Your Daily Devotional for February 6, 2006

February 6, 2006

 

A Life of Prayer

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

 

John 15:5-7

 

John chapter fifteen not only speaks of prayer, but of abiding in Christ. God wants us to spend time with Him in a daily relationship—hour by hour, moment by moment.  He wants our lives to be in tune with Him.

 

A Christian who is abiding in Christ is a praying Christian. You cannot abide with Christ and neglect the matter of prayer. Prayer is one of the fruits of abiding. It brings forth other fruit, and it manifests God’s power in our lives. Throughout the Scriptures God indicates to us that it is His desire that we seek Him and come boldly to the throne of grace. It is His desire to hear from us.

 

Think for a moment about a long lost friend or relative. Wouldn’t you like to hear from that person? Wouldn’t an unexpected telephone call brighten your day? God, who created us to fellowship with Him, is waiting–longing to hear from each of His children. Imagine how He feels when days, even months go by without any communication.

 

I heard about a young lawyer who was very excited about starting his practice. On his first day in the office, he sat behind the desk and began looking with awe at his new surroundings. He soon heard footsteps approaching. Just for fun, he picked up the phone and acted like he was handling one of his client’s cases. He said, “Yes, I’ll study the case. Let me know how I can help you. My fee is 200 dollars an hour, but I will give you a discount since you are my friend.” As the stranger entered the office, the attorney said, “Yes, can I help you?” The man said, “I am from the telephone company, and I am here to hook up your phone.”

 

Many times our prayer lives mimic this story. Our prayers are nothing more than empty words. God wants us to pray from the heart. Effective prayer is always an outflow of a preexisting, abiding relationship with Him. James 5:16b says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” The Bible says in Psalm 34:17, “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth.” If we want to experience effectual prayer, if we want to hear from God, we must abide in Him. Let’s purpose today to fellowship with our Saviour and experience the blessings of communicating moment by moment with Him.

 

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