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CHRISTIAN LIVING TODAY
My pastor and husband, Dick Onarecker, wrote this for our church years ago, and I’d like to share it with you today.
He wrote: “When I was a new Christian, Iwonderedhowanyone could have a good prayer life without being with others at church. Now, I realize a good prayer life demands more than a church gathering.”
Being careless in our spiritual discipline hinders prayer. Neglecting Bible study affects our prayers, as does being overworked, tired or just too busy.
These four passages reveal ways our prayers may be hindered:
• Isaiah 59:2—our iniquity and sin
• Proverbs 28:9—disregard for God’s ways
• Mark 11:5—unforgiveness • James 4:3—praying with wrong motives God provides clear directions about prayer, including the importance of a well-ordered life and marriage, planning for our prayer time and establishing priorities that honor Him.
Make good choices. We may choose a godly attitude— a gentle and quiet spirit rather than a haughty one. A gentle spirit, void of the chaos that afflicts us all, honors God and reflects a life disciplined in submission to His will.
Attitudes such as anger, sullenness, selfishness or irritability when interrupted can damage our relationships— with others, with God and with our own prayer life.
Relationships affect our prayer life—how we regard our spouse, but also how we engage with everyone. This includes those around us who often go unnoticed: the grocery bagger, attendants, the workers in ‘menial’ jobs that help life run smoothly, and for me today, the guy on the phone with Apple Support.
It behooves us to remember that every person is born with inherent value, placed on them by God.
Dick even wrote out his own prayer: “Lord, help me give You preeminence in my life. Help me love my wife and guide our marriage to prosper in Your will. Help my decisions and life reflect Your will. Help me discipline my attitudes and spirit, in submission to You. Help me forgive and reflect Your kindness and patience. Lord, guard my tongue, to refrain from untruths, gossip or language that doesn’t glorify You. Jesus, help me identify my unrighteousness and turn from unholiness as You reveal that to me. I pray all this in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.”
Until next week, Anita Onarecker, an Elgin resident, author of “ Divine Appointment: Our Journey to the Bridge” and minister to women and adults, earned a Master of Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2007.
