Great Plains Daily Devotional for 4/30/2020

Acts 4:23-24, 29-31 

After they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them,

And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

Prayer, at its simplest, is talking to God.  There is nothing magic in prayer – but there is power.
 
Sometimes, I wish prayer worked like magic – we say the words, and it happens. But God’s no genie, and we’ve seen the hilarity that could come from a god like that in the movie Bruce Almighty.
 
Sometimes we do pray to change God’s mind - we ask God for miracles, and sometimes they do happen. Other times, we pray...and we hear silence. But we find that even when God doesn't answer how we want, God’s presence begins to strengthen and center us. 
 
Rabbi Ferdinand Isserman said, "Prayer invites God's presence to suffuse our spirits; God's will to prevail in our lives. Prayer might not bring water to parched fields, nor mend a broken bridge, nor rebuild a ruined city. But prayer can water an arid soul, mend a broken heart, rebuild a weakened will."
And when souls are refreshed, hearts are broken, and wills are fortified…just think of all that God does in and through us!
Today, I invite you to spend time in prayer. Choose a different method than your preferred method, and explore how getting out of your “routine” prayer time helps you connect differently with the Divine.

Prayer for Reflection

Acts 2 2:14a, 36-41
Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
1 Peter 1:17-23
Luke 24:13-35