Wonder in Prayer

    The last few months have been a whirlwind for me. As many of you know, the Lord has called me into full-time vocational ministry. God has blessed me with many new opportunities. One of the most precious ministries to me comes along every Tuesday morning. Here at Liberty we call it Morning Manna. About 10 to 15 men have breakfast together, share testimonies, and reflect on the Word of God. This is a great time of fellowship. During these early mornings, we have had many laughs but also have shed some tears with one another. But in all things, we have prayed.
    One of the hardest things in day-to-day ministry is hearing from those who are suffering in their lives. It may be an emotional hurt or a physical pain. Either way it is tough to see a friend go through these tough battles. On the other hand, I can truly say one of the most beautiful things I see is suffering in the lives of believers. This truth became apparent to me as I ate breakfast with fellow brothers in Christ during our weekly Morning Manna this past Tuesday. I realized that we, as spiritual individuals, need each other. And other than Christ himself, the thing that binds us together is prayer. Story after story of answered prayer poured out as we sat together. These are stories of changed hearts, changed minds, and ultimately changed souls.
    This past Sunday we were blessed to have Christian dramatist Doug Whitley here at our local church. From the outset, you could tell that he was not here to entertain. He brought to life great men of God such as D.L. Moody, George Mueller, and Charles Spurgeon. These men, while great evangelists and theologians, were also great men of prayer. It dawned on me that for as long as I can remember, men have been praying for radical change in their lives and in the lives of others. That need is no different today than it was 200 years ago for these great men of the faith.
    Recently I have been reading the book by Albert Mohler called The Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down. This book is a thoughtful and illuminating reflection on Matthew 6:9-13, where the Lord’s Prayer is found. In this book, Mohler says “the Lord’s Prayer is the shortest prayer in the Bible, but it takes us a lifetime to learn.” If we could take the time and study this prayer, we would be astonished by how God uses prayer in our lives to grow our faith; to grow us closer together; and most importantly, to grow us closer to Himself. Don’t waste another day without authentic prayer in your life. Sometime soon I encourage you to look deeply at the Lord’s Prayer. You will find many soul satisfying truths as you digest these verses. It only takes twenty seconds to read, but I promise it will be a lifetime of blessing. If you are going to wonder in anything today, wonder in the magnificent privilege of prayer.