‘Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.’ (v19) Daniel 9:19–21
In lockdown, I discovered the wonder of Zoom. Through Christmas, it was wonderful as people from all around the world participated in Evening Prayer sessions on Zoom. I don’t understand the technology but gratefully use it.
I gratefully pray daily for the benefits Scripture promises. It’s remarkable that we can become involved in all God’s doing in the world. We make a positive contribution through our prayers.
Prayer is simple and easy to engage with. God promises to listen, and simple requests such as ‘Lord have mercy’ impact the reality we inhabit.
All distance between me and God is instantly removed as I confess my sin and receive God’s forgiveness. Remember that King David, someone Scripture describes as a man after God’s own heart, was a forgiven adulterer and murderer.
God hears our prayers, those of our lips and those of our heart. We are only ever expected to pray as we can, not as we can’t.
Prayer offers no graduate school, rather a space to stand face to face with our Lord. And, wonderfully, we can be assured that God hears and answers our prayers. However, that is something we choose to take on trust, for His ways are not our ways, as Isaiah reminds us.
Related Scripture to Consider: 1 Sam. 13:13–14; Isa. 55:6–13; Luke 18:9–14; Acts 13:14–43.
An Action to Take: Is there something specific you’re concerned about in the world today? Agree to talk to God about this every day as your prayerful contribution to His purpose.
A Prayer to Make: ‘Lord, I thank You for forgiving sin and listening to my prayers. Hear the prayers I make and take action that furthers Your will and purpose throughout our world. Amen.’
Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash
