TODAY IS…

a superb day to begin at the beginning.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”  Ephesians 6:18 NIV

If we are preparing to leave on a journey, we all know that it is impossible to begin that journey at any other place than at the very beginning.

After all, if we live in New York and are driving to Los Angeles, we would not even contemplate starting in Oklahoma City. Obviously that is silly in the extreme.

Paul tries to teach the importance of prayer to everyone he encountered. In his Letter to the Ephesians, he tried to impress upon them that prayer should be such an important part of their lives that prayer was how they should begin anything they were doing.

“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayer and requests.”

Many people limit their prayers to “last ditch efforts,” instilling an attitude voiced by David when he wrote, “In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; He saved me from all my troubles.” (Psalm 34:6 NLT).

Prayers born of desperation are certainly heard and many of us can attest to the effectiveness of those prayers of desperation.

What we need to do though, is examine some of those situations and ask ourselves if the prayers of desperation we had invoked at the end of a situation would have been necessary if we had prayed in the beginning to be sure that what we were embarking upon had God’s blessing beforehand.

After all, the Word tells us, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8 NASB).

In order for that to happen, we need to have the lines of communication open, and we need to consult with God before we do something and be listening for His response. Perhaps we don’t always do this because we know what His answer will be, and we think it will not be the one we want.

If that is the case, then there is all the more reason to pray.

Given the opportunity, God can help us avoid situations where we are forced to cry out to Him in desperation. While He will always hear our cries for help, He would prefer to first hear our voices in prayer asking for His advice and His blessing.

You can get to Los Angeles. But if you live in New York, you really have to start there.

Begin every journey, every task, every undertaking, and – especially – every day with prayer. Today is a superb day to ask God to always help you to begin at the beginning.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson