by Stanley Grabill
1. To Be Like Jesus
People brought young children to Him for Him to lay His hands on them and pray for them, and He did not turn them away (Matthew 19:13). He prayed for Peter “that his faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32). After exhausting days of ministry, he withdrew to pray, relying on prayer for renewed strength. He prayed at His baptism (Luke 3:21). He prayed and continued all night in prayer before choosing His twelve disciples (Luke 6:12-13). When He was transfigured, He took three of the disciples and “went up on the mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28). He often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed (Luke 5:16). “He offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear” (Hebrews 5:7). “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
Prayer is a matter of bringing together heaven’s resources
2. To Keep A Right Perspective
When we consider men like Abraham, Joseph, and Daniel, and the ungodly cultures in which the lived, it raises the question, “how did these men keep their spiritual equilibrium — how did they keep their hearts set on God and their thinking straight?” Abraham went out under the stars and talked with God. Joseph had God’s perspective on the situation with his brothers (“God meant it for good”), no doubt after many years of praying. In defiance of the King’s decree, Daniel opened his window toward Jerusalem three times a day and prayed to God. He did as he was used to doing since the early days of his captivity.
When the cares of life press in; when trials are very real; when circumstances leave us feeling helpless and afraid; when we are surrounded by ungodliness and evil; time spent alone in the presence of God will serve to keep our hearts set, our minds renewed, and our inner man strengthened. Prayer serves to restore clarity when truth is called into question by naysayers and the evil culture in which we live. Prayer helps us to see life from God’s perspective.
Prayer helps us to see life from God’s perspective.
3. To Bring Heaven and Earth Together
God desires to come alongside us and be our supply. He is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). The Lord is “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He is an expert on suffering. If there is pain in our life, He understands. If we are hurting, He has been there too. He is able and willing to help us. God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
About the Author
Rev. Stanley Grabill is a 1995 graduate of Allegheny Wesleyan College and has pastored for 22 years. He currently pastors the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Salem, Ohio. He and his wife Sandra have been married for 28 years and have three children, a married son, a daughter in college, and a daughter in elementary school.
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