The Prayer Series (Part 2)

WaumbaLand, the name of the Sunday School Program of Quest (the church that we go to), requires the child to be free from any illness 24 hours prior to class. And because of that, I couldn't take Zaira to church with us. Borjie is at my in-law's house for his weekly sleepover, so Aldrich and I decided to take the afternoon service last Sunday.

Pastor Les continued on with his series on Prayer. The previous week, he talked about how important it is to have a quiet time with God, and to make prayer a private matter. This week, he talked about how to pray.

When we pray, we first should acknowledge to whom we are talking to. We are greatly privileged to be given the right to call Him "Father". It means that we should be establishing a relationship with Him, on a personal basis. It is important that we acknowledge Him for His greatness and divinity, that we glorify His name.

Second, we should remember to surrender our will. In Matthew 6: 10 it says "..thy will be done" It means that when we pray, we should be willing to allow God's plans for our lives to prevail, and not our will. And third, we must acknowledge our dependence on Him, on a day-to-day basis. We must always remember that there's nothing we could do without Him.

Prayer is not about our wants, our needs, our desires. God knows them before we even before we ask. What matters most about prayer is how we connect with our Lord and Savior.

The Prayer Series (Part I)

The whole household, together with my brother and his family went to church last Sunday. It was the first time in many years that we went to the same church together, since for the past weeks, we went to different churches, as my they ususally go to my sister's sending church, and Aldrich and I preferred to go to Quest since the kids enjoy the Sunday School there. Also, my youth pastor, who officiated our wedding, also serves there. Last Sunday, we all went to Quest.
Pastor Les talked about prayer. I've been a Christian for half my life and has served in several ministries. And he was right. I thought I know all I need to know about prayer, but I don't. The message has revealed several truths about prayer and I felt that all my life, I wasn't really praying, but merely stating my needs.
God knows our needs even before we pray for it. So why bother praying? Because it is through prayer that our relationship with Him deepens. That is why the Bible states the need to pray in private, because you can't establish a good relationship in public.
Because I live a busy life, I pray while on the run. In the cab, in the jeepney, sometimes in the restroom and even at times when I am waiting for something or someone. But the one point that Pastor Les stressed last Sunday was the importance of closing the door and praying in private. It's not about the quality or quantity of your words, but the connection God feels in your prayer that matters.
Aldrich and I are careful with our marriage. We make it a point to communicate regularly, and we go out on dates without the kids to maintain the kind of closeness that we have. And just like our human relationships, our relationship with God requires communicating with Him on a regular and private basis for it to flourish.
Last Sunday, Pastor Les started out a new series on prayer. If you wanna hear about it, you may come with me to church.