Pastor Baker's Blog

Entry for October 2, 2006

Daily Reading: Genesis chapters 17 thru 20

Key Verse:18:32

"the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).

Effective- the prayer is energized beyond human energy through God's will

Fervent - recognizing that God wants to do something with you makes you passionate in prayer

What can the righteous do? The righteous can pray.

In His faithfulness, God decided to let Abraham in on His plan for Sodom and Gomorrah. After Abraham was let in on God's plan, his concern was not for himself but for the righteous ones who may remain in the city that was about to be destroyed. Abraham could have just turned around and walked back to his tent and said to himself, "Thank God, it wasn't me." Isn't that more typical of human nature? Thank God, I am not homeless. Thank God, I am not a single parent. Thank God, I have money in the bank. Thank God, I have a job. Thank God, I was not affected by Hurricane Katrina. But, what about those who are less fortunate? If we do not lend a helping hand (physically or financially), can we at least pray for them?

Who is it that is praying for your city, your state, this nation, the world - that the hand of the Lord may not come against it for the deeds of immorality and sinfulness (Ezekiel 16:49)? Is it you?

2006-10-02 14:47:03 GMT

Comments (5 total)

Author:Anonymous

I often wondered about prayers that included statements like:
"It could have been me who was killed in that accident... Lord, it could have been us in the shooting at the mall... It could have been me in the twin towers ... but Lord you chose to save my life."

What does the Lord think of those types of prayers? Wouldn't it have been much better to pray for the people that were involved in the incident and their families?

My prayer is not "Thank God, it wasn't me." Instead, my prayer is "God, use me." There are so many opportunities for prayer during the day. I may not have the financial resources to help rebuild after Katrina. I may not have the physical ability to reach the families in Colorado affected by the recent school hostage situation. I may not even have the courage to work with gang members or violent offenders. But, I can pray.
--Aundrea Baker
<mailto:abaker@thewaybiblefellowship.org>

2006-10-02 15:05:41 GMT

Author:Anonymous

Yes, it not only has to be me. It should be all who is called and that know our Lord an Savior. We should go in prayer for those who claim they don't know how to pray. Also for those who are not knowledgable of the Power & Glory of our Father in which we have in Christ Jesus. Our job as christian is to inform those who are blind and lost just as we once were. The power of prayer is not something that is only foe our personal use, but to intercede for others.
--G.C.
<mailto:aagcrooks@peoplepc.com>

2006-10-02 15:57:08 GMT

Author:Anonymous

The question posed from Ezekiel 16 is a very powerful one and should be asked more often in the Body of Christ. God dealt with me long ago concerning praying for others and, to this day, my prayers aren't "selfish" so to speak. I find myself engaged in prayer immediately when I watch the news and hear about a family or group of people that have been stricken by tragedy because I have genuine compassion for them. So I thank God that He has brought me to the point where praying for others in need has become like second nature to me and I will continue to pray that He strengthens the Body of Christ in this area.
--Stephanie

2006-10-02 16:39:24 GMT

Author:Anonymous

To add to the statement that I made above, I just want to clarify that the circumstances don't have to be tragic in order to provoke prayer, but when a need is expressed in general.
--Stephanie

2006-10-02 18:14:28 GMT

Author:Anonymous

I think a big part of this devotion is realizing the condition of the person who prays -- righteous. God told Abraham to walk before Him and be blameless (Gen. 17:1). James also makes the point of the condition of the person praying – righteous (James 5:16). We are made righteous through Jesus Christ so it is very important that we remain in Christ. Our communion, fellowship, and obedience are detectors of our relationship to Christ. Our lives should not only shine the light of Christ but there should be recognizable “fruit” for all to see. Even the non-believer can recognize godly fruit – it’s undeniable. We are saved by faith alone but the faith that saves is not alone. It is accompanied by good works and godly service. The effectiveness of our prayers directly correlates to the condition of our hearts and not the structure of our words.
--Pastor Baker
<mailto:pastorbaker@thewaybiblefellowship.org>

