There is a story that has circulated about John F. Kennedy. It is told that after being elected president and moving his family into the White House, he discovered that for all the help and all the conveniences, there still weren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish the work and meet the expectations of his staff, his Cabinet and the public.
His days were crammed full of the overwhelming demands of the job. One of the most powerful (yet little known) forces within his administration was his secretary. Not only was she responsible for keeping the Presidential office professional and keeping the President on schedule but she also served as his “Gate Keeper” anytime he was working in his office. It was impossible to get into the Oval Office without first getting her permission. The President delegated that authority to her and she took it seriously.
There was only one exception to the authority of the “Gate Keeper” in the Kennedy White House:
Little John John, John F. Kennedy’s young son could walk into the Oval Office to see the President any time he wanted without an appointment.
Nice story, so what?
Do you realize you’ve been given direct access to the throne of the Creator of the universe? The Messiah is the only “Gate Keeper”and it is His sacrifice at Calvary on the cross. Your acceptance of His gift of forgiveness gave you the right to go straight to your heavenly father any time, day or night.
In the Old Testament, personal prayer is not emphasized…Priests and Kings prayed, but the regular folks (that’s you and me) are not often recorded praying. In the New Testament, personal prayer is emphasized over and over.
It is the crucifixion of Christ and the simultaneous rending of the curtain in the Temple separating the “regular folks” from the Holy of Holies that gave you and me direct and unfettered access to the throne of heaven.
That access is the privilege of taking our concerns directly to God Almighty and the price of that privilege should make prayer so precious and so amazing that if we take it for granted or fail to pray regularly, we are diminishing Calvary itself
Why Pray?
Because it is the unique gift of the Son, giving us direct access to the source of all power and might in the universe.
Pray…pray without ceasing…pray as if you believed God can resolve any issue you face…pray because it is a gift only His children have been given.
