Prayer has been described as a means through which Christian believers communicate with Heavenly Father. The books of Luke and Acts critically analyze the topic of prayer and its ability to change a situation. Acts is all about the unity of believers and the way intercessory prayer can affect the life of a believer. (Acts: Christ at Work Through His Church Acts 4:23-31). It is a book that emphasizes the importance of a church and the way to uplift each other, not only in sharing materially but also in praying for one another. Luke, on the other hand, has various teachings on prayer that Jesus used to exhort his disciples. Jesus has been described to be a man of prayer and hence setting an example to believers. Jesus is God in the flesh, and it would have been expected that he simply commanded situations without necessarily praying. Through his life and teachings, we realize that prayer is an integral part of a believer, irrespective of the situation that surrounds him or her (Hinson 725).
Comparing Luke to Acts, we observe a certain trend among Christian believers that made the church in those times extra-ordinary. There was nothing strange about the kind of environment and lifestyle that the people lived in. Just like the current times, we had the poor and the rich, people of diverse backgrounds, widows, orphans, and people of different income groups. The kind of environment they were exposed to made them very different, yet they did not allow these to hinder their relationship with God. Their spiritual standing brought them together. They made it a point to ensure that the way they lived did not hinder them from receiving from God. Their commitment to God was so intense that they paid less attention to their status and material possessions (Heen 450).
The book of Acts records how people brought together their wealth and equally divided it among themselves so that there was no distinction between the rich and the poor (Acts 4: 32-37). This is a vital principle that lacks in the church today. People claim to be followers of Christ, but there is less concern for one another. This generally affects the kind of relationship that individuals have with God. The Bible clearly states that a person cannot claim to love God whom he or she cannot see when he shows little concern to a friend whom he sees frequently. This implies that the love towards God can only be reflected by the way we show concern and love to one another. A person receives satisfaction when he or she shows concern to the less fortunate and needy in the society (The English Standard Version Bible Luke: 6:38).
Christian life revolves around relationships, knowing how to live with one another, and showing concern (Luke 6: 27-36). I have come to realize that all the situations that life exposes us to are mainly to help us grow and mature up in the way we handle each other. There is a reason why God created us all humans so different that at times, we do not understand one another. Despite the differences that we share, God designed it in a way that we have to be interdependent. This hence should push us to a place of prayer where we ask God to grant us the grace and ability to be patient with one another as well as offering the needed help and support.
Works Cited
Acts: Christ at Work Through His Church. Ed. Bob Deffinbaugh. 2013. Web.
Heen, Erik. “Radical Patronage in Luke-Acts”. Currents in Theology and Mission, 33 no 6, (2006): 445-458. Print.
Hinson, Glenn. “Persistence in Prayer in Luke-Acts”. Review and Expositor, 104 no 4 (Fall 2007): 721-736. Print.
The Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books. Ed. Zaine Ridling. 2013. Web.