Independent Church of Christ

INDEPENDENT CHURCH OF CHRIST
IGLESIA DE CRISTO INDEPENDIENTE

Our Prayers

By Eliseo Hinojos

We, followers of Christ, have several weapons at our disposal in order to complete our mission in the world. The first of these is, of course, the Holy Scriptures. There is another weapon which is very powerful which we often do not make use of as we should. Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons the Christian has. I believe that we do not use it as we should because we have not considered the advantages of communicating with God. Prayer is the only way by which we voice our needs and desires to Him. We have no other means of talking directly to our Creator.

Romans 12:12 says that we should be in constant prayer to God. This is repeated in Colossians 4:2. James 5:13-18 tells us that the prayer of a just person is powerful. "Just persons" are those of us who are in the way of following Christ.

The prayer of faith can raise up the sick. Without doubt, prayer can work wonders and by it the Lord hears our petitions, praises, and giving of thanks. We can chat with our relatives, friends, and brethren for hours. But
to God we sometimes speak only for five minutes a day. Some of us can't even dedicate five minutes to speaking to God. We are ignoring our Creator. He tells us that we should speak to Him of everything, just as we speak to our friends. Let's remember that the Lord no longer calls us servants but friends.

Let us not ignore our God, but put ourselves in communication with Him. Let us take advantage of that opportunity, which He has given us, to speak to and confide in Him. Not many people in the world have the privilege of speaking with the Creator of the universe, but we do have that blessing. Yet � too often � we are wasting it.

Eliseo Hinojos is the preacher of the Spanish speaking congregation which meets in Cactus Drive Church of Christ in Levetland, Texas, USA.
(Emphasis by FG)

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;"

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:" "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months." "And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."