Dear friends
In these letters each week, I have been encouraging us all to be people who pray. Particularly at this difficult time, we have the privilege of praying for our world. It is worth doing!
The starting point of all Christian praying is the goodness and power of God. If God were not powerful our prayers would be pointless. If he were not good they would be foolish. The Bible teaches us, and our Lord Jesus Christ has demonstrated, that God is of infinite power and perfect goodness. Therefore praying is the most sensible thing in the world to be doing!
Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane was based on his knowledge of God’s goodness and power. Read it again in Mark 14:32-42.
It is clear that knew God’s unlimited power. “Everything is possible for you,” he said to his Father. And his prayer was heard by the one who has the power to raise the dead — which he did!
In our prayers we should understand and think deeply about the fact that nothing is beyond the power of our heavenly Father. Our feeble-looking prayers have great power, not because of anything about us or our praying, but because the one who hears our prayers is all powerful.
When Jesus said, “Yet not what I will, but what you will,” he was acknowledging the complete goodness of God. Jesus gladly subordinated his will to the will of his Father, because he had absolute confidence in God’s goodness.
As we pray we too should think about the perfect goodness of God, and trust him completely. Our hesitant prayers can be filled with confidence because the one who hears our prayers is infinitely good.
As we pray, let us think about the power and goodness of the God who is listening.
John Woodhouse (Acting Senior Minister)