2006-10-03 00:41:50 GMT

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		Pastor Baker's Daily Devotional

		Entry for October 2, 2006 Daily Reading: Genesis chapters 17 thru 20 Key Verse:18:32 "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16). Effective- the prayer is energized beyond human energy through God's will Fervent - recognizing that God wants to do something with you makes you passionate in prayer What can the righteous do? The righteous can pray. In His faithfulness, God decided to let Abraham in on His plan for Sodom and Gomorrah. After Abraham was let in on God's plan, his concern was not for himself but for the righteous ones who may remain in the city that was about to be destroyed. Abraham could have just turned around and walked back to his tent and said to himself, "Thank God, it wasn't me." Isn't that more typical of human nature? Thank God, I am not homeless. Thank God, I am not a single parent. Thank God, I have money in the bank. Thank God, I have a job. Thank God, I was not affected by Hurricane Katrina. But, what about those who are less fortunate? If we do not lend a helping hand (physically or financially), can we at least pray for them? Who is it that is praying for your city, your state, this nation, the world - that the hand of the Lord may not come against it for the deeds of immorality and sinfulness (Ezekiel 16:49)? Is it you? 2006-10-02 14:47:03 GMT Comments (5 total) Author:Anonymous I often wondered about prayers that included statements like: "It could have been me who was killed in that accident... Lord, it could have been us in the shooting at the mall... It could have been me in the twin towers ... but Lord you chose to save my life." What does the Lord think of those types of prayers? Wouldn't it have been much better to pray for the people that were involved in the incident and their families? My prayer is not "Thank God, it wasn't me." Instead, my prayer is "God, use me." There are so many opportunities for prayer during the day. I may not have the financial resources to help rebuild after Katrina. I may not have the physical ability to reach the families in Colorado affected by the recent school hostage situation. I may not even have the courage to work with gang members or violent offenders. But, I can pray. --Aundrea Baker <mailto:abaker@thewaybiblefellowship.org> 2006-10-02 15:05:41 GMT Author:Anonymous Yes, it not only has to be me. It should be all who is called and that know our Lord an Savior. We should go in prayer for those who claim they don't know how to pray. Also for those who are not knowledgable of the Power & Glory of our Father in which we have in Christ Jesus. Our job as christian is to inform those who are blind and lost just as we once were. The power of prayer is not something that is only foe our personal use, but to intercede for others. --G.C. <mailto:aagcrooks@peoplepc.com> 2006-10-02 15:57:08 GMT Author:Anonymous The question posed from Ezekiel 16 is a very powerful one and should be asked more often in the Body of Christ. God dealt with me long ago concerning praying for others and, to this day, my prayers aren't "selfish" so to speak. I find myself engaged in prayer immediately when I watch the news and hear about a family or group of people that have been stricken by tragedy because I have genuine compassion for them. So I thank God that He has brought me to the point where praying for others in need has become like second nature to me and I will continue to pray that He strengthens the Body of Christ in this area. --Stephanie 2006-10-02 16:39:24 GMT Author:Anonymous To add to the statement that I made above, I just want to clarify that the circumstances don't have to be tragic in order to provoke prayer, but when a need is expressed in general. --Stephanie 2006-10-02 18:14:28 GMT Author:Anonymous I think a big part of this devotion is realizing the condition of the person who prays -- righteous. God told Abraham to walk before Him and be blameless (Gen. 17:1). James also makes the point of the condition of the person praying – righteous (James 5:16). We are made righteous through Jesus Christ so it is very important that we remain in Christ. Our communion, fellowship, and obedience are detectors of our relationship to Christ. Our lives should not only shine the light of Christ but there should be recognizable “fruit” for all to see. Even the non-believer can recognize godly fruit – it’s undeniable. We are saved by faith alone but the faith that saves is not alone. It is accompanied by good works and godly service. The effectiveness of our prayers directly correlates to the condition of our hearts and not the structure of our words. --Pastor Baker <mailto:pastorbaker@thewaybiblefellowship.org> 2006-10-03 00:41:50 GMT Site Home