Wednesday, October 6: Goal!

In hockey, one of the greatest achievements is a hat trick, one player scoring three goals in the same game. Goals are not the only achievements recorded for a player, as “assists” is another important category. Hockey is such a fast-moving sport that two assists can be recorded for one goal, with the assist being a pass of the puck that leads directly to that goal. For Christians, God always gets the goals, but we can get assists through prayer. Unlike hockey, there is no limit on the number of play-ers (or pray-ers) getting assists in God’s book!


What or who is at the top of your prayer list? Prayer is such an untapped source among believers, involving us in the processes of God! Even though it is obvious that Paul was a powerful preacher, precious pastor and talented theologian, if you read between the lines, it is also obvious that he was a devoted man of prayer. When reading through the epistles, there is constant mention of people on Paul’s prayer list. Paul understood that anyone in his life had been divinely placed there, so Paul encouraged them, yet also asked God for His guidance and protection in their lives.


One of the best examples of prayer in the Bible is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer, in which Jesus gives His disciples a lesson in how to pray. Located in both Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, Jesus shows us what our prayers should include:

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13


The prayer begins with an acknowledgment of God and praise to Him. Notice that the prayer continues by asking for the Lord’s will to be done, and proceeds with a request for Satan’s dominion over this broken earth to come to an end, with the Lord’s kingdom to come in its place. Next, Jesus teaches us to ask for the Lord to feed us. Daily bread can be enough physical food to survive, yet the spiritual food of God’s Word is imperative to our healthy growth as Christians! Additionally, we should ask for the Lord’s forgiveness, while acknowledging that God also requires us to forgive others who have sinned against us. We also should ask for God’s protection, keeping us from temptation. The prayer finishes with another acknowledgment of our God; He rules over us, has all power and deserves every bit of the glory, eternally. “So be it,” is the meaning of “amen,” the way we end our prayers.


That prayer does not remotely resemble the prayer of the typical believer, who instead of concentrating on the needs of others, uses prayer in the same way that a greedy child writes his Christmas wish list for Santa Claus. “I want this and this and this and this!” Though there is nothing wrong with praying for our own needs, God already has promised that He will supply every need! Obviously, the distance between our needs and our perceived needs can be as wide as the Grand Canyon! Have you wondered why each and every prayer of Jesus was answered immediately? Jesus always prayed in the will of the Father!


There is one God manifested in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All three persons are equal, but have different roles. Jesus always submits to the will of the Father. Consequently, He did not need the heart change that we do when praying. That is the greatest aspect of prayer in the life of a believer, bringing our hearts in line with God’s heart.


Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

In this conditional statement, to delight ourselves in the Lord refers to our love relationship with Him. What is the greatest desire our hearts would have if our relationship with Jesus was paramount in our lives? To draw even closer to Him! He loves us so much that He prays for our needs before we even are aware that they are needs!


Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Romans 8:34


Knowing that God supplies our needs, our greatest prayers as believers are for our friends and families who do not know the Lord! Many of us are indebted to other believers, who prayed for us when we had no knowledge of God or relationship with Him. Additionally, when our fellow believers are under attack, God desires to hear from us. That demonstrates our love for His saints, and pleases God! Lastly, when you are asking for God’s will to be done, pray with faith, for we serve a God who listens, cares and answers!


16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
James 5:16-18