THOUGHTS ON PRAYER - Part 7

We Christians have an untapped source of power called prayer. When we pray, things change that otherwise would not change if we didn’t pray. Throughout the Bible and the history of Christianity, we encounter great and fascinating stories of unusual achievements that would not have been realized except through prayer. Do you want to see God at work in your life? Pray. James 5:16 says that “the effective prayer of the righteous avails much.” And James 4:2 says: “You do not have, because you do not ask.”

So to resume our thoughts about prayer:

1. Why pray?
We humans are very independent; we rely on our abilities and pride to accomplish things. But the truth of the matter is that we are imperfect, we don’t know much about what’s going on and we can do very little to change things around us. We are not in control. We pray because we trust God; He is in control; He created the heavens and the earth; He knows everything that goes on and what we really need. He loves us with a love that we cannot comprehend. He is our loving Father. Besides that, we pray for many reasons: “God commands it” 1st Thessalonians 5:17; “Jesus set the example” Mark 1:35; “for strength” Ephesians 6:18-19; “to serve God and others” Luke 2:36-38, and many other reasons.

2. Who do we pray to?
We are to pray to the Triune God of the Bible: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are not to pray to anyone other than our God. That includes dead relatives, “saints,” idols, etc. Jesus said in Matthew 4:10 “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”

3. What should we pray for?
It would take a long time to list the many examples of prayer listed in the Bible. A good exercise for you and me would be to search the Scriptures for these prayers examples and incorporate them in our prayer life. Anyhow, the Bible should be our guideline so that we pray His will, but this does not mean that we are limited to what is in the Bible.

4. When should we pray?
We should have a constant attitude of prayer. 1st Thessalonians 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing.” Of course, you cannot pray when you are talking to someone else at the same time, but everything that we do or say should be seasoned or bathed in prayer.

5. How should we pray?
There are certain ingredients for effective prayer. We need a clean heart when we approach God (Psalms 66:18; James 5:16; Matthew 5:23-24.) Have a humble attitude (Luke 18:10-14.) Have a conversation with God, just as if you were having a conversation with your best friend. Do not use repetitive words. The Lord’s Prayer (which should be called the disciple’s prayer) is more like a model on what we should pray for and not to be used as a repetitive prayer (Matthew 6:7.)

There is much more that can be said about prayer, and you can search the Scriptures and learn. However, the most important thing is that you experience it by yourself. Start today; set some alone time with God; pray for yourself, for your family, for your friends, for relationships, for your church, for government, etc.

“The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26