Friday, January 11, 2008

Prayer - The Key That Unlocks The Portals Of Heaven


When was the last time we were in a desperate situation, when our backs were against the wall, and we have no where else to go?

When was the last time when everyone seemed to have deserted us and we were left alone to face an almost insurmountable trial in our lives?

When was the last time we felt terrible pains in our bodies because of lingering illnesses?

And when was the last time we suffered a broken heart because someone so dear to us has abandoned and betrayed us?

In situations like these, we are left alone to lick our own wounds and to seek consolation from beyond lest, we fall into the temptation of ending our own lives.

Our lives may be shrouded in darkness and we may not see any light to guide us,
but there is Someone who is always willing to listen to us. We can pour out all the pains, the sorrows, the bitterness, the shame, the guilt, everything to Him who is faithful and true, and who patiently waits for us to open the doors of our hearts, so that He can come in and stay with us.

When we were yet little children, we were taught by our parents to always pray so that our lives may have divine guidance and protection. But as we grew older and became educated, we depended more and more on our own abilities and the advices and help of other people.

We only remember God when we are faced with impossible situations, where we
are exposed as so vulnerable and weak as to really help ourselves. It is then that we should humble ourselves, fall down on our knees, and pray.

Prayer is an admission of our total dependence on God who created us in the first place. Like little children once more, we seek our heavenly Father who is more than willing to give us all that our hearts desire if only we will delight in Him and His presence in our lives.

"Delight yourselves in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

Prayer is the key that unlocks the very portals of heaven, where we seek once again our heavenly Father who graciously showers us with the abundance of His blessings and grace from His great storehouse of blessings.

Pray. It works.

My Prayer - The Platters (1950s) USA



Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Spiritual/Inspirational

32 comments:

beachgirl said...

Hi Mel,
What a wonderful post.

Have an awesome weekend.

Carol

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Carol aka Beachgirl,
Thanks for your visit and for your fine compliments, but as always, TO GOD BE THE GLORY. I hope you have a wonderful time at the beach. It's been so long since I was in a beach and I miss it so terribly. Anyway, I will visit it one of these days, by the grace of God. Thanks again for your visit. God bless and have a wonderful and pleasant time at the beach.

heiresschild said...

hi Mel, very timely post as i don't know how anyone makes it without prayer to our Father. people sometimes think there's some magic formula to prayer, but it's simply talking to God straight from our hearts. sometimes, all of the fanciness gets in the way and God just wants simplicity, but with a pure heart. i talk to God even when i'm watching t.v. did you see that God? LOL of course, He did, but that's just an example of my less formal communication with Him not needing anything, but just talking to Him. i've learned to acknowledge God in ALL of my ways, never ceasing to pray.

hope all is well with you and your family. have a great weekend Mel!

Anonymous said...

bro. mel,

thanks for reminding me of the power of prayer. this is a timely post.

it's so true that oftentimes people use prayer as their last resort, when in fact, it should be the first thing that we should do...to give thanks, to acknowledge that there's ONLY ONE who knows us well, and what our hearts desire....

have a nice weekend!

warm regards

fingertalks

JLee said...

Lovely post. Thank you for your prayers and have a wonderful weekend!

Noushy Syah said...

MEL
I believe and pray to God the way I was taught from a lil kid. We should acknowledge HIM at any phase of life..be it during happiness,sorrow,good or bad times..should be continuously.Nothing in between should stop us from having a direct contact towards HIM and it's true that HE's always there for us.

Thanks for the gr8 motivated post Mel.All the best and have a wonderful w/end.

Miss Kurdapya said...

Hi Mel,

I'm Back and na miss ko kayong lahat!...

sorry, hindi man lang ako nakapag paalam ng maayos na magpapahinga muna ako... see you!

God Bless!

Sameera Ansari said...

Hmmm...I feel kind of guilty having read this post;though I am quite spiritual I do not pray enough as my religion requires one too.Still,I believe a silent and earnest prayer from the heart can do miracles.God almost always does grant prayers when one prays with true devotion and faith.

Hope you doing well my friend.Take care.God Bless.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Heiresschild,
Thanks for your visit and your very inspiring comments. God wants us to always pray to Him as a little child always communicate with his parents. You know how little kids are. They pester their parents with all sorts of inane questions that sometimes it drives their parents to the wall. But that's the kind of relationship God wants with us. He wants us to be totally dependent on Him in everything. It is when we become so successful and think of ourselves as a self made man that God becomes farthest from our mind.
May we never ever tire talking to God in everything we do. That's what He wants from us. Did He not say that we have to be like little children for us to enter the kingdom of God? Thank you so much my spiritual friend. God bless and have a most wonderful and blessed day in the US.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Fingertalks,
I know that you are sad in your new work place but that's where God placed you for a very special purpose for your life. I remember that you had so many wonderful affirmations at the beginning of New Year. Affirmations are good because they pass through our subconscious mind and we are tremendously benefited by them. I used them so much before when I have not yet given my life to Christ. But they are just useless words with no intrinsic values in them except to serve as door openers to our subconscious minds and get the benefit that they contain. But in the long run, our conscious mind get used to it and it loses whatever value it had before. Better to use the words of God contained in the Bible because they have the power of God in them.
You were placed there by God to strengthen your faith and rely only on Him and His divine purpose for your life. If you are a Catholic, your relationship with Christ is not that strong yet because you have not yet been born again. Born again is not about religion. It is relationship with Christ. You can be born again and still remain a Catholic if you want. Remember, the Bible said, "Unless a man is born again in water and in Spirit, he cannot not enter the Kingdom of God." (John 3:5) Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior and things will definitely change in your life. You are bewildered because the Holy Spirit is not yet in you. When you are born again and you are endowed with the Holy Spirit, you will understand each and every word that I am saying. Thanks for your visit. God bless and have a wonderful and pleasant time in your work place.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Jlee,
I know God healed you. You may not appreciate it at this point in time but later in your life, you will. Suffice it to say that at the moment you are well again. But take this event in your life as some sort of reminder from the Lord. Life is more than the things that makes us happy and content. It's about seeking God in everything we do. God bless and have a wonderful and peaceful day in the US always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Noushy,
I know that you are always praying my dear friend. How else can you attain those blessings if your relationship with God is not right. But be careful because so much blessings can turn our gaze away from God and into the blessings themselves. Let us just be always aware where those blessings come from and always be thankful for them. You are blessed by God and you were created for a very special purpose. Continue to grow and spread your wings my dear friend. There's still so much you will accomplish in this life time. God bless and have the best time of your life in chilly London.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Miss Kurdapya,
Welcome back my dear friend. I miss you so much. Where have you been hiding all these times? I thought you were giving up blogging for good. I will visit your blog again to find out what's going on with you. Do take care of yourself always. God bless and have the best time of your life in the Philippines.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Sameera,
Prayers are uttered from the lips and they must be clearly registered in the mind so that they can become effective. Prayer can never be from the heart because God sees our hearts but wants us to pray to Him and acknowledge Him in everything that we do. Praying is a form of acknowledgment of our total dependence on God. It is when we stop praying and starts doing everything by our own selves will there be danger of us relying more on our own resources and strength.
Then we make ourselves our own demigod. Pray always my dear friend. It pays to have a closer relationship with God through prayers. Thanks for your usual and inspired comments. God bless and have a wonderful and peaceful day in your work place always.

