There was once a successful advertising campaign by a US regional airline. It ran just before Christmas. A virtual Santa Claus was set up in the departure lounge of every flight. Passengers would scan their boarding passes, which activated a screen featuring Santa. Before they boarded their flight, Santa would ask the passengers what they wanted for Christmas.
Unbeknownst to the passengers, employees from the airline then went to the local shopping malls to buy and gift wrap the very things the passengers asked for – everything from new socks to wide-screen TVs.
When the passengers arrived at their destinations, their gifts arrived with their luggage. Many stood in disbelief when they realised what had happened. Video recording of their reactions went viral, giving the airline incredible publicity.
Just imagine if you were one of those passengers, surrounded by people who received cameras and TVs, and you only asked for a pair of socks. Wouldn’t you be kicking yourself?
prayer can bring incredible comfort and joy
In the New Testament, Christians are repeatedly told to not make the same mistake. James tells us, “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). This doesn’t mean that prayer operates like a vending machine; that God dispenses whatever we ask for. It means that the sovereign God works powerfully through our prayers when we pray according to his will for his purposes.
In this Sunday’s reading from Ephesians, Paul describes the Christian life as a struggle, a battle for which we need the protection of armour. We’re never promised that the Christian life will be easy. There are distractions and discouragements, trials and temptations. However, God doesn’t leave us on our own. He gives us his Spirit. He gives us resources to stand and fight. One of those resources is prayer. Paul tells us, “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph. 5:18).
If you’re a Christian, you’ll know that prayer can bring incredible comfort and joy. But you’ll also know that it’s tough. Billy Graham, when he was aged 80 said of prayer, “We never get it licked”. Most of us feel as though we’ve never mastered prayer.
That’s why next Sunday, we’re starting a sermon series called, “Praying the Psalms”. The psalms contain a variety of prayers (praise, confessions, laments, petitions), by people experiencing the breadth of life’s situations. These prayers can inform, guide, and encourage your prayers. They will help you to be a praying person.
In a broken world, we’re not guaranteed health, success, and prosperity. But we are guaranteed that we can pray big prayers to a big God, when we pray according to his purposes and for his glory.
