The Prayer Attitude

Happy New Year! There are pivotal moments in our lives that mold and make us: marriage, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a health issue, a crisis, even a blessing. New Year's is always a pivotal moment for me. As the calendar turns, many of us will make resolutions. Many will map out the year ahead as best they can.

For 2023, Alba resolve to stay positive in this negative world. Please know, I'm not talking about some psychological trick to bury my head in the sand and remain positive. I'm talking about a close connection to the God that created this world. I want to remain connected to my creator. That's the most positive thing any of us can ever do.

There are so many great biblical examples for us. This is the attitude of David after he killed the Giant Goliath. Can you imagine how many times David had to tell that story for years after it occurred? It's a great story. We're still telling it three thousand years after it happened.

After the victory, David had to have a positive attitude. He had to know that With God all things are possible. Daniel had to have a great attitude after he walked unscathed out of the Lion's Den. This happened over 2600 years ago. After his Miracle, can you imagine Daniel at the zoo with his kids? Daniel knew the power of God, and his attitude had reflect that the rest of his days.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or their Hebrew names, hataniah, mishael, and Azariah, they walked through the fiery furnace about the same time Daniel lounged with the Lions. After their walk, I bet every time they saw a fire, they had to think about the Flames ignoring them as God walked with them. Their attitudes had to be the most positive from that day forward.

There are a lot of New Testament examples too. I think of the leper after he was healed, or the blind man after he could see, or the disciples after they saw the resurrected Jesus. They went from hiding in Fear To Boldly sharing that Jesus was alive. Their attitudes turned from negative to positive in a Flash.

We all have our stories. Some experiences make us positive, others not so much. As I shared those biblical stories with you, both Old and New Testament, I wondered what they had in common: David, Daniel, and I had Anaya, Michelle, Azariah, the leper, the blind man, the disciples. One thing I know they had in common: they had to pray.

Before he faced Goliath, don't you know David had to pray? Daniel, I am sure, prayed fervently before his encounter with the Lions. The three Hebrew boys prayed before Nebuchadnezzar tried to burn them alive. The leper and the blind man had to pray for a long time for healing before Jesus came along.

We know the disciples prayed. Jesus taught them constantly about prayer. After the resurrection, we read of Jesus's Return To Heaven. Right after he has ascended, look what we are told about the disciples in Acts chapter 1, verses 12, 13, and 14.

"Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of about a half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. Here are the names of those who were present: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of alpheus, Simon the Zealot, and Judah son of James. They all met together and were constantly United in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus."

I absolutely love what we are told in verse 14. Here's a group of people that saw Jesus overcome death. They've seen him Ascend into the heavens. They now had to have the best, most positive attitudes of their lives. They knew that Jesus really was God, and now, with all that information, what did they do? "They all met together and were constantly United in prayer."

If you want the best positive attitude for this new year, you must be devoted to prayer. Pray for Revival. Pray that God will use you every day for his purposes. Pray for your attitude in this upside down world.

It could be argued that those men and women gathered for prayer so long ago were praying for the spread of Christianity all over this world. When you get to heaven, you should thank those who were in that room. Their names: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James, Simon, Judas son of James, married the mother of Jesus, and the other women whose names are not recorded, and then the brothers of Jesus.

Why should you thank them? They were praying for you. Their prayers and their Devotion to Jesus led to the growth of Christianity then and now. Attitude and prayer make such a difference. I am resolved now more than ever to make sure that my attitude and my prayer life will please God.

Happy New Year. Make a difference. Let's pray together.

Lord, thank you for a clean slate, a new year, and we asked that to we would be the best men and women of God we could possibly be in the coming days and weeks and months. If we're not satisfied with our attitudes, give us that adjustment we need. If we're not satisfied with our prayer lives, and I don't know many who are, we pray, Father, that we would realize what a difference it can make. We thank you for the opportunities ahead of us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

God bless. Thanks for joining me today.