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Tuesday Prayer Mail

Be God's Friend
The Prayer Life of Abraham

God's Friends Pray in Faith

"A tavern was being built in a town that up to that time had been dry. A group of Christians in a certain church opposed the project and called an all-night prayer meeting, in which they asked God to intervene.

The next day, lightening struck the tavern, and it burned to the ground. The owner brought a lawsuit against the church, claiming that they were responsible. The Christians hired a lawyer, who claimed that they were not responsible.

The judge said, "No matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear: the bar owner believes in prayer, and the Christians don't."

Abraham believed his prayers could prevent the judgment that was about to fall on Sodom. He asked the Lord, "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). Abraham was saying, "Surely, Lord, you will be fair! Therefore, I'm convinced that you won't snuff out the righteous with the wicked in Sodom," He was praying in faith.

Many times, my prayers have fallen short right there. I've interceded for non-Christians by name over a period of years, yet they've remained unconverted. Then I've begun to wonder if God is really interested in bringing them to Christ. I've found myself praying, "Lord, my love for this person has led me to plead with you all of these years for is salvation, but I see no results. Don't you care?"

Thus, doubt mingles with faith in my prayers. God cared enough about my friend's salvation to send his only Son to the cross. Jesus cared enough to spill his blood and endure God's wrath for us. I don't know why the Lord doesn't always turn people from their sins as soon as I request that, but I must come back to this -- God is infinitely more concerned about perishing people than I am.

The wife who cries her heart out to the Lord day and night for fifty years, pleading for her husband's salvation, hasn't yearned for him as much as the heavenly Father has. She can have every confidence that God cares far more that she does.

George Muller left a lifelong record of his prayers and the Lord's answers -- more that twenty-five thousand of them. When someone asked him to explain his secret, Muller replied, "Have faith in God."

I'm sure the Muller laid the stress on those last two words: in God. Some people believe that prayer has its own innate power. If that were true, we could babble prayers like parrots -- with no understanding -- and receive miracles. What gives prayer its power is the Lord to whom we pray.

People all over the world are praying right now to false gods. . .

Our faith should not be in prayer for its own sake but in our prayer answering God."

MRC Prayer Task Force