As we begin a new year, many of us take time to reflect and make resolutions. We may think, “I want to correct the areas where I did not live according to God’s will last year, renew my faith, and receive abundant blessings this year.” Yet we also know from experience that even when we try our hardest, things do not always turn out as we hope. For this reason, God teaches us to pray to Him, the One who can give all things and accomplish all things. This year, as we devote ourselves earnestly to the work of the gospel, let us also devote ourselves wholeheartedly to prayer. When we ask wisely, as Solomon did, our Father gives us even more than we ask for.
The Bible teaches that it is God’s will for us to pray continually, and that only those who live according to His will can enter the kingdom of heaven (1 Th 5:16–18; Mt 7:21). When we see brothers and sisters growing weary in the work of the gospel, they often try to find solutions by searching for new methods or seeking advice from those around them. Yet God reminds us that all things are accomplished through prayer. Each time we pray to our Father in moments of difficulty, He grants us wisdom, and joyful results follow. On the other hand, when we think, “I can handle this on my own,” and move forward without prayer, things often do not go well, and the joy we once had begins to fade.
When we pray to God continually, He enables us to carry out the gospel work with joy. Let us develop the habit of praying at all times, even when things do not go as planned, when unity is difficult, when results are not yet visible, or when our bodies are weary. God has promised, “Ask and it will be given to you,” and He also assures us, “If you, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him” (Mt 7:7–11).
Our Father, Christ Ahnsahnghong, is God, the Creator of heaven and earth. When we are thirsty, He gives us water. When we are hungry, He provides food. When we are sick, He grants us health. Because He is the almighty God, there is nothing He cannot give. What we ask for is small in God’s eyes, and He is able to give far more abundantly. However, when we do not follow His will, we cannot receive. Some fail to receive because they doubt. Others receive later. But those who ask with complete faith, believing wholeheartedly, will surely receive.
Jesus said to His disciples, “This kind can come out only by prayer” (Mk 9:28–29). He also urged them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” When we face temptation, we are inclined to follow our own will rather than God’s word, and this leads us into sin. To guard against this, Jesus taught us to pray and personally set an example through earnest prayer (Mt 26:41; Lk 22:40–42). Although everything in heaven and on earth belongs to God and He has no need to pray, He prayed earnestly with a compassionate heart to set an example for us, sinners who truly need prayer.
Prayer does not require a special posture or a particular place. We can pray quietly in our hearts, pray aloud, and pray in any circumstance. Prayer is simply a conversation with God. We naturally delight in speaking with those we love. As God’s family, we love our God, Christ Ahnsahnghong, above all else. What greater joy could there be than conversing with our Father, who saved us and leads us to the kingdom of heaven, where there is no pain or sorrow?
Let us continue the work of the gospel with firm faith that God alone grants the blessings of heaven. When we lack wisdom, God tells us to ask without doubting. He also warns us that if we ask with a divided heart, thinking, “If He gives, that is good; if He does not, that is fine too,” we should not expect to receive anything (Jas 1:5–8). Without the slightest doubt, let us ask God, who always gives us what is truly beneficial, for everything we need.
When we do not converse with God, we naturally begin to seek conversations elsewhere. If we listen to those who complain against God, such thoughts can quietly take root in our own hearts. Just as faith comes from hearing, listening to wicked words leads one toward wickedness, while listening to gracious words leads one toward grace. However, when we converse with God through prayer, with the One who gives blessings, we receive only blessings. Things fail to be accomplished because we do not ask. When we earnestly pray to our Father, He fulfills all things (Jas 4:2; Lk 18:1–8). I sincerely pray that all members of the Zion family will obey God’s word, pray continually, bear abundant good fruit, and receive many blessings.
