Helping by Prayer
God has put it in our power
to help each other in many ways, sometimes by deeds that lift away burdens;
sometimes by sympathy that halves the sorrow. But, there is no other way in
which we can serve wisely, so effectively, so divinely, solely interceding for
them.
Our hands are clumsy and
awkward, and often life would heal with our touch or strength . . .
“. .Not by my strength but by thine
alone/own. .”
. . .but in prayers we can reach our friend through God’s grace.
Because God’s hand has an infinitely more gentle touch that would NOT hurt but
only heal us in our time of need. We know that our wisdom, and at times the
help we give is untimely (we offer help after the horse has bolted, yet only
then do we think to close the stable door), or unwise. When we try and fix that
which is no longer broken, thus making mess. We need to learn when to let go.
There are times we think we
are helping by lifting a friends burdens, that God needs them to carry by
themselves. You might be forgiven that by doing this we are making his burdens
lighter. But it was Gods intention to make it harder for our friend for his own
good, for his own development of his powers.
Don’t be disheartened that by
not saving our friend from the burdens & . .Hardship ~ self-denial ~ Perilous-duty ~ Exhausting-Service . .
when these are the very paths with which God will lead him to . .
·
The paths to Honour
·
To Longer Usefulness
·
To Nobler Life
. . all be it at times our love is short sighted.
This goes to show that we may
all think we are helping our friend, when we really are doing anything but.
When we are actually hindering him in the very things that deeply concern his
life. Instead of hindering in the flesh, we can use a tool that will be far
more effective. In prayer we can let God know we have faith in our belief that
our prayers will be answered in fullness.
In our prayers we can ask for
help in which our friend will feel His divine healing. Who so ever fails to
pray for ones whom we love, is a miss, in the most sacred duty of God’s Grace,
not to mention His divine healing power.
“A prayer less love may be tender
And may speak murmuring words of sweetness
Sound, but it leaves the deepest expression
and the noblest of speech. We never want
To help our dear ones so well as when we
Pray for them.
Romans 8 26 “.
. Likewise the Spirit also
helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we
ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning’s which cannot be
uttered. .”
As Christians we
should know how to pray. The thing is how many of us, as newly saved Christian’s,
were taken aside and over a number of weeks, were taught how to pray, using the
Bible as direction? “pray for as we ought”. This is something
sadly lacking, the only true direction for those just saved is called the
‘Alpha Course’.
We truly have a
gift/tool to help us if only tapped into. There are some ‘Evangelists’’, some
have a good reputation. There are 2 that who are known even out of Church
circles. .
1. Billy Graham
2. Benny Hinn
. . it has been
reported both have a good & bad reputations for ‘Healing’. Jesus healed
many ailments. All He asked for was ‘Faith
& Belief’, which sadly many today will lack one or both.
Luke 8 49-50 “. .While He
was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your
daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”But
when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe,
and she will be made well. .”
When a man can do nothing else, he would do well to remember this little
saying to the great river of intercessory prayer which is always flowing up to
the throne of God. The river is made up of such sayings as the Ocean is of
drips . .
“A praying man can never be a
useless man”
. . it is also well, that we think
carefully of the things we ask for our friends. There is a danger that exists
in prayer for ourselves, that we press only our own will for them and request
for them only of an earthly kind.
Philippians 3 19
“. . whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on
earthly things. .”
Another form of prayer is that of a Mother’s.
Her prayer for her children will always be first, that may win Earthly honour,
but, that they be complete in God’s will, and become what God has intended them
to be. The best place they can reach in this World is that which God designed
them when He gave them life.
· “What shall our prayer be”?
· “That our friend may recover”?
Isn’t that what we want otherwise, do we
pray and not mean it? Prayers should
always be offered up in love, or we may ask aimlessly. Jesus prayed 3 times
that His cup of sorrow might
pass. .
This must not be all what He’s about!
We
should ask. .
This must not be all what ‘It’s’ all about!
It would be sad if our friend were to get
well and NOT to get some blessing out of his sickness. Once he has made full
recovery, we pray that he may be enriched in spiritual experiences. .
Also ~ that he be in a closer relationship
with Christ our Lord..
Also ~ that his life may be purified..
Also ~ that he made more thoughtful, gentle,
unselfish, more Christ like..
Also ~ that he be made more perfect and
complete in the will of God. .
. . it may be needful to
qualify the power that our friend will recover. It may also Gods will that our
friend should now go home. We may still give vent to loves yearning that he
will get better, but at the close of our supplication we must submit it all to
Gods wisdom in the refrain. .
“never the less, not as I will, but as though wilt”
. .if love be true, it’s
always the best thing that we ask for our dear ones when we pray. Heaven will
be the crowning glory of our lives in Immortal Glory & Blessedness. As we
begin to pray we remember that the truest and most loving prayer for Him be, that our friend must stand most
perfect and complete in all God’s will. Possibly his load is part of God’s will
to bring out the best that is in him.
Here’s something to think of in that, when
we decide to pray for our friends, we need to first and for most, pray of their
spiritual good & wellbeing. In doing so we must seek above all things that
the prayer and supplications offered up will sustain and lift them, so they
will grow into the beautiful person in Gods eye’s and help them to have a
wonderfully perfected Christian character.
Surely you will have a poor and thoughtless
friendship which desires the utter most Earthly good. It is asking of you a
stone instead of bread or perhaps a scorpion instead of an egg, or a serpent
instead of a fish.
‘Archdeacon Farrar, was once quoted in saying
‘There are 2 things to remember about prayer for
Earthly things. .
1.
That too ask for an Earthly blessing is
a dreadfully dwarfing and an vulgarization of the grandeur of prayer, as though
a handful of grass, when you might ask for a handful of Emeralds.
2.
You must always ask for Earthly desires
with complete and absolute submission of your own will, to Gods’.
We are to make sure that these things be as
true of prayers, as for our friends as for ourselves. We do our friends a grave
injustice as well as sin against our loved ones when we seek for them merely
the things of our frail short-sighted judgement may desire for them.
“. .love is true only when it comes and rises up to
Heavenly heights, craves for those who are
dear to the things of Gods own blessed
& perfect will. This is and will always never
Be easy. .”
It will always be hard for us to say ‘Thy will be
done’. NO one will relinquish the reigns to their life to Jesus
Christ. Knowing that it means our loved ones must endure some pain or walk in
deep shadows, or be humbled under Gods hand.
No matter whether for ourselves or for our
friends, we dare not in prayers press our own wishes against Gods. .”Even though it
be a cross that raiseth”. .this must be our own cry for our friends
as well as for ourselves. . .
“The strength of pleading must be the same”
. . .someday we shall
know that our love was the truest, when it was asked in pain and loss for one
who was dear, and Why?.
May be this poem will go to answering some
of the questions you might have…
I sometimes think Gods tender
heart must ache
Listening to all the sad
complaining cries,
That from our weak, impotent souls
arise, Because
we don’t see that for our sake, He answers
not, or answers otherwise, Than seems
the best
to our tear-blinded eye, This is loves hardest
task,
to hard things For loves own sake,
then bear the
murmurings Of ignorance to dull to
judge aright.
The love that rises to this wond’rous
height
He wearies not, but bears
complaint and moan
And shields each will heart
against His
Own knowing that some glad day we
too
Shall know.
