By Pastor Anthony Scott
Before the Battle of Edgehill, Sir Jacob Astley prayed, “O Lord!, thou knowest how busy I must be this day; if I forget thee, do not forget me.
We should begin this New Year with a renewed faith in God. A renewed faith filled with excitement and anticipation that is based on prayerful reflection. Our resolve for 2018 should be a determination to move forward by faith and not by sight. The words of Albert A. Goodson come immediately to my mind, “We’ve come this far by faith; leaning on the Lord; Trusting in His Holy Word, He’s never failed me yet.”
Life during the New Year will certainly be paired with new ups and downs. It will be coupled with new joys as well as new sorrows. There will be battles lost and victories won. The only constant and guarantee is that God will be with us all the way. This is why it is imperative to begin the New Year in prayer.
So let us begin by praying for proper motivation. Our motives are those desires or needs that drive us to action. As followers of Christ it is of supreme importance that we have proper motivation for all that we endeavor to do with the new opportunities that are ahead.
Let’s also pray for divine guidance. As we face the challenges that are coming, we should recognize that there are obstacles on any path to progress. In order to walk with confidence in a manner that glorifies God, we need His guidance each step of this journey.
We should likewise pray for proper purpose. The controlling purpose of one’s life is of tremendous value. Most people never achieve anything of real significance because they have never discovered their purpose for being. All of our activity is properly driven by a real sense of knowing the reason for our existence.
As redeemed children of God praying for an unsaved world should be a priority. The vast number of unsaved people around us should grieve our hearts and compel us to compassion for the world in which we live. This should motivate us in earnest to ask God to burden our heart for those who do not yet know our Savior. As He places this burden for souls on our heart, we will be more inclined to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Finally, we should pray a prayer of personal dedication. Life is made up of decisions. The Christian life, if it is genuine and fruitful, is made up of a continuous series of decisions that bring us closer and closer to God’s purpose. My observations of prayer in my own life and in the lives of others, reveals that we all have experienced perceived disappointment in prayer. In a real sense there are times we feel God just does not hear or answer our requests. For those critical moments of doubt, here is my offer of encouragement. Those who pray the least are those with little confidence in prayer. Those who pray the most are those with the most confidence in prayer.
There was a little boy who wanted very much to have a little brother or sister to play with. So he prayed that God would send him a little brother or sister. He continued in prayer for several weeks but saw no sign that his request was being granted. In despair he quit praying. A few months later, his mother gave birth to twins. His comment upon seeing his new brother and sister was, “I’m glad I quit praying when I did.” God answers prayer!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! #2018
