Bill Hybels says that as he rolls out of bed in the morning, his knees hit the floor first.
I like that. What a great habit.
Prayer is as vital to us as oxygen and water. You cannot survive long without it. I fully believe in the power of prayer. So did James.
James devotes a lot time to prayer in his epistle. And James wasn’t all talk, no action either; Tradition tells us that because of his habit of kneeling in prayer, James’s knees became calloused like a camel’s. So much so, he became known as “The Man with Camel’s Knees.”
Whoa.
“pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” – James 5:16
How are your knees? Are they as smooth as silk or calloused from a lifetime of prayer?
Paul believed in prayer:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” – Phil. 4:6
Our ultimate example is Jesus. You might think, “The Savior of the universe surely didn’t need to pray, right? I mean, He is the Alpha & Omega; What’s He got to pray about?” Well, first of all: Yes, Jesus fully believed in prayer and secondly, don’t call me Shirley. (Ask your parents about that reference).
“So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” – Luke 5:16
You see that, “often.” Jesus frequently slipped away to pray. It was Jesus’s custom was to go off early in the morning to pray. He prayed all night long before drawing the twelve (now, that’s a long prayer!). He prayed before His betrayal. You better believe, Jesus believed in prayer.
If Jesus needed prayer, how much more do we?
You may say, “Well, I don’t know what to pray for.” No big deal; none of us do. The Bible is explicit on this. But, don’t worry the Holy Spirit picks up the slack:
“For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” – Rom. 8:26
Isn’t that just like God? He doesn’t leave us without help!
Look, if you want to pray and are unsure of how to start, look up Matt. 6:5-15. If that is too church-y for you, try these:
- Thank you, Lord.
- Or Help me, Lord.
- Or I love You, Lord.
- Then let Him take over.
As you roll out of bed in the morning, see how your day is different if your knees hit the floor first.
If this blessed you, please Like & Share!
Ref:
- Bill Hybels, Just Walk Across the Room, Session 4.
- http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-061121-hybelsprofile-story.html
- https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-men-bible/James
- https://www.openbible.info/topics/prayer
A Verse A Day 