Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV)
The other evening after I had just gotten in bed and had fluffed my pillow, I felt in my spirit that I needed to get back up. God was calling me to get down on my knees and pray. At first, I said to myself, “I just got in bed so I will pray while I am laying here.” But that was not what I was supposed to do. I knew in my heart that I was to get up and kneel down in prayer. So reluctantly, I got out of bed.
Now since my bed is tall and I am short, it isn’t a small feat for me to get in and out of bed. I have to slide down off the bed and then I have to climb up to get back in. But nevertheless, I got up. However, I didn’t do it with a happy heart— I approached it as if I was doing a chore.
But do you know what happened?
As soon as I began kneeling down, my heart changed. Instead of thinking that, “I’ve got to pray,” I thought that, “I get to pray.” Through that simple act of obedience, God made me realize how truly blessed I am. I have the opportunity to kneel before my God.
Not everyone can freely kneel before God. Some people may have physical limitations that prevent them from kneeling. Then there are people in countries outside of the United States who may have government restrictions that require them to kneel secretly in prayer. But I don’t have any limitations or restrictions. Anytime I want, I can kneel and pray…I have both the ability and the freedom. That is a blessing! That is a privilege!
Once I was down on my knees, God opened my eyes to the privilege of prayer. Unfortunately, it is a privilege that I often take for granted. God, the Creator and Giver of life, savors my prayers. That was a humbling thought, which brought tears to my eyes. But at the same time, I was ashamed of my initial thoughts of staying in bed. Therefore, I repented.
How could I have ever considered staying in bed when God was calling me? A soft bed does not even compare to God loving me and wanting to hear from me. “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12, KJV).
For a while as I was kneeling in prayer, all I could do was praise God’s name. His Spirit came over me and I felt so blessed that I had the opportunity to pray. That is a precious privilege that I never want to take for granted again. “Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalms 141:1-2, KJV).
Do you know how special you are? You can bow down before the Creator of this world. God loves you, He cares about you, and He listens to you. In fact, the Bible says that when God’s children pray, their prayers are like a sweet-smelling incense, “…and they held gold bowls filled with incense—the prayers of God's people” (Revelation 5:8, NLT).
God made a way that you can personally talk to Him through prayer. It is a wonderful freedom but it came at a tremendous price. Jesus paid that price. “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom…” (Matthew 27:50-51, KJV ).
How do you feel about praying—is it a chore or is it a privilege?
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's people, let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:19-22 (NLT)
Three Key Concepts:
1. God loves you and He hears you when you pray.
2. Praying is a privilege, not a chore.
3. Your privilege to pray came at a tremendous cost.
