EACF 40 Days of Prayer - January 31, 2020

EACF 40 Days of Prayer 2020
Day 31: Pray for the Encouragement of God's Attentive Presence

Matthew 6:5–6 The Lord's Prayer
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

We have ten days left in our prayer initiative. Let's finish up strong! We'll pray according to our Lord and Savior's own instruction on prayer - His words are authoritative so may God make us attentive and obedient!

Jesus said not to pray like the hypocrites who do it to be seen and applauded. He said to focus only on the interaction with our Father. It's not that we are to avoid praying with others or in public, but rather it is about the heart - the whole Sermon on the Mount is about checking our heart motives.

The beauty and goodness here is this: God sees what we do in secret. He knows what's on our hearts. He loves to hear us pray. He rewards us for our obedience. That means...your prayer efforts these past weeks are noticed by God, and He is pleased, and He will reward you. What does that mean? Well, there are rewards in heaven (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:14-15). But we also experience God's goodness now. He is listening. He is paying attention. He never stops hearing us. Amen!

Would you pray for two others to be encouraged by God's good and attentive disposition toward us? Would you pray for two others to be encouraged with the knowledge that God is watching over them right now? Maybe there are two people who've wandered or who are struggling. Pray for them. Write down their names, and encourage them to by sending them a note! This is day 31 of praying for good.