How's your prayer life?
Prayer is communication with our Lord and Creator. Prayer is communication with God Almighty. And yet far too few understand prayer or have taken any time to study it. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we do not spend enough time in communication with our Lord. Through these valleys, through these storms, through this wilderness, we should be in constant contact with the one who can help, the one who can protect the one who can guide. Just like in any other relationship, the lack of communication makes the relationship difficult. When we don't talk to God, our relationship with Him is strained. Why would we ever want to strain our relationship with the Lord?
So, how's your prayer life??
Let's answer some basic questions on prayer, scripturally.
1.) Who should we pray for?
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them
that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you; - Matthew 5:44
What?! Really?! Love your enemies?! Bless them that curse us?! Do good to them that hate us?! Pray for them that use us and persecute us?! That's what Jesus says. Now, I have to admit, that is easier said than done, but the Lord commanded us to love and pray for our enemies. Upon further meditation though, love would melt the hate and turn your enemy into your friend. What a divine miracle! What an act of God!
2.) What should we pray for?
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he
will send forth labourers into his harvest. -Matthew 9:38
The task is too great for one. The fields are white unto harvest and the laborers are few, very few. Jesus wants us to pray for more workers in the field. More laborers, more disciples, more followers. more church, more missions.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. - 2
Chronicles 7:14
Self explanatory. Christians, people, humble yourselves, pray, repent, then God will hear your prayers all the way up in heaven and forgive sins and heal the land. I implore you to meditate on this verse, pray on this verse, and act on this verse. Seek God! This day and time, especially, it seems we need land healing and sin forgiving for our nation as well as the nations of the world. Stand on this promise!
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. - Matthew
26:41
More Jesus. We need constant prayer with God to keep us from temptation. Temptations are around all of us, all day long, all night long. Our carnal side is warring with our spirit side. It is like the old game of tug-of-war, with the flesh on one side, pulling a rope in one direction and the spirit on the other, pulling in the opposite direction. I remember this game from elementary school. I remember crowds around cheering for one side or another, shouting things like "Come on! PULL! PULL!" But, I do not remember anybody ever cheering for the rope. The flesh is on one side and the spirit is on the other, so that makes you the rope. I want to cheer for you! I want to encourage you! I want to pray for you!
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. - 2
Corinthians 5:20
Pray for sinners. We all have lost loved ones. We all know unsaved people. We need to pray for the lost. As a citizen of that heavenly city, as a part of the Kingdom of God, as a representative of Jesus, we pray for you, O sinner, that you may see the light and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and be reconciled with God Almighty.
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray
for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; - Colossians 1:9
Pray for saints. Pray that you all will be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and all understanding. Well put. Pray that we are kept in the center of His perfect will. Pray for the saints.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. - James 1:5-6
Who doesn't need wisdom? The Bible says that if we ask, it shall be given. So, in the midst of your trials, when all seems hopeless and doesn't make any sense, remember this verse. When there seems no way out, remember to pray for wisdom and it shall be given to you.
Boy, there's a lot to pray for!
3.) When should we pray?
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he
shall hear my voice. -Psalm 55:17
David says in this psalm, to pray morning, noon, and night. David knew God. He sought God all parts of the day/night. When he arose in the morning, at midday, and before bed, David made a way to communicate with God.
Pray without ceasing. -1 Thessalonians 5:17
Enough said? Continually. Always. Constantly.
But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of
the word. -Acts 6:4
Like the aforementioned, continually. Always. Constantly.
Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. -Acts 12:5
Continually? You think you're too busy for prayer. Peter was in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing. Wow.
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; -Ephesians 6:18
Again, always.
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; -Colossians 4:2
Continue. Continually. Go to Him in