The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Pastor Richard Zimmerman First United Lutheran Church When is the last time you prayed? You can count "crisis" or "panic" prayers because all prayer is good, but I think you'll agree that there's a whole lot more to real prayer than pushing the fire alarm button in an emergency. I want to share with you my personal belief that prayer really does help and it's the bedrock foundation of a person's spiritual life. It should be as much a part of our lives as eating or sleeping! What would happen if we ate or slept once a week or so, or only when we felt we really needed to? We'd be in bad shape! Jesus Himself prayed, often all night, sometimes in great agony of soul, as in the garden of Gethsemane the night before Good Friday and other times with great confidence, as at the tomb of His friend Lazarus in Bethany. His last word from Calvary's cross was a prayer from Psalm 31 in the Old Testament, words His mother Mary had no doubt taught Him as a child: "Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit." Jesus prayed for His apostle Peter He prays for all of us: "He is forever able to save the people He leads to God, because He always lives to pray to God for them" (Hebrews 7:25). He gave us the perfect prayer most of us have known all our lives, the Lord's Prayer. Note in that prayer that six of the seven items we pray for are spiritual (God's name, His kingdom, His will, forgiveness, rescue from temptation and deliverance for evil) are spiritual needs, while only one (daily bread) is material. So how can we define prayer? Better yet, how can we pray? We pray in the name of Jesus our Saviour, through whom all good things come to everyone who believes in Him, forgiveness, life and eternal salvation. And keep these three quick points in mind: (1) prayer is placing your life in God's hands and (2) asking him to do what is best for you, and (3) seeking His help to accept His answer to your prayer in faith. May our heavenly Father bless you as you pray to Him in the holy and saving name of Jesus His Son!
