Be Christ’s Example – Pray Unseen – How to Pray – God’s Power for Forgiving Others – Fast Sacrifice

I am reading through 1 Samuel now and learning more about the Kings than I thought was in there. Today, I was in chapter 16 and reread the introduction to David. Having heard so much about him so often, I forget that before he was the king’s sword bearer, he was an accomplished individual. The Lord was with him, and he was an example for his peers to follow God just as we need to Be Christ’s Example in our lives today. We are to look to Christ for an example and direction and then follow.

Pray unseen reminds me of the duality that should be in our lives. We need to stand up for God, but we need to keep the prideful aspects out of the public eye. If I pray in public at a luncheon, I need to not thank God for how great I am or how wonderful my life is. In those opportunities, I need to thank God for being strong when I am weak and for the open offer to everyone of salvation. We can stand up for protecting the innocent from evil and be generous anonymous donors. Do good, be seen doing good, but do not neglect to honor God for his blessings and protection.

How to pray. This is a reference to the Lord’s prayer which I refer to often, but one aspect of the underlying verses near this sample prayer includes more on how to pray. One aspect in particular is to “pour out your heart to God.” Prayer is simply one aspect of our relationship to God. This relationship should underpin who we are and at the base of it should be the desire to tell God everything and ask for His input. If I know I hate onions, God should hear about how I hate onions and I should give him the opportunity to change me if this aspect of me is wrong. (Hating onions can be an example of everything we struggle with.) God can help us, wants to help us, but sometimes we hold onto things as if we can hide something from Him.

Forgiving others. It is hard. We can use God’s power for forgiving others and that not only “makes it happen,” it reinforces our need to rely on Him. How can we forgive our brother when he has done the unforgivable? I am reading a book about a man who had one public side that was great and a private side that was sickening. It is only a novel, but there are people like this all around us. I could not in and of myself forgive a man who lived like the character in the book, but I am commanded by God to do so if and when I run across one in real life. As of father of two girls, there are men in this world I would have preferred the system put to death rather than let them walk around able to prey on the innocent. God has forgiven them and with His power, I can too.

Fast sacrifice. Food has a big place in my life. I like to eat, I like to eat the food I like, and I like to eat long past when I should stop. When less mature, I failed often when fasting was a spiritual option as I put food too high on my list and fasting not high enough. Fasting seemed optional and I opted out. Recently I have discovered fasting is good both for my mind and my body. I feel it has helped me be healthier than otherwise physically. I actually think it has helped me conquer everyday hunger. I do not eat just because and I do not worry that I have to eat if I am hungry. But I have realized that fasting also gives me time to relate to God, to pray, to listen, to read, to contemplate, to be spiritual. To fast used to be a sacrifice, but now it is a regular part of my life and I do not look at it as a negative sacrifice.

After his introduction, the bible shows David to be a man of prayer, who prayed seen and unseen, a man pouring his heart out to God, a man who fasted to commune with God, a man who learned how to forgive others and how to forgive himself, and a great example of the prayer life we can have with God today.