Good Morning,

Oswald Chambers has written a book on prayer. He has pointed out that prayer is the nourishment that is needed to get to know God intimately. When there is not that degree of prayer in an individual relationship with God shrinks. Here is a quote from this writing, "Father,I approach You not with a'Santa-God gimme list.' I just ask that You lead and guide us in the kind of prayer we should be praying. May we learn more about You every day and not be guilty of starving our knowledge and understanding of You. "

Have a blessed week filled with inspired prayer.

Corinne Mustafa
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Today's Devotional

"Prayer"

Written by

Corinne Mustafa

Jesus replied,
“Cases like this require prayer.”
Mark 9:29

God loves to hear our prayers and answers them.

I have been reading some factors about the importance of prayer and suggestions about what can be a part of it. This study was written by Oswald Chambers. Because Chambers was an intellectual and theologian I found that I had in some cases to read some of his writing two or more times, but when I did get what he had written it was an eye opener that would be illuminating to store in my "Thought Library." I want to share some of the best ideas I got from Oswald Chambers from his book, IF YOU WILL ASK.

I know that the life of God is within us. This life touches our thoughts and plans through the Holy Spirit. The first concept that I came to understand is that if we do not pray what suffers is the life of God within us. This life is not nourished by food but is nourished by prayer. Jesus always nourished the life of God in Him by prayer. There are many instances in the Bible where Jesus withdrew in solitude to pray to the Father. I smile about this because the question arises,"Jesus is God in a human form. Is Jesus praying to Himself?" I believe that Jesus was talking to the Father about His mission. I trust He probably missed the closeness that they had in heaven.

Sometimes people just go on in their lives not feeling the need for prayer. Then prayer can diminish. When they do "pray" the activity is actually not in the way prayer is defined in the heart of God. It takes on the nature of looking at God as a magician that can make miracles for us according to our desires or even demands. "God if you answer my prayer I promise to do..."this or that" as a thank you. Chambers wrote, "Prayer to Him is not a way to get things from God, but so that we can get to know him....The purpose of prayer is to reveal the presence of God equally present at all times and in every condition."

There is much more that I was impressed by in this book. Truths about how to pray and when, facts about how we need prayer and assurances that we all can do it. I want to share sone of this information with you on Wednesday.

Heavenly Father,

I approach You not with a Santa-God gimme list. I just ask that You lead and guide us in the kind of prayer we should be praying. May we learn more about You every day and not be guilty of starving our knowledge and understanding of You. This can happen by essentially living a life where we ignore our need to know You through the spiritual nourishment our prayer gives to better recognize You intimately.

Amen.

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"10,000 REASONS"

Sung by
Matt Redman