Many people today want parents to give them tangible goods like cars, motorcycles, handphones, computers, ipads etc. They think their parents love them only when they give them such material goodness. Yet, how many today appreciate the prayers of their parents. Even in Christian circles, few people today value the prayers of a godly father or mother.
Why is that the case? This is because the result of prayers is often unknown. And even when prayer works, most people do not link it to prayer but to their own efforts. Take for instance a prayer for healing. When someone pray for a person to be healed, and the person is healed because he or she goes for surgery, he or she does not know whether the result of his or her successful operation is due to the skills or the surgeon or the prayers of a Christian. The result of prayers can often be unseen and therefore, most people today do not value prayers.
When someone offers to pray for you, will you be as excited as compared to someone who offers you money? The usual answer is no. Will people today kill each other if they loses their prayers? The answer, again is no. People will kill one another for material goods, and money but no one will want to kill another person for prayers.
Yet, that is not always the case. Back in biblical time, during the time of Isaac, Esau actually wanted to kill his brother Jacob because Jacob stole the blessings (prayers) of his father that is meant for him. Why will Esau does that, unless he believes in the power of prayers? If Esau does not believe that there is power in Isaac’s prayers, he will not have hated his brother for stealing away his prayers since he will not care whether he loses the prayers of his father or not. Esau is not a godly man, in fact, he is a godless man who despises his birthright. Yet, even a godless man like Esau can value the treasure known as prayers.
Today, things are the opposite. Today, even the most godly of men and women do not value prayers like the way Esau did. Oh, how Satan had deceived us over the years, to shift our focuses from seeking after godly people’s prayers to more material needs. In this sense, we, the so called godly christians value prayers even less than godless Esau, who will want to kill his brother because he loses his father’s blessings.
Let us repent and value prayers once again. Let us value prayers more than material things or worldly stuffs. Let us shift our emphasis back to prayers and seeking after prayers. For everything we do, we do by our own strength but prayers move God’s hands and therefore make us dependent on His strength.
I rather it be God that moves His hands than myself working all the way for Him, and I will actively seek the prayers of a godly person. I hope this article convinces you to do the same!