Matthew 6:5-16

                             Source:  Screensaver by CrossCards

And How do I pray??  Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:5
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and the street corners, that they may be seen by men.  Truly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
  My maternal grandmother, Rachael, would say this very thing. "Honey, God can hear you praying in your closet just as well as in church."  So why do we need to go to church?  Because we need to be nourished!  It is likened to a burning ember.  Joined by many embers, they glow for a long time but take one ember and separate it from the others and evenually, its light goes out, it loses its warmth and dies.  And if for any reason we cannot attend church, we have our Christian friends to fortify, encourage and support us.  We can reach out to others and pray for their illnesses, their problems, their sorrows. There are times of course when we want to be alone and God says that is when we are closest to him.  For when we are alone, we turn to him wholely.  We can "hear" him speaking to our heart.  Take time from our busy days to listen.  Like the hymn,  "I love you Lord, and I hear your voice.  What a sweet, sweet sound, Oh, my Soul, Rejoice!"   And take time to pray as Jesus taught us to pray:

    "Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy Kingdom come,
     Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread;
     And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; And lead us
     not into temptation, But deliver us from evil."

And does anyone know the origin of the added, "For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.  Amen"

♥KERRIE♥

My heart to yours...