Mississippi Songbird said...

What an uplifting post. Thank you.I needed this today.
Prayers are wonderful, and sometimes, they are the only things that keep me going.

tin-tin said...

prayer is really important. it's what gives me hope :)

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Mississippi Songbird,
Thanks for your visit and for your wonderful comments. Prayer is submission to the will of God. It is an acknowledgment that we cannot survive without God in our lives. Thanks again for your visit. God bless and have a wonderful and pleasant day in the US always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Tin-tin,
I'm so glad that you consider prayer as very important to your life. Prayer is communicating with God and letting Him know how much we love and need Him. Thanks for your visit and your wonderful comments. God bless and have a wonderful and pleasant day always.

Miss Kurdapya said...

kuya mel...

asan ka? ikaw ba ay nasa tate na? nagtatanong lang po...

Noushy Syah said...

HI MEL
Your wisdom comment about what I said is really true and I do hope that I'll remain as I am and not forgetting about my responsible towards Him...

May God bless you Mel..you're so good in this!

Preetilata【ツ】 said...

beautiful.

may all ours prayers be heard.

tk cr
:) :) :)

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Miss Kurdapya,
No, I'm still here in the Philippines. It will still take a long time before we can settle in the United States since the status of my wife there is still unclear. I'm placing everything under the grace and mercy of God. Wherever he wants us, there we will be. I hope you are fine and will start blogging very soon. Just blog things about yourself and what you feel. That will come out naturally. Forget about what others want. People are fickle minded. You'll never go anywhere in blogging if you cater to the whims and caprices of your readers. Just be yourself and people will like you more for it. God bless and have a wonderful and pleasant day in the Philippines.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Noushy,
TO GOD BE THE GLORY. Thanks for your compliments. You can be sure that your lovelife will blossom and bear fruit because you are taking care of it. In everything, be sensitive to the needs of your loved one. Behind the success of every man is the strength of the woman behind. Be content to give him the place of honor always by being at his side, never outshining nor upstaging him in any circumstance. But be sure you get what you want from your relationship. Love is a two way process. It's always a give and take affair. Love will never fail if you nurture it and let it grow. Thanks for your visit. God bless and have a wonderful and peaceful day in foggy London always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Preetilata,
Yes, may all our prayers be heard. But of course, God always hear our prayers. It's just that man never know how to relate to Him that's why they are not sure whether their prayers are heard or not. God not only hears our prayers but He plans each and every life here on earth. But alas, man uses his own time in frivolous things that's why his life is dissipated without any significant changes in his life. Thanks for your visit and comments.
God bless and have a wonderful and pleasant day always.

agreenearth said...

Always an inspiration to come here and here your wonderful words.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Greenearth,
It is always a great honor for me that you visit my blog. Thanks for your visit. I hope you will post your great articles at WUB so that more people can benefit from the great articles that you regularly post. God bless and have a wonderful and great day always.

ceedy said...

Hey Mel,
Wonderful as ever....

this is one thing i do and have been doing - thanking the lord every morning and evening for a special day ahead and special moments spent.....gives me a peace of mind....i like to thank people as and when they help not wait for that special occasion....

havea wonderful day and a great weekend ahead :)

ceedy said...

sorry I meant week ahead - we just came out of the weekend

Mommy said...

Kuya Mel,

great post very inspirational! the Lord will gonna bless you coz you're being a good vessel to spread his words. God bless

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Ceedy,
It is always an honor to see you visit my blog. Thank you so much for your time. Thanks too for your wonderful comments. I do appreciate them. I really appreciate your posts.
Just keep them coming. God bless and have a wonderful and great day always.

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your visit and for your wonderful comments but, TO GOD BE THE GLORY. I was so touched by your last post. My wife is in the States too and I miss her so much. But that's how life goes. Both of us have to sacrifice for our children's future. Anyway, thanks again for your visit. You are always welcome here my dear friend. God bless and have a wonderful and peaceful day always.

krystyna said...

Thank you Mel for this wonderful post.
Jezus is our great friend and we can talk with Him about everthing.

Blessings!


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