INTRODUCTION

Mankind has attempted a vast number of things in effort to gain God’s attention. Most of these things are vain, self-serving, and prideful at best. In 1 Kings 8:28Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
See All... and 2 Chronicles 6:19Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee:
See All..., Solomon requests God’s respect for the prayer of His servant. If any of man’s efforts will draw a second look from the Lord, it is prayer. Prayer calls God to attention (not as though He were not already fully aware of man’s circumstances) as a formal invitation from man to intervene in the affairs of life. Everything in the Christian life is dependent upon prayer. It is perhaps for this reason that believers have the assurance of knowing that they serve a God who hears, answers, and has respect unto prayer.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For smaller children) God respects prayer when the lost call upon Him (Jonah 3:4-10 [4] And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. [5] So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. [6] For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. [7] And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: [8] But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. [9] Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? [10] And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
  See All...; Luke 18:13-14 [13] And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
  See All...; Luke 23:42-43 [42] And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. [43] And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
  See All...; Romans 10:13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
  See All...); when Christians humble themselves (2 Chronicles 7:14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
  See All...; 1 John 3:22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
  See All...; 1 John 5:14-15 [14] And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: [15] And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
  See All...); and when we pray for others (Psalm 54:4Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
  See All...).
• Do you want to get the Lord’s attention? How frequent are you to the throne where you can call upon the Lord for "grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
  See All...)?
• We have already observed that humility gains the respect of the Lord (Psalm 138:6Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
  See All...; Isaiah 66:2For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
  See All...). How are humility and prayer interconnected?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask the Lord to help you be more frequent in prayer.
• Thank God for the privilege you have to call upon Him.

HYMN

Approach, My Soul, the Mercyseat

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