Orange Moon Cafe “Anytime, Anywhere. Whenever, Wherever"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe… 

          "Anytime, Anywhere.  Whenever, Wherever"

    

   How sad it would be if approaching God in prayer required a special place, posture, or ritual.  Instead, Scripture teaches a "continuing instant in prayer" calling that provides born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ with an anywhere, anytime opportunity to "come boldly unto the throne of grace" (Romans 12:12; Hebrews 4:16).  Or, as the Lord Jesus Christ told the woman at the well:

   "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:21-24).

   The presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers plants a garden of prayer, as it were, in our hearts.  We need not wait to pray - we must not wait to pray - when opportunity and responsibility paves a pathway to the throne.  The abiding presence of the Spirit within us, the ongoing intercession of the Lord Jesus for us, and the ever available throne of grace made available to us beckon us to live in the "spirit and truth" proximity of prayer.  Anywhere, anytime.  Wherever, whenever.  This is the protocol of prayer whereby Christians walk in the "effectual, fervent" fellowship with God that "availeth much" (James 5:16).

   Of course, this does not preclude special places and times set aside exclusively for concentrated focus on seeking the Lord in His Word and responding in prayer.  Most believers have and enjoy such venues and times.  I tend to pray most intently during my daily walks, and being an auditory learner, I also listen to the Scriptures during those times.  Others may be more suited to stillness and a specific place.  Whatever the case, such occasions serve not as the exclusive venue of prayer, but rather as an extension of "continuing instant" whereby we rightly view fellowship with our Heavenly Father in terms of "spirit and truth" rather than ritual and place.

    The Lord Jesus Christ was forsaken on the cross of Calvary by His Father and the Holy Spirit in order to seal the promise to believers, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Matthew 27:46; Hebrews 13:5).  Too must was sacrificed for Christians to fail to avail ourselves of our Lord's abiding presence and astonishing promise of "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).  Little wonder that the Apostle Paul called us to "pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17).  Our brother of old well knew that the Christ he met on the road to Damascus became the Christ who lived in the epicenter of his heart and being.  He also knew prayer as the anywhere, anytime gift and responsibility made possible by the forsakenness of Calvary that assures us of instant availability to the throne of grace.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

(Romans 5:1-2)

Song: "At the Drop Of a Heart"