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by
Ronald D. Kelly
Many would like to have a more personal relationshi p
with God, but just do not know how.
W
HY
does God
seem unrea l to so
many people?
Do you ever find
yourself
asking, "Does God
even exist
?"
After experiencing two world
wars, millions drifted into a mod–
ero world where God has no appar–
ent meaning. West Europeans, who
at one time were in the heartland of
Christianity, became the least reli–
gious in the professing Christian
world.
Now, however, in spite of the
commercialism and material
mindedncss in Western societies,
many have an increasing awareness
of God. In a very dangerous wor ld
they sensc a need to be closer to
him.
So, whether you are one of those
who have never been "religious," or
among those who have d iscovered
the need of personal contact with
God, you can profit from under–
standing what prayer is and what it
is not. The answers may surprise
you!
July
1
August 1983
Some Far Away Supe r stitio n?
" How do you talk to God?" many
have asked us. Should you memorize
a mealtime or bedtime prayer? Do
you have to be in a church or chapel
to pray? Are you supposed to say
Bible sounding words such as "thee"
and "thou" when you talk to God?
These are questions people have
about prayer. But for sorne reason,
prayer is something you just don't
talk about much. So a large percent–
age simply do not pray even though
they know deep down they should.
So let's talk about it. You proba–
bly want to pray more than you do.
And if you already pray regularly,
you probably wanl to pray more
effectively.
Unfo rt u nately, when ma ny
pr.ay-if they pray- it is out of
desperation-when something has
gone wrong. In the face of tragedy
people cry out in that last moment
of panic, "God , save me!" Or
"God, help me!"
But that's not the time to estab–
lish contact with the C reator of
heaven and earth. You should not
wait for that last moment. You
should establish and maintain a
close personal relationship with
God , now, before a crisis comes.
Christ and Lazarus
One of the most inspiring illustra–
tions of the power of prayer is the
moment when Jesus raised Lazarus
from the dead. Lazarus, along with
his two sistcrs Mary and Martha,
had been close to J esus. He often
stayed at their home in Bethany,
near Jerusalem. But Lazarus became
sick and died (John 11: 14).
The death of Lazarus was to serve
a great purpose. Of course Jesus
Christ could have healed him even
before he died, but he chose other–
wise. Through raising a man from
the dead, J esus would show once and
for all the sou rce of bis power.
By the time Christ arrived in
Bethany, Lazarus had been dead
four days and was already buried
(verse
39).
The glory of God was to
be revealed through this momen–
tous event.
J esus gave instructions to roll
back the stone that sealed the
7