LATER ON IN LIFE I HAD ANOTHER EXPERIENCE WITH PRAYING OUT LOUD. I WAS IN A BIBLE STUDY AND WHEN I JOINED IT, I HAD NO IDEA THEY TOOK TURNS EACH WEEK AT PRAYING. I TOLD THEM RIGHT UP FRONT THAT I DIDN'T PRAY OUT LOUD.
IN THE PAST FEW YEARS I HAVE PRAYED OUT LOUD IN A LOT OF MEETINGS BUT TRUTHFULLY, I STILL HAD RATHER NOT. LET ME EXPLAIN. PRAYER, TO ME, IS PERSONAL BETWEEN GOD AND ME. MOST OF THE TIME I JUST TALK TO HIM, NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING, BUT JUST THANKING HIM FOR ALL THAT HE HAS DONE, AND IS DOING IN MY LIFE. THEN THERE ARE TIMES I PRAY FOR OTHERS, ASKING HIM TO HELP THEM IN THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THEIR LIVES. I ALSO ASK HIM HIS ADVICE ON THINGS. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED HOW MUCH HE WILL LET YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE JUST OPEN TO WHAT HE IS SAYING IN YOUR HEART. SOMETIMES A BIBLE VERSE WILL COME TO MIND AND I WILL STUDY IT. HE WANTS THE BEST FOR US AND IF WE WILL JUST HAVE THAT PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, OUR LIVES WILL BE SO MUCH BETTER.
I WILL PRAY WITH YOU, OR FOR YOU, FOR YOUR HEALING, PROSPERITY OR ANY OTHER THING YOU NEED PRAYER FOR. I TRY TO MAKE IT PERSONAL WITH THOSE I AM PRAYING WITH BECAUSE IF THEY DO NOT BELIEVE, THE PRAYER WILL NOT WORK.
THE BIBLE SAYS THAT WHEN WE PRAY WE MUST BELIEVE WE HAVE RECEIVED IT AND THEN WE SHALL HAVE IT. IF THE PERSON IS NOT BELIEVING HE HAS RECEIVED THE ANSWER TO HIS PRAYER, THEN WE ARE WASTING OUR BREATH. ANOTHER THING IS THAT IF THEY DON'T SEE THE RESULTS WITHIN MINUTES, THEY SAY "WELL, IT DIDN'T WORK". HOWEVER, A DOCTOR WILL GIVE THEM A BUNCH OF PILLS AND TELL THEM TO TAKE THEM FOR TWO WEEKS AND IF THEY ARE NO BETTER THEN COME BACK. THEY WILL DO THAT BUT THEY WON'T GIVE GOD TWO MINUTES. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. TRUST IN GOD THAT HE WILL KEEP HIS PROMISES. IT COMES DOWN TO "DO YOU BELIEVE THE BIBLE"? THE BIBLE IS GOD'S WORD SO IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO "DO YOU BELIEVE GOD"?
SO, IF YOU ARE ASKED TO HAVE THE PRAYER AT ONE OF YOUR MEETING AND YOU HAVE PROBLEMS PRAYING OUT LOUD, JUST BE HONEST AND TELL THEM. THERE IS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF. IT WOULD BE BETTER TO DO THAT THAN TO PRAY A PRAYER TO IMPRESS THE PEOPLE INSTEAD OF PRAYING TO GOD.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
