray for something and do not get it because you pray with the wrong motive…” (James 4:2-3). If you want God to listen to your prayers, repent your sins and bear no malice at heart; “…if you stand to pray…forgive, so that your heavenly Father may also forgive your sins (Mark 11:24-26).
When you pray, do not give God deadlines. He knows the best time to grant your prayers. In his heydays, Zechariah prayed for a son but only got the answer when he was very old. He was utterly surprised when the angel told him, “…be assured that your prayer has been heard… your wife will bear a son” (Luke 1:13-14). Prayer demands patience. “With a little patience, you will persuade the judge… (Proverbs 25:15). Prayer also demands effort. Hannah was childless unlike her co-wife, Penninah who irritated her so much that Hannah always wept and failed to eat. While in the temple, she was so consumed in prayer that the priest thought she was drunk. Praying for a son, she finally produced Samuel (Samuel 1:11).
Hannah’s conduct shows that prayer requires full attention. Prayer time should be quality time, without necessarily being too long and wordy. “When you pray, do not use a lot words as the pagans do…. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8). This means also that you should be organised when you pray. Be consistent with prayer. Do not pray when in need, only to forget when you are in good times. “Pray continually and do not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). You must also have faith when you pray. Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it shall be done for you (Mark 11:24). God answers prayers which are offered with faith.
God is part and parcel of you as St. Paul states, “…you are God’s temple…the Spirit abides within you…God’s temple is holy and you are this temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). When you pray, you summon the self-confidence and self-belief. You inspire yourself as the major agent for causing success in your life.
Venansio Ahabwe is a lay Christian in the Archdiocese of Mbarara.
By Venansio Ahabwe
Source: Gospel Truth, Leadership Magazine