Description
Christian World Imprints With Spirit And Understanding 1369 Meaningful Prayers - Compiled And Classified by Israel Selvanayagam
Prayer is the lifeline of Christian life. It is the expression of our intimacy with God. It reveals a devotee’s spiritual maturity, self-understanding, understanding of God, the Church and the World. It is not limited to asking for our bodily and worldly needs. Every believer in any religion can pray for these. Biblical verses like ‘Ask, it shall be given’ should not be taken out of their context. This famous phrase was said in the context of seeking God’s reign and justice. Jesus told his desperate disciples that whatever they asked in his name and according to the will of his Father they would receive them. Again, the primary purpose is seeking the will of the heavenly Father and engaging in mission in a hostile world. As Sadhu Sunder Singh and others have said from their experience, prayer does not change the will of God but the will of the one who prays. There is a place for sharing our problems and needs with God. As we are finite and weak, we seek the supremely wise God’s guidance in our trouble and confusion. But if we think that we can move, arm-twist or manipulate God by loud and persistent shouting, the unique biblical vision of God is blurred. The Bible projects a God of amazing grace and unfailing love, who is zealous to humanize the world. Then, when we pray for others we do not mediate, nor do we leave them to God as if he is the problem to be solved. Rather we pray in solidarity with God and the suffering people, expressing our wish and committing to do our part for finding the solution. Generations of Christians all over the world have prayed with meaningful words and distilled wisdom in their striving towards a God-centred, Christ-minded and Spirit-led life. Here is a record number of such prayers titled, compiled, classified and indexed in one volume.