Prayer....done by me and for me?

Here I go.... a bit different for me to address this subject but important.
Do you pray for yourself and if so, often? Yes, this is my subject for today.

I have noticed,  by teaching through others, especially my pastor, that I am not praying enough for myself. Praying for others is not a problem for me at all and I believe that God answers those prayers. I often pray for others and it brings me fulfillment. Would it not be so, I would waste my time. But when it comes to my own needs and difficulties, I am not spending enough time in prayer. Not because I don't believe or expect God to answer, but more because I just forget.

This part of scripture is fantastic to see how God answered in a very difficult situation. These people where in sin against God but Solomon interceded:
 Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.

 “Now therefore,
Arise, O Lord God, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
Let Your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation,
And let Your saints rejoice in goodness.

“O Lord God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed;
Remember the mercies of Your servant David.”^[

 

When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 Chron. 6:40-42 and 7:1

And God answered in His Glory because of the prayer of one man. So, in our personal situation, surely God does hear us, I am one person. But He hears. David has mentioned that so many times in the Psalms on how God hears us.

Maybe we are so involved with tasks and people that we are not thinking of praying for ourselves. In my case, I believe it has also something to do with the cultural ways in which we as Germans are indoctrinated. Paul said: Renew your mind....and I had to do that often.


And it is not only that we pray for others and ourselves just to pray, but we are praying heaven down on earth by doing so. Prayer changes the atmosphere, changes our lives and connects us with the answers from heaven and of course God. 

Then He (Jesus) commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. ²⁰ So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. ²¹ Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew
14:19-21
 Jesus looked up to heaven, knowing that His answer would come from there. Now this was an incredible miracle. Can we be confident to believe that our answers are coming from heaven. With a resounding YES. Jesus is our example as well as the disciples. 

It is often that we pray in a crisis situation but I believe God is saying, that this is a time in which He wants to hear from His people more than ever. He wants to hear about the little and the big things in our live. He is not too busy to listen to us. Tell Him the good, bad and ugly. He can handle it!

My prayer today is: Father give us divine understanding in why we don't pray enough and then help us to change that. Jesus help us to follow your example when it comes to prayer. Holy Spirit thank you for Your power and teaching. Father, may we align our thinking (mind/will) with Yours to receive answers and blessings. AMEN

Be blessed and good bye until next time.