When my late husband died, my baby sister Camilla, told me that she saw chaos circling all around me. She said that I was in the center of a storm, but the chaotic storm couldn't touch me. She was correct. When I took my eyes off of God and focused on the chaos, I became troubled and deeply distressed. The chaos was a horizontal force, circling horizontally around me. When looking at the chaos, all I can see was the result of hatred, bitterness, jealousy, evilness, and every other thing that is not godly. The only way to obtain peace while in a chaotic force is to look vertically, upward toward God.
When we look at what the problem looks like, we become fearful and troubled. When we focus on God, we are at rest and peace, placing our trust solely in Him. Our focus on God, keeps us in a vertical position, from earth to heaven. It's all about a personal relationship with Him.
In this dog-eat-dog troublesome world, you can't survive without having an open communication line with the Lord. This is why we have to keep it vertical, through prayer. Praying is an opportunity to spend some intimate time with God. It is one of the most important thing for a child of God to do. God desires for us to spend time with Him. He wants us to bring everything to Him, in prayer. Our prayers don't have to be long and complicated. Any one can come to God about anything, and you can pray anywhere and at any time.
When we keep it vertical, by praying to God and spending time with Him, those talks changes us. He is working in us to be more like Jesus. The more time we spend time with Him, the more we become like Christ. Our habits changes. Our life styles changes too. We become changed from the inside out. Our focus on life, changes. We become less focused on ourselves and more focused on others. "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Psalm 145:18).
When we keep it vertical, praying becomes a time when we share all aspects of our lives with God. Not only do we ask for help and guidance in our lives, but this is a time to express our gratitude to God for all that He does for us. He is the Source that supplies all of our needs. We can't do nothing on our own. God is our Supplier. He is our Way-maker. He is our Benefactor. Everything we have is because of God and there are no exceptions. We must give thanks to the Lord for all the things that He provides to us and all the things that he does for us. "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10).
When we keep it vertical, prayer becomes an act of praise and worship. We should always rejoice in the Lord. We should pray without ceasing. To pray without ceasing, simply means to pray always. We should make it a habit to pray and it should be on s daily basis. When God allows you to open your eyes every morning, that's an opportunity to get your praise on. We should always rejoice in the Lord. When we worship God in prayer, we are showing God how much we love and adore Him. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
When we keep it vertical, prayer is a form of obedience. Daily prayer is an act of obedience. Obedience brings joy to God. The Lord loves to see His children following His commands. The Lord has made it clear that if we walk in obedience, that we can live a full life with Him. When we are not obedient, that makes us disobedient and disobedience is a form of rebellion towards God. "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, God listens to him" (John 9:31).
When we keep it vertical, prayer is a way to acknowledge that God is the One that really is in control of our lives. God is sovereign. Nothing happens without God knowing about it. God controls every aspect of our lives. Each and every day, we should humbly come before His throne of grace, in reverence, thanking and acknowledging His greatness, His glory, His splendor, His power, and His majesty, because He is a great and awesome God. "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
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