At the beginning of this year, I bought an old-fashioned pocket calendar to help me keep track of meetings and appointments. I find that I need to be reminded so I’ll show up on time!
Samuel reminds us of some of the most important things in life that may not make it onto our calendars. 1 Samuel 12:23 says: “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.” As a leader of God’s people, he was convinced of his need to pray for them and he was committed to doing just that. He went on to promise to teach them “the way that is good and right.” Then he went on in the next verse to explain what he meant by that. He tells them to: “…be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” Now, that’s a lot of good teaching! What a difference it would make if we lived it out!
We need to remember that one of the most important things we can do is to pray! We need to pray for family and friends. We need to pray for fellow believers in Christ — our church family and others. We need to pray for the unsaved, and even complete strangers. Yes, we need to pray for their physical needs, but more importantly, we need to pray that they will honor God and serve him faithfully with all their hearts.
Colossians 4:2 tells us: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Let’s be thankful that we can pray — and thankful when God answers those prayers!
Lord, hear our prayers!
Mary Roller
Extended Scripture: 1 Samuel 11-12
