Title: Through prayer and supplication in all things
Contents
History Happens When You Pray
After the prayer, there was a moment of silence. Just then, someone came and knocked on the door. When I opened the door, the owner of a bakery in the neighborhood right in front of the orphanage came with a bag full of bread. The story he told me is that I had a wish that I would like to make bread for these orphans at some point, but I have been suppressing it all this time, saying, 'What am I going to do with that?' But that day, he woke up at 2 am and couldn't sleep again because of that thought. He offered bread that he had been making and bringing bread since that time. He distributed all the bread he brought to the children's plates. At that moment, someone knocks on the door. When I went out, I found out that it was a worker driving a wagon that delivered milk. Apparently, while passing in front of this orphanage, the wheel of the wagon broke and it was impossible to go there. The orphanage offered to take responsibility for the milk, as all the heavy milk on the cart could be repaired by putting all the heavy milk down. The story is that they heated the milk and fed all the children, but there was still a portion left to eat until lunchtime.
What do you guys think when you hear this story? "Pastor, is that even possible today? That would be a coincidence. How did it happen? Did you get an answer to that prayer?" There will be some who will say. But everyone! The important fact is that even today, coincidences like this always happen to God's children, people of faith, and people of prayer.
Everyone has concerns
So, when these miraculous things happen, why are we concerned? What is the secret to not worrying? It is in prayer. How many difficulties do we face today? Home, health, children, material things, business, work, relationships, everything we talk about is full of worry and anxiety. If any of you have no worries or worries, raise your hand. No one.
It is said that there are people who have no worries. When you go to a cemetery, the people lying there are not concerned, and another is that if you have an IQ of 90 or less, you are not worried. It is said that people with an IQ of 90 or less are not stressed. You can sleep well without worrying about anything. But looking at you all, they all seem to have great brains like me. I see you are concerned. That's what I look like with worries, worries, and worries.
Going back to the main text, verse 6 says. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” What does 'Do not be anxious about anything' mean? The original meaning is 'stop worrying and pray instead'. But in everything by prayer and supplication, ask God for your requests. There is a special emphasis here. Prayer and supplication. It is safe to read that they have the same meaning, but in the original language, these prayers and supplications are fundamentally different. Prayer is looking to God. Those who pray are those who look to God. A person who trusts in God. That is prayer. How do you view the world today? Do you look to God? That is the difference between a praying person and a non-prayer. Psalm 62:1 says, “My soul rests in God alone, and my salvation comes from the Lord.” A person who quietly looks only at God, that person is a person who prays. That is prayer.
What, then, is supplication? A special cry for a special matter. Asking God, that is supplication. Having problems in my life, coming before God, looking at God, relying only on God and going out in faith and crying That is prayer and supplication. Today God speaks to us. The answer is, “The peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
How many prayer topics do we have today? If I ask you to write down your concerns once, it will probably be quite a lot. In that way, wouldn't it be possible to say that now is the time to pray? I believe that the present situation is a time for us to pray. Today's verse means, "If you ask me, the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and it will answer you with peace." Please believe that God will surely answer our prayers. It is also said in Matthew 7:7. “Ask, and you will find; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Also, John 14:14 promises an answer, "If you ask anything of Me, I will do it."
Now is the time to pray.
Dear friends, isn't this the time to pray? Do you have no worries in your home? No worries? God is saying He will help you. In our history, many difficult disasters have come and come. Politics is unstable and the economy is wandering in the swamp of recession. I believe that Christians in this age should be awake and pray.
The early morning prayer movement started in 1905 with Rev. Seon-Joo Gil. In 1915, an early morning prayer movement also took place in Ganghwa-do, Gimpo, and a prayer journal was found by an unknown saint that recorded the revival of early morning prayer.
'During the early morning service that morning, the Lord healed many sick people and gave them many graces. At dawn, all the church members laid down their sins, wept, repented, and prayed, and the gift of healing began to appear in each person. When Maria Kim repented of her sins and shed tears, Kwon Yoon-ah Jeong offered a prayer of blessing. Then, a miracle occurred that the old skin disease, spear disease, was completely healed. Talking about the Virgin Mary, Jeong Kwon testified that we should follow the example of Mary, the daughter of God, who lived a pure, obedient and perfect life.
It is a prayer journal that has been around for over 100 years. It has been over 100 years since dawn prayer began in Korea. At this point, shouldn't we be reviving the history of early morning prayer and revival? I hope that our Gaum community will be me and you who receive the gift of the Lord's peace by waking up in the morning while worrying about the country and people of this age, coming before God to reveal your needs, and letting go of your worries, anxieties and worries.