As the vuvuzelas were going crazy in the nail biting final minutes of the historic game between Bafana Bafana and Cote d'Ivoire, for some reason this day I happened to listen also to what the commentators were saying (generally I never pay attention to them in the few games that I do watch). In this particular moment of the game, the commentator was singing a part of the vernacular gospel song “jwale ke nako, ya go rapela” and then carried on commentating. This was at the time when it was proving harder and harder for either team to find the net while our beloved goal keeper was practicing scenes out of a self made soapie. I even laughed at the commentator indicating that Itumeleng Kune could be casted in Generations because he is such a good actor when he was supposedly in pain LOL…
I am not much of a sports fan generally but it was the verse he sang that struck me though. I know that even though not everyone is a believer, but there is something about prayer that people recognize, respect and take seriously. It is the power of prayer I guess, the fact that it is our conversation with the All Knowing God. It is that something about prayer that assures us of the divine assistance at hand for our every need. It is the cornerstone of our relationship I believe, with God. It is one of the many ways we connect with Him and depending on which approach you take, it is also one of the many ways we get to hear from Him too. It is in times of great difficulty, stress and hardship that people take to prayer, believing it to be the conduit for a better outcome to their particular situation. Communities come together in prayer for their nations from time to time, placing trust in the Most High to protect them, turn things around, or meet whatever is the need at that particular point. Whatever the reason, prayer is certainly something universal and seemingly brings peace and comfort in the midst of hardship.
Prayer is powerful. It is divine and no matter what belief system one holds, it is the one thing that kind of connects us to each other(Acts 1:13 – 15) . Even in times of rejoicing, it is through prayer that the gratitude is expressed. Often times we hear people exclaim “thank God this or that happened”. Thank God I was there early. Thank God someone helped me out. Thank God I was in that particular spot at that time. It never has to be a long winded ‘art thou’ kind of prayer, just a heart’s cry to God even if its just one word (Matt 6:4-6). It is a conversation as you would have with family or friends. It gives hope that things that whatever we desire will come to pass. The bible makes many references to prayer and the power of prayer. Jesus instructed us to pray and fast. Paul instructed us to love and pray for one another. My prayer for you is that you would rediscover the significance of prayer in everything you do.
Take note of the song lyrics below and remember, we have a friend in Jesus and all we need is to take everything to Him in prayer.
What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.
2. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
3. Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.
Prayer. Your blog highlights a relevant and pertinent issue for humanity, especially in this day and time, where there is so many distractions, good and evil, that we tend to loose sight of ourselves, who we are, how we fit in to the bigger scheme of things, and, as a whole, where we heading to, in this life and the next.
ReplyDeleteWe should be cognisant of what we are praying for, how sincere, honest and realistic we are with are ourselves. One of the most important things is to ensure that we always thank our Lord and Saviour, through our prayers, for the miracles and wonders that He performs, sometimes without us being aware of the miracles that he performs...