The Prayer Of Thanksgiving Series

My earliest childhood memories of being in church are of the

rope that I could ride. The thick rope hung down through the

ceiling in the church entry way. I was so little that when the rope

was pulled to ring the bell in the belfry, I could hang on to it and get

a ride as it would pull me up off the floor, and then set me down

again. It is a pleasant memory in my mind, and my earliest thoughts

of being in church are memories of church being a fun place to be.

This memory was brought back to my mind when I read this

statement by Christmas Evans, the great Welsh preacher. He said,

"Prayer is the rope up in the belfry; we pull it and it rings the bell

up in heaven."

For the first time in my life this image linked prayer and fun. I

had never given it a thought that prayer and fun could be

compatible partners. After all, prayer is a solemn and serious

business, and that is why we tell children to be quiet, and stop

having fun and clowning around. Bow you head and close your eyes

and knock off anything you are doing that could be construed as

having fun. From this childhood lesson we move on to a life time of

having it drilled into our brain that prayer is anything but fun. It is

a chore; it is a challenge; it is such a burdensome labor that it is one

of the hardest aspects of the Christian life to develop.

C. S. Lewis, one of the greatest Christians of the 20th century,

describes the feelings of millions of Christians when it comes to

prayer.

"...Prayer is irksome. And excuse to omit it

is never unwelcome. When it is over, this

casts a feeling of relief and holiday over the

rest of the day. We are reluctant to begin.

We are delighted to finish. While we are at

prayer but not while we are reading a novel

or solving a cross-word puzzle, any trifle is enough to distract us....

The odd thing is that this reluctance to

pray is not confined to periods of dryness.

When yesterday's prayers are full of comfort

and exaltation, today's will still be felt as, in

some degree, a burden."

We could quote many others who feel the same, and all the

evidence indicates the majority of Christians feel that prayer is a

hard part of the Christian life. Seldom to never does anyone relate

prayer and fun. I must confess I certainly never did until this past

week when I saw, for the first time, that for Paul prayer was fun. It

was a time to be joyful, and a time of happy memories, and

thanksgiving to God for His abundant goodness and grace.

Let me show you what has been before my eyes for years, but

which I never saw until the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see. Now

I want to be the instrument to illumine you on what is clearly

revealed in God's Word, but is also hidden because Satan does not

want God's people to discover that prayer can be fun. Look at the

facts. Paul says in verse 4, "I always pray with joy." Then in

chapter 4 Paul goes all out to make it clear that prayer is to be

surrounded with positive joyful feelings, and the negative feelings of

life are to be eliminated. Listen to 4:4-7, "Rejoice in the Lord

always, I will say it again, rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to

all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in

everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your

requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all

understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ

Jesus."

Paul is clearly revealing a life of prayer full of joy and

thanksgiving. Eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive.

Prayer is to be a fun and enjoyable time, and not a time we dread as

a duty we have to be dragged into. Paul lived the way he wrote for

others to live, and he demonstrated these words in his own life.

When he was in the prison there is Philippi, having been attacked,

beaten, flogged, and locked in stocks in a cell, we read this of Paul's

attitude in Acts 16:25, "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying

and singing hymns to God..."

It was one of the most miserable days of his life, yet Paul is

enjoying his prayer time, and he is singing hymns to God. In the

midst of pain he is finding pleasure in prayer. He is singing songs of

thanksgiving, and rejoicing in the Lord with the peace that passes