Continuing Prayer

As we begin our first full week of July, our minds are still on the faith of our fathers and how we too can access such faith by prayer. Through the Holy Spirit, who teaches us all things and brings all things to our remembrance, we are to live lives of ceaseless praise and thanks to God, for His expressed desire is that we all should be like Him.

We are ever and eternally grateful for His unfailing love for us, and like the psalmist we too can testify. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143: 8. 

Our Father’s love is love that persisted, despite our unloveliness; love that persevered, in spite of our rudeness and blatant arrogance; love that continued working for us, even when we had turned our backs on Him, living lascivious, idolatrous and adulterous lives, without concern for Him. His was and still is undeniably seeking love, which continues to woo us back to Him. Jeremiah knows about the wooing love of God for His people. The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31: 3

This is the God, whose Name is Love, whose Nature is Love and whose Nurturing is Love, to whom we are freely encouraged to go, in prayer. We know that He is indeed our Loving, Caring Heavenly Father. Listen to how Malachi sweetly reminds us about who our Heavenly Father is. Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another? Malachi 2: 10

In our last week’s offering, when we were brought back to the faith of our fathers and mothers, the faith they lived so that we too can now enjoy the fruit of their labours and lives, we were brought to remember, these four guaranteed outcomes of the prayer of faith. They were: -

The Power of God, in the prayer of faith.

The Provision of God, in the prayer of faith.

The Promise of God, in the prayer of faith.

The Produce of God, in the prayer of faith.

 

This week, we shall be taken through a different route, as we join in prayer with one of the Saints of the Church. I know that in some denominations, there are saints and in some, there are not any such people who are held high and revered. Personally, I am not of that tradition of celebrating Saints or Saint Days, but I do learn and receive strength and courage from the lives of some saints. I have never willingly set out to study the lives of these saints, although I know the names of many, through friends and by residing in different countries, where some Saint Days were given as public holidays.

As it happened, at a fellowship group to which I belong, one of the members shared with us an unfamiliar, but most stirring, challenging and truth-piercing prayer by Saint Patrick, which was later set to music and sung as a hymn. Whatever occurred during our fellowship meeting, I was left totally curious about St. Patrick, whom I simply associated with the three-leaf clover and superstitions. That was the extent of my misguided knowledge. I’m sure that many of you are not as ignorant as I was about this beloved Patron Saint, and most likely know all about his famous prayer.

It is therefore, with this prayer of faith of Saint Patrick, that we will spend this week, recognizing, reaffirming, registering and reclaiming the Power, Provision, Promise and Produce of God in the prayer of faith.