Did you hear about the little girl who had been taught the importance of prayer? She also had been instructed how to pray each night prior to jumping into bed. Often she would be sleepy and it was difficult for her to think of something to say. So she wrote out a prayer which she would read each night.

After a few nights she discovered herself so sleepy she could hardly read through the prayer. Finally she hit upon a wonderful idea. She taped the written prayer to the wall by her bed and then each night she would say, "There it is, God. I'm sleepy so please read it yourself!"

Many of us are more like this little girl than we are willing to admit. Not so with Jesus. He knew and understood the power and value of prayer. He did not sleep, but admonished the disciples who had fallen asleep. He knew what it was to spend all night in agonizing prayer.

As Jesus faced the realities of the cross, it is interesting that the action Jesus chose was prayer. He went to His favourite prayer spot. He took disciples with Him, but He wrestled alone when it came to the final decision. I believe that the victory on Calvary was achieved in the garden. The final act took place on the hill, but the victory took place on His knees. He gave Himself to prayer that He might give Himself to all of us.

The victory you desire will be won on the inside if you keep in the right relationship with the Father.

Prayer: Give me a desire, O Lord, to give my best to prayer. May I not run away from my problems, Father, but face them with prayer. Amen.

(From The Ministry of the Master ©1986 by Donald Bartow. Used by permission.)

What problem are you facing today which seems too much for you? How are you ever going to face it? More importantly, how are you going to overcome it?

May I suggest prayer? When you are given the inner strength to face the outer onslaughts, you will know prayer is real. You will know that your relationship with the Father is essential and also very stabilizing for your life.

When you consciously come into the presence of God, something happens. It always does. Something happens to you. The story is told of a young man who went to see Phillips Brooks concerning a problem. He needed and desired help and guidance.

After the visit, a friend asked whether the problem had been solved through discussing it with Dr. Brooks. The young man replied, "You know, I forgot to mention it. It just didn't seem important after I started talking with him." Then, as he walked away, his friend heard him say, "It doesn't seem insurmountable now."

You see, he had come into the presence of power. It was not the details which brought the answer. It was the presence. This is the way it is with prayer and with your relationship with God.

Prayer: Father, help me not to get caught up in the details of life but dedicate myself to You. Amen.

(From The Ministry of the Master ©1986 by Donald Bartow. Used by permission.)

Oswald Chambers has said,

Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work. We think of prayer as a common sense exercise of our higher powers in order to prepare us for God's work. In the teaching of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me which produces the miracle of redemption of others by the power of God.

He goes on to point out that many will not pray unless,

…we get thrills, that is the most intense form of spiritual selfishness. We have to labour along the line of God's direction, and…there is nothing thrilling about a labouring man's work, but it is the labouring man who makes the conceptions of the genius possible; and it is the labouring Saint who makes the conceptions of his Master possible. You labour at prayer and the results happen all the time from his standpoint.

I hope you will begin this week realizing the importance of prayer. You may be ever so active in your church organization. You may be extremely busy at your work. Your family may be demanding upon your time and energy. However, regardless of your circumstance, you need to develop a life of prayer.

You must be so much in communication with the Father that you know He is with you and you with Him.

Prayer: Father, help me to realize prayer is the highest work to which You have called me. Amen.

(From The Ministry of the Master ©1986 by Donald Bartow. Used by permission.)

As many saints through the years have discovered, "God has no problems. He has only great plans." This thought is tremendous. The Lord does have great plans for you. He has great plans for me. He has great plans for His world.

It is prayer which will enable you to believe and accept this fact. Prayer will keep you in tune with the reality of a plan. It will enable you to accept the fact the Lord is with you even when it seems He is not. It will strengthen you even when you feel you are going to faint. It will buoy you up when it appears that you are going to sink and drown in the difficulties of life.

It is impossible for you or me to straighten everyone out and to make them believe and behave as we think they should. Life is not that way and never will be. The world is not going to roll over and play dead until we catch our breath and get things figured out in our own lives.

It is a mad and complex world. Yet, in the midst of it all looms God's plans for you. As you deepen your prayer life, you will discover the plan overshadowing the frustrations. Your purpose in life will be accepted as God's purpose for you. Herein in the peace that passeth understanding.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the plan You have for my life. Enable me to believe that Your plan is best for me. Amen.

(From The Ministry of the Master ©1986 by Donald Bartow. Used by permission.)

Jesus never made prayer an option to His followers. He says, "when you pray…" Matthew 6:6 is not "if you pray." There is a world of difference between "when" and "if."

Therefore, if we are to pray, then should not each of us seek to develop the art of prayer? I believe courses should be given to help individuals to pray. Several years ago we offered such a course in our church. After it had concluded, all who participated were thrilled with what they had learned.

One participant had a penetrating insight. She said to me, "Pastor, I have been active in church work for over forty years. I have served several years as a missionary of our denomination. I have been constantly admonished to pray. However, this is the first time I have ever been presented with an opportunity to be taught how to pray. This is the first course I have ever had presented to me in the area of prayer."

I thought of the tragedy of this comment. If prayer is important, should you not take advantage of opportunities to learn to pray? And should not the church be presenting these opportunities for you?

Prayer: Lord, teach me to pray and help me to teach others the art of communing with You. Amen.

(From The Ministry of the Master ©1986 by Donald Bartow. Used by permission.)

Many people have prayed for healing, but because they were not healed, they feel they have to leave God the option by praying, "if it be thy will."

I feel we can pray "according to thy will" and do not have to pray "if it be thy will." My task is to try and remove all blocks to your healing. I want you to trust the Lord to meet your every need. I pray you will believe He desires your wholeness and that you have a right to put forth concerted effort to have that wholeness.

Praying "according to thy will" sets you free from the bind that maybe it is His will that you be ill. Now with a clear conscience you can receive the ministry of the church and the discoveries of science for healing. You should realize that efforts toward wholeness are not efforts to thwart God's will, but are in keeping with His desires for you.

You can accept this premise for several reasons. One of them is because the very nature of the triune God is to heal. God is more concerned for your well-being than you are yourself. The Lord Jesus summed it up well in today's text. God does know how to give us good gifts.

Sometimes you will be guilty of failing to believe He is seeking to help and to heal. However, forget these weak moments and move on to a faith which appropriates His healing power to your situation.

Prayer: Father, may I really believe You want me to be whole. Thank you for helping me. Amen.

(From The Ministry of the Master ©1986 by Donald Bartow. Used by permission.)

A very logical question is, "Why is there so much suffering and so much illness?" This is a very difficult and complex question and practically impossible to answer. However, I will give a few possible reasons.

First, we know there is sickness, suffering, and imperfections in the world, not because it is God's ultimate will, but because of sin being in the world. There was no illness previous to the time man yielded to sin. God did not desire the fall of man. He fell by his choice. Sin in all of its power brings many problems of illness as well as many other difficulties.

In the second place, illness may be the result of man's ignorance. Today, if someone has appendicitis, he goes to the hospital, has an operation, and is soon well. Years ago, many such patients would have died. No one would have known the technique to adequately care for the problem.

In the third place, failure to believe and practice the spiritual laws results in much illness. I deal constantly with individuals who have resentment, fear, and guilt. They harbour evil thoughts which result in evil actions. They are not willing to leave their tomorrows in God's hands so that their todays will be meaningful and relatively free of tension.

Prayer: Lord, the fears, resentments, and guilt feelings I give to You. Amen.

(From The Ministry of the Master ©1986 by Donald Bartow. Used by permission.)