"Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, that calls me from a world of care. And bids me at my Father's throne, makes all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief my soul has often found relief, and oft escape the temptor's snare by thy return sweet hour of prayer."
Prayer really does call us from the things of the world so we can focus on God...and prayer is the only way to escape the temptations this world's snares can bring.
Imagine, though, being a disciple with Jesus walking along side you in the flesh, and having him there to talk with as a "person." What reality! What joy! All the more puzzling when, during the Last Supper, anticipating his death, Jesus said, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away."
What? How could that be good? Why not stay and solve world hunger? Why not cure all the strains of virus and bacterial infections then and now? Why not eliminate the possibility of terrorists and global bullies?
An excerpt from Philip Yancey's Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference says:
"Soon the disciples who were accustomed to presenting their questions, complaints, and requests to Jesus in persons would have to fall back on a different approach: Prayer. Of all the means God could have used, prayer seems the weakest, slipperiest, and easiest to ignore. So it is, unless Jesus was right in that most baffling claim. He went away for our
sakes, as a form of power sharing, to invite us into direct communion with God and to give us a crucial role in the struggle against the forces of evil."
Prayer. It does make a difference. It changes us. It gives us a voice over evil. It gives us a desire to have God at our side to resore relationships. It reminds us of who is in control. And as Christians it allows us to stay strong in the reality of God's love, grace, death, resurrection and promise of eternal life.
Make a difference today.
