Prayer
Prayer is a gracious gift of God that allows us to walk into His presence and talk to Him as our Father. Praying is the speaking part of our relationship with God.
So where do we start when we meet with God? While we can engage in prayer all day long, time set aside to visit with the King removes any distractions that come up. Jesus showed us how to pray in Mark 1:35. He often got up before daybreak to meet with His Father. Sometimes, a little sacrifice on our part, like setting the alarm clock 15 minutes earlier each day, is just what we need to focus on our important relationship with our Father. Quality relationships take time and energy to develop; our focused prayer time with God is no exception.
Prayer takes commitment but mostly it requires us to surrender ourselves to God and ask for His power. When we spend time learning how to do that we learn how to pray with power.
Start by taking time to be honest with God. If you haven’t been spending time in prayer, talk to Him about it. Be authentic and admit your struggles around prayer and struggles in general. It won’t hurt God’s feelings if you’re honest with Him. He already knows anyway! But He wants you to talk to Him about your struggles. Tell Him why you are struggling, what you don’t believe, and what you have difficulty understanding. Get it all out on the table.
Remember the Bible doesn’t say that the prayer of an “expert” is powerful and effective. No! It says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
The idea of being declared righteous is fundamental. Our sins are forgiven, we are in a right standing with God. Believers who believe in the potent power of prayer come into the presence of God because He has invited them, and then God provides a supernatural intervention into their prayer because of their belief. This is the dynamic force of prayer.
Yes, prayer is a mighty weapon. D.L. Moody once said, “People may resist our advice, spurn our appeals, reject our suggestions, and not accept our help, but they are powerless against our prayers.”
There isn’t a right way and a wrong way to pray. But like any great relationship, it takes time to develop, and your relationship with God is strengthened through times of prayer. Prayer releases God’s resources, brings peace to chaos, and allows you to keep in touch with the God who delights in His children.
Dig deeper into the subject of prayer by exploring the Bible-teaching resources below:
Prayer Resources
You may pray for your kids or your marriage or even financial stability. All of these are good things to bring before God, but prayer is more than earthly requests. It’s meant to be much more! Making prayer a priority amid your busy schedule is work—but prayer works! In this encouraging and challenging 8-message series, Jill teaches from the life of Elijah and Elisha to demonstrate the power of prayer in changing people and lives. Click here to listen.
While here on earth, Jesus himself sought communion with God through prayer. His disciples were to do likewise. He gave us a pattern to follow. In this message Jill shows from Scripture how for those who ask, seek, and knock, God is more than willing to answer. He is even more willing than friends or an earthly father, as Jesus explains through the parables. But the Christian’s prayer requests need to be in line with Jesus’ model prayer. Click here to listen.
When faced with a crisis do you find yourself prepared knowing where to turn, or do you panic and simply react? As Jesus faced the reality of the cross, He instinctively turned to His Father in prayer.
Is prayer your first line of defense in a crisis? In this teaching, Stuart Briscoe looks to Jesus’ example to teach us about the comfort available to us through prayer. Click here to listen.
Worship is a response to God’s self-revelation. In this message, Stuart teaches that prayer, which is either a spoken or unuttered response to Him, is therefore a premier aspect of worship. Whether in the congregation or alone, Jesus taught us we should pray and pray continually. Click here to listen.
Sign up for daily devotionals!
"*" indicates required fields