3. Prayer
a. WHAT IS PRAYER?
Prayer is, amongst other things, a conversation with God. A simple prayer that even a child can utter has the potential to unleash the greatest of forces.
The forces of the spirit world, lie in the atmosphere of prayer. Prayer has the power to make God a reality in your life and to enable you to share in the promises that were made in the Bible. Prayer is the primary means through which you can learn to know God.
When Jesus’ disciples saw that prayer preceded His powerful ministry, they asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luk 11:1) By this we can conclude that prayer is one of the highest spiritual disciplines.
Prayer is to draw closer to Him. It is to involve Him in your decisions. It is to tell Him that you love Him. It is to experience His love for you. Through prayer, you can learn to know God, and that is eternal life.
Joh 17:3 – “And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
Pray every day! Pray without ceasing!
b. HOW DO I PRAY?
Prayer is God’s idea. It is a heartfelt conversation between you and your Father, your Friend and your Confidant. He loves to hear from you as often as possible and He wants to speak to you too, because He loves you!
Read Matthew 6:5-15
Here Jesus speaks to His disciples about prayer for the first time. He makes a few suggestions, which are helpful for us today.
“Do not pray in public for the attention of people, go into a private place, close the door behind you, pray to your Father, avoid unnecessary repetitions, examine your heart throughout.”
Prayer does not always require words. There are numerous examples of people praying in different circumstances and places in the Bible. People stand, sit, walk, kneel or lie down. You can pray out loud, or softly, in your mind, or in the Spirit (This topic will be discussed later).
It is a good habit to start and end every day with prayer.
c. An example of a typical prayer:
My Father
I thank You for all the gifts that I enjoy, (Thanksgiving)
I praise You because You are my Saviour, (Praise)
I worship You because You are good and loving, (Worship)
I thank You that I am a blessed of the Lord,
I thank You that You protect my family and me,
I thank You that You bless me with wisdom and insight,
I ask that You continually renew my heart,
I ask that You keep me from any sinful desires,
Give me a renewed love for Your people,
Help me to live in Your will,
Know that I love You above anything else!
I ask this in the name of Jesus,
Amen.
d. A PREREQUISITE FOR PRAYER
Prayer and faith are inextricably linked. Faith filled prayer, is prayer with the expectation that God will hear and answer us.
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him.”
James 1:6-7: “It must be in faith that he asks with no wavering. For the one who wavers is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. Truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything from the Lord.”