Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

"One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must keep praying until the answer comes."¹

"Help God! Help! Forgive me for my sins and save me. And you'd better do it real quick because my mother is about to kill me!"

This was a prayer from Jamie, a friend's granddaughter. Jamie, a four-year old, had just applied her mother's fingernail polish to her fingernails plus many other places on her hands and in mother's bedroom. A not too happy mother had sent her to the bathroom to wait until the mess in the bedroom was cleaned up.

When mother came into the bathroom, the prayer above was what she heard her daughter praying!

It's good for all of us to pray whenever we are in trouble. Probably most of us do. I certainly do. As someone has said, "There will always be prayer in schools as long as there are exams!"

However, when we are in trouble is not the only time we need to pray. Like me, you probably have a "friend" or two who only calls you when they want something. As soon as you hear their voice, you think to yourself, "I wonder what s/he wants now?"

I don't like those kinds of "friends" and I can’t help but wonder how God feels if the only time I come to him is when I am in trouble or want something?

As Jesus said, we ought to pray at all times and for many reasonsâ€"especially to express thanks and gratitude for all the blessings God gives to us daily.

Or as the King James translation puts it, "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a thankful heart and help me to always be faithful in my prayer life. Help me to pray about other's needs as well as everything in my own life, and not faint or become weary in praying. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Luke 18:1 (TLB).

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