The Best Care Is Prayer
“Pray without ceasing”
(1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Sometimes, God can minister something to you in the littlest of things and in the simplest of ways that can surprise you and be in awe of Him at the same time.
Recently as I was taking a break, I sat on my couch and turned and looked at a can of spray sitting on my end table. The first word I saw jumped out at me and it was the word “pray”. I then glanced at the rest of the can and the other two words I saw above it was “rest” and “care”. But when I moved my head slightly forward, what I thought was an “r” in rest was actually a “b” so it read “best” instead of “rest”. Of course those words were only pieces of the actual words on the can, but it was what I saw at the moment that ministered to me. I kept what I read in my mind and went about my day.
The next morning as I sat outside drinking my coffee, I prayed. When I was done, I asked the Lord what He wanted me to know that day. The thought of what I had read on the can came to my mind.
Both of the phrases I had read, “rest care pray” and “best care pray” can definitely be applied to us on a daily basis. We should always rest (in the Lord), care (for others) and pray about everything. Let’s break this down a bit. How do we rest in the Lord? We turn over our worries and concerns to Him and let Him handle what we can’t handle, trusting in Him to take care of everything. For some, that is not an easy thing to do. It could be because we are taught from a young age that we must do this or do that in order to get things done or for things to happen. Or we become fearful as we get down to the wire and need an answer or something to be done and God has not done it yet so we think we must do it. Or maybe it’s because we have control issues and feel that if we don’t do something, it won’t get done and the problem won’t be solved.
Psalm 62:1 states:
“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”
Isaiah 26:3 also states:
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
How true those scriptures are! When we rest in the Lord and put our problems and concerns into His very capable hands, He will not only spiritually save us but He will rescue us from our problems. We will also find perfect peace in Him when we keep our minds on Him.
Next, we should always “care” for others. It’s amazing how better we feel when we care about others. Helping others can bring much joy to our hearts as we get to see firsthand the joy that comes to them when we care for and help them when needed. For me, one of the best scriptures about caring for others comes in Matthew 25:40:
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
How great is it to know that whatever we do in kindness to others, we are actually doing for Christ! This right here should give us great joy.
Colossians 3:12-15 states:
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”
By doing all of these things, we are loving and caring for others as Christ loves and cares for us.
Finally, pray. This is something we should do on a daily basis not only for ourselves but for our families, friends, neighbors, other Christians, our church, our nation and our nation’s leaders. We should pray that God will open the eyes and hearts of those who do not know Him and lead them to salvation. We must pray about everything. Nothing is too big or too small for the Lord. He wants us to bring all our worries and concerns and even our joyful matters to Him.
So as I read this, the other phrase I read comes into play. “Best care pray”. Our best care comes from prayer! When we pray, we can be assured we will receive the best care from the Lord. Mark 11:24 states the following:
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
God will always give us what is best for us and others according to His will when we pray. What kinds of things should we prayer about? Let’s take a look at some examples:
– For our brothers and sisters that commit a sin that does not lead to death – 1 John 5:16
– When we are in trouble – James 5:13
– When we need help – Psalm 18:6
– That we do not fall into temptation – Matthew 26:41
– When we or others are destitute (lacking as in food, clothing, shelter) – Psalm 102:17
– When we are distressed – Psalm 4:1; Psalm 55:17
– When we are anxious – Philippians 4:6
– For healing when we are sick – James 5:14,16
– For kings (Presidents) and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1-2
– For our Pastors and Ministers – Hebrews 13:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:25
– When we are imprisoned – Acts 16:25
– For those who mistreat us or hurt us – Luke 6:28
– For all believers everywhere – Ephesians 6:18
So as I sit thinking about what I learned, it was impressed upon me to pray without ceasing. There are many things to pray about and the Lord expects His people to pray. Some may say “that’s not my gift” or “I don’t pray as well as others”, but I tell you that prayer doesn’t have to be a gift nor are we called to pray perfectly and elegantly. It can be as simple as talking with the Lord and bringing concerns to Him as we would a friend. God’s people are called to pray and Paul expresses this in his letter to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1:
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.”
The Bible also tells us this in Ephesians 6:18:
“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
Our prayers matter and God does hear our prayers when we come to Him humbly or call out to Him in distress. He is our Father and He loves us. Prayer is powerful and it’s one thing the enemy does not want us to utilize because he knows just how powerful it is when we pray. Let nothing stop you from praying because it is our lifeline to God.