Are We Praying Earnestly or Just Getting By?

Recently a group of men from Seven24 were blessed to spend an evening with Pastor Jerry Bishop and the guys at LifeQuest. We enjoyed food, fellowship, music, a message, and PRAYER together. Highlighting the evening was a verse that Pastor Bishop shared with us.

“Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing” 1 Timothy 2:8

It got us thinking. How is our prayer life going right now? When we struggle with something, do we try to tackle it on our own, or do we present it to God? When we have a disagreement with another person, do we let frustration and anger fill our minds, or do we lift up holy hands without anger or disputing? When we aren’t feeling God’s presence in our lives, are we disappointed, or do we reach out to him and pray? God is listening, and he wants to hear from us!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

Each day brings us plenty of things to be anxious about. Just reading the news for a few minutes is enough to get discouraged for the day! We love this verse because it unpacks so many aspects of prayer. We encourage you to take a few moments and pick out some key phrases in this verse, reflecting on what they mean to you.

Guys, God is thinking about us every second of the day. When we go about our day and forget to talk to him, it isn’t because he isn’t there waiting for us. What are we waiting for?

We think back to the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus went away to pray shortly before his crucifixion. He knew what was in store; do you think he had something to be anxious about? In Luke, the text describes Jesus as”

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly & his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 22:44

MEN, are we praying earnestly? To the point that sweat was like blood falling to the ground? We would suspect that many of us have some work to do there.

Like many weeks, WE have a Challenge for YOU!

What is at the top of your prayer list? It may be one thing you are challenged with or a dozen things! Whatever it is, we challenge you to present your request to God and dedicate this week to prayer. Every day, several times a day, we talk with our heavenly father and present our requests to him.

We would also like to hear from YOU!

Send us an email or text us how we can pray for you. We commit to praying specifically for you. The only catch is that we need to believe! We will leave you with this verse of encouragement:

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” Matthew 21:22

We believe God can do extraordinary things in our lives. Our God is bigger than anything we could imagine.