This week in the United States a National Day of Prayer will be observed. As I read in Deuteronomy today, I was struck by how many times Moses fasted and prayed for the people of Israel. Three times he fasted for forty days–once while receiving the handwritten covenant of God, and twice on behalf of the people’s sins. He said in Deuteronomy 9:18,
“And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread not drank water, because of all your sin…”
He was a true intercessor of prayer. This is a special calling, a heavy burden–to pray for the spiritual health and well-being of others, to stand in the gap for many. Not all can attain to this high calling of intercession, yet God has called all of us to be people of prayer! In Psalm 95:6, we are admonished to come before the Lord our God with singing, praises, thanksgiving, and prayers.
“O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker”.
Prayer is a habit that must be learned and nurtured. It does not come easily for many believers. It requires discipline and time to develop our prayer life. I must admit, this has been a struggle for me for many years. I never seem to know what to say or how to continue in prayer for any length of time.
Not all of us can be like Moses, spending days in fasting and prayers for others. But we have a Helper even greater than Moses to come alongside us and assist us in our prayer relationship. Hebrews 3:5-6 says,
“And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant…but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”
“Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)
The Lord is our Help. His Holy Spirit will come alongside you to help you pray. Don’t give up. Don’t be discouraged in your prayers. Find time each day to kneel before the Lord your Maker. Don’t just say a quick prayer on the run (although we can pray all throughout the day). Carve out some time to spend one-on-One with the Lord. The more you do it, the easier it will be to grow in your prayer life and the more you will learn to hear His voice speaking back to you.
The Lord loves you and He craves the time to be with you every day. He created us for fellowship with Him. May you be blessed as you go to Him and kneel in His presence in prayer today.
–dmrf