Ever since the beginning of this year (with the exception of the week I was sick), I have devoted myself to getting up at least an hour before everyone else in the house does, in order to give the Lord the first hour of my day in prayer and Bible reading. I have found that this practice has a calming effect on me and sets the tone for how I handle various situations throughout the day.
This morning, I was joined by an unexpected (but welcome) prayer partner - my oldest son, who received Christ less than a year ago. I showed him my prayer journal and explained what each page contained, then I proceeded to pray out loud for each circumstance listed. He did not join in the prayer with me; he was content to be shown the whats and hows, to listen and only speak when asked a question.
One of the items I prayed for with him was the restoration of João and his family to Faith Baptist Church in Sorocaba, Brazil. Upon reading Mike Jewell's blog this morning, I discovered a partial answer to that prayer! I love it when I'm moved to stop everything in the middle of the day and pray again...just to give thanks and praise. It can be a truly wonderful feeling. I look forward to sharing this information with my son later, to demonstrate that God does indeed answer prayer, and to show him another important facet of prayer life - praise!
As I neared the end of my prayer list this morning, I came to asking God's continued guidance and direction for my life in serving Him, for the proper Christian education of my children, and for His help in teaching me how to be a good father. It didn't hit me at the time, but looking back now I realize that God was giving an answer to my prayer as I spoke! He gave me the opportunity to show my son how to pray, something we have been struggling with for some time now. As with many children, his idea of praying is to simply recite.
Saying the same thing over and over again in prayer causes the prayer to lose its value. When you use only repetition in prayer, the words become meaningless, and you lose sight of what it is you're actually doing - talking to your Father in Heaven. Both my wife and I have attempted to break our children of this habit at the dinner table, with limited success. I hope that today's experience will serve to give my son a deeper understanding of what prayer is and why it is important.
Father, thank You for the many beautiful and often subtle ways in which You reveal yourself to me in daily life. Thank You for the many opportunities You give me to serve You day by day. Please continue to guide me along the path that You have chosen for me, that I might be better equipped to guide others, especially my children, in their own personal walk with You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." - Matthew 6:7-8
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