The necessity of prayer

Spiritual Articles

The necessity of prayer is attested to in the Books of both the Old and the New Testaments, and by the lives of men of God by whose lights we are guided and by whose steps we follow. In the Old Testament, we find the following:

“You shall fear the Lord Your God and Him shall You serve“. (Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20); “Praise the Lord, praise, O you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord”. (Psalm 113); “Blessed are they that dwell in Your house; they shall praise You forever.” Psalm 85:4); “O You Who hears prayer, unto You all flesh shall come.” (Psalm 65:2)

In the New Testament, we read: “Watch and Pray.” (Matthew. 26, 41), so watch, you, and pray always; See also the parable of the Unjust Judge. (Luke 18). We further read: “Continue steadfastly in prayer being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2); “Pray without ceasing.” (Thessalonians, 5:17); “Be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12), “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplications for all the Saints.” (Ephesians 6:18).

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Prayer and its Merit

Spiritual Articles

Prayer is elevating the mind to the Almighty God and confiding with Him in spiritual utterances. Through prayer we worship and thank Him and lay before Him our needs.

Prayer is not only an obligatory duty, but the first and the most beneficial one. We were lead to it by natural instinct which guided us to approach our God, may He be exalted. Moreover, God instructed us regarding prayer through children of Israel. He taught them the principles of His worship in the elementary school of prophets until the time came when He sent His beloved Son, the Divine Teacher, who taught the world the perfect Law and true worship.

The effect of prayer is really mighty, as the Apostle points out: “Great is the power of prayer of a righteous man” (James 5:16), especially the perfect prayer of spiritual elders through which they receive divine gifts and see miraculous visions.

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Theoretical thinking and practical life

Spiritual Articles,

Theoretical thinking is just a thought without experience or actual study of the fact. This kind of thought imagines that matters proceed very naturally, without obstacles on the way, following certain rules that this thinker put in his mind.

It is exactly like a person who says that the distance between two countries by sea is so many miles. If the ship sailed at a specific speed, it should arrive on such a day, at such an hour… The ship then gets into the actual fact, where it could be hit by waves or wind and fail to move, resist with difficulty or change its direction. It might arrive after days, or it might never arrive!!

The actual fact is full of obstacles and hindrances that nobody knows, except the one who has experienced the practical life in its minute details.

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Words of consolation in time of distress

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David, the prophet, said to God, “Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction.” (Ps. 119:49,50)

You too, in times of distress and hardships, remember the following sayings and you will be comforted:

  • “… and Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of age.” (Matt. 28:20)
  • “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” (Is. 54:17)
  • “It is I, do not be afraid.” (John 6:20)

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The wheat and the tares

Spiritual Articles

Your job is not to pull up the tares, but to grow as wheat. When the wheat harvester comes, He will find the ears of your wheat full, and will gather thirty and sixty and a hundred until His barns are filled with wheat.

The Lord Jesus never wasted His time in resisting faults…

He did not spend the period of His Incarnation on earth struggling with those at fault or with problems of society and church. He took care of building, laying new principles and preparing people to believe in them and spread them everywhere.

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Fasting and its spirituality

Spiritual Articles,

Fasting is not just a bodily virtue… It is not just abstaining from food for a period of time then not eating food with animal fat. There is a spiritual element in it…

The first spiritual element is controlling the will. With the same will that regulated food, one can command one’s talking by not using unsuitable expressions, as well as controlling thoughts and feelings. Mar Isaac said: “Abstinence of the tongue is better than abstinence of the mouth; and abstinence of the heart is better than both.”

The second element in the spiritual fast is repentance:

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The problem of excuses

Spiritual Articles

Many try to find excuses to cover up some of their sins, in order not to be blamed or to justify their failure in doing good deeds…

It is an ancient fault that goes back to Adam and Eve! Eve’s excuse was that the serpent tempted her. She did not have to obey the serpent; so it is an unacceptable excuse.

Exactly like Adam’s excuse that the woman gave him the fruit, again he could have refused it!

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