Sunday, February 14, 2016

Pray First!



Read Psalms 24 and Acts 21

 
“Integrity and uprightness will be more likely to preserve us than insincere compliances.”
~ Matthew Henry


S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application - Prayer

 

S:  “We could not persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem. So we stopped begging him and said, ‘We pray that what the Lord wants will be done.’”  Acts 21:14

 

O:  Psalms 24 tell us that EVERYTHING belongs to the LORD.  Have you ever tried to persuade someone to do or not do something they felt compelled to do?  You present the logical arguments.  You may even throw in a dose of guilt or plead to their affections, but nothing you say can dissuade them.  You give one final try and you resort to begging.  Here Paul has his heart set on Jerusalem and no amount of persuasive arguments or demonstrations (see verse 10-11) will dissuade Paul.  The people even resorted to begging him, but what was their final answer?  Their final answer should have been their first response, “We pray that what the LORD wants will be done.”  God can do more with one prayer that we bring to Him than we can in arguing and begging and carrying on with someone to try to change their minds.  A friend once said to me, “When will my first response be the right response?”  I often wonder that for myself when after a situation or conversation has finished and I realized my first response was NOT the right response!  I want my first response to be to PRAY FIRST!

 

A:  Pray first!  Pray for God’s will to be done and leave it in His hands to handle.

 

P:  Dear Lord, How many times do I plead and try to persuade others when I could do more good to bring those things to You in prayer.  God I pray this morning that what You want will be done!  God, I trust in You!  You will protect, You will provide, You are the One who owns everything and I leave everything in Your hand.  It does not mean things will necessarily go “my way”, but it does mean that it will be ok!  I pray that my first response will be to pray first!  Through Christ and no merit of my own I bring these prayers to Your Holy Throne.  In Jesus’ Mighty Name and to the King of Glory I pray.  Amen & Amen.

 
He [Paul] has taught us by example, as well as by rule, to pray always, to pray without ceasing. Their last farewell was sweetened with prayer. ~ Matthew Henry

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