Closer Day By Day

We all know very well that prayer is a very important part of a Christian’s life. It is one of the sweetest graces that is given to all Christians by our Heavenly Father. Through prayers, we can come before the Lord, even at His feet, which is the highest ground that all Christians must come daily.

In today’s passage, the first thing that strikes me is none other than the power of prayer, prayer in unity.

Bible Passage: Acts 12

In this chapter, we read of the church going through the fifth persecution, and this time it is King Herod who killed James the brother of John and he also imprisoned Peter.

Peter was in chains and was heavily guarded, yet he could sleep in such situation. This is truly amazing, for the peace that God gives to His faithful servants are indeed out of this world. Can you remember another incident where the apostles prayed and sang hymns in the prison?

Outside the prison walls, not far away, in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, there was a congregation gathered to pray. And Peter’s name was in their prayer list as v5 says that constant prayers were offered to God for him. God heard the united prayer from their hearts and delivered Peter in a miraculous way.

Does God need the prayers of the believers to realize Peter’s situation? The answer is a very obvious “No”. For God knows all things.

You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

Psalms 139:2 - 4

Therefore it is our hearts that God wants to see, it is the prayers from a humble and sincere heart that God wants to listen.

During our services, we often see a long list of prayer requests from our fellow brethren and friends, and also other church matters, do we make an effort to remember them and pray together as ONE for all these matters announced over the pulpit, or we just concentrate on praying for ourselves? Do we also spend some time at home to pray for all these people and matters individually?

We may not know all the people in the prayer list in person, but as long as we have a heart of love, to pray for these brethren and friends who are going through some hard times due to sicknesses, injuries or even trials, I believe God hears and sees our hearts. We do our part out of love, and God will do His part out of His manifold wisdom, will and love.

If we consider deeply about the situation the Apostolic Church was in, we can feel that the atmosphere was very tense during those times, for anyone could get killed or be thrown into the prison. But looking on the brighter side of the situation then, the tense atmosphere was one of the motivating forces behind the unity of the church.

So does that mean that the church today must also experience persecutions in order to be united? Well, maybe, maybe not. But I hope not. We must thank God for the peace and religious freedom in this region, we must not only thank God, but all the more we must treasure it!

In these times of peace and freedom, we must take advantage of it to cultivate a close relationship with the brethren. Truly understand and exercise the kind of love that Christ had shown and commanded us.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

John 15:12 - 13

Love is the bonding material in the unity of the church. So are we doing our best to love one another in the church? Are we striving to meet the standard of the love of Christ mentioned in John 15: 12 - 13, or are we just comfortable with our own standard of love? I believe so far, there is no one who needs to or being requested to exercise love to the point of shedding blood.

Therefore we must strive on to perfect this love that Christ wants to see in us, and then we shall see the wonderful works of God among us when we pray in unison!