BY JACK WARD
PASTOR, TOMAHAWK MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
While General Douglas MacArthur was stationed in Australia and acting as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, he penned this prayer for his only son:
“Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
“Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee—and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
“Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.
“Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
“And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength.
“Then I, his father will dare to whisper, ‘I have not lived in vain.’”
That is a great prayer. May we all pray this for our children.
Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus: “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.” (Ephesians 3:16-21)
That is a great prayer that we should pray for ourselves and our church each day. But it is not just the contents of the prayer that matters with God. What matters to God is that Paul prayed.
Is daily prayer a part of your life?
The Bible says, “ye have not because ye ask not.” Are you asking God? If you haven’t turned to God in prayer, where are you turning?
God has set the stars in the heavens and hangs the moon on nothing, and we don’t ask Him for anything? How foolish that is. There are many great prayers in the Bible, but the bottom line is people who do great things for God in this world have this one thing in common: they pray.
Hear Pastor Jack’s sermons and find sermon texts, outlines and much more at www.tomahawkmbc.com. Listen each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on WSIP FM 98.9 for his weekly sermon from the pulpit of Tomahawk Missionary Baptist Church.