Prayer is Important: One Year Bible Reading for June 21

 Today in these verses from the One Year Bible, we find out another reason prayer is so important:

2 Kings 1:1-2:25
Acts 13:42-14:7
Psalm 139:1-24
Proverbs 17:19-21

Let's look at Acts. The Jews in the city where Paul and Barnabas are sharing the good news are so jealous of the attention that the people are paying to the apostles that they start yelling, arguing with them and trying to drown them out. 

Now, you can probably see one reason here why prayer is important. If these Jews had been in closer contact with God through daily prayer, they might have realized that what the apostles were teaching was true. But at the very LEAST, if they'd been praying for other people, they wouldn't have fallen into jealousy.

See, it's easy for us to become jealous (and envious) when someone else is successful, even if they are legitimately serving God and we are, too. But when we JOIN with them in prayer, it helps us to feel less jealous. We feel like we're part of their success and that their victories are ours, too.

So next time you're feeling jealous or envious of another's success, say a prayer for them. Might help.

God, thanks for teaching us how to set aside feelings of jealousy and envy.