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always praying with joy – Philippians 1:4

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Praying with joy is not easy. The old paradigm of prayer comes with suffering, intercession, working hard towards salvation. Prayer goes well with the cross. The reason being, we surrender to prayer when something goes wrong.

But Paul gives a new and fresh outlook on prayer – always praying with joy! When Prayer meets Joy, the lemons turn into lemonade. All the feelings of offense, resentment, anger and disappointment, suddenly turn into joy, and even joy unspeakable and full of glory! Hallelujah!

The beauty of prayer is in the answer. We ask and expect, seek and find, knock and the door opens. When the door opens, we find the answer to be much greater than what we expected. Prayer is not reserved for the harsh seasons, when we fall on our needs asking God to intervene and save us from all bad stuff that have entered our lives. Prayer can be an effortless conversation with God, avoiding the traps of the enemy, and bringing everything under the dominion of Christ without the warfare. Joy can help.

How do you see prayer – an old religious sequence of petitions towards an angry God who punished you for your sins, or a pleasant conversation with God who loves spending time with you? The choice is yours. Amen.

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Prayer: Father, I love spending time in prayer and sharing my thoughts with you. Thanks for listening. Amen.

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