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Prayer is Work
By Norbert Isles
Contrary to what may seem to be its lack of action and what others may feel as mere wishful thinking, prayer is work. Prayer - intercession - is effective action that produces results. Just as a driver transports people, a teacher produces knowledgeable students, a manager achieves company objectives and a factory worker comes out with technological products, so does a pray-er brings about concrete results. "The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (James 5:16, NAB). As Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote: "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of." As work, however, it demands more from us than our normal day to day work because it is not an easier task in itself. This can be quite evident when we try to do an hour or two of prayer and compare it with doing our normal daily tasks. It will be obvious that much more is needed to keep oneself praying for say an hour. While it is normal to perform an 8-hour work daily, a one-hour daily prayer is not a habit easily developed, much less a whole day prayer, even less an all-night prayer. It is not by nature an easy task. Ordinarily, a host of internal and external resistance comes up at the slight suggestion to prayer. The most common internal resistance is plain laziness and the most common external resistance is the tyranny of the urgent which may reflect an attitude that relegates prayer as waste of precious time. Prayer requires basic things any other work needs to succeed in what it intends to achieve. Primarily, it is desire,willingness or intent to perform all that is necessary to achieve the ends for which one engaged to. And once one commits to this task, power from on high comes to override lethargy or temptation to quit. What truly powers this desire is the fundamental belief that God answers prayers. It is confidence, not in prayer per se, but confidence in God - that he answers prayers simply because he said so and ordains that we come to him. "Ask, and it will be given you" (Matthew 7:7, RSV). The most picturesque image of an intercessor is description of the Lord Jesus himself as model of one who gives himself totally in praying for us. "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear" (Hebrews 5:7, RSV). Thus, prayer is work that demands the best from a person. That best is love; love makes everything possible and workable. To take up the challenge of prayer and remain standing one's ground till one's powerful intentions are realized calls for love, love for God - a passion for his kingdom - and compassion for his people, a nation called after his name - a Christian nation, like the Philippines. And that love manifests as precious time spent in prayer, valued much, much more than the peso value in the balance sheet of life's activities. "And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9. RSV).
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Hi Norbert, I do not fully agree with you, prayer is not work to me, it is a special time I take to discuss my life and problems and needs with my creator - that is not work. It is a quite moment opening your heart to the Most High - asking for forgiveness and thanking for all you have. We are who we are through the grace of God, and therefore in prayer we praise and thank Him... that is NOT work. Enjoy your weekend.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
HI Rita, thank you for sharing that dimension of prayer, I'm glad you too have that experience.
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This intel was contributed by Norbert
Norbert
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May, 2012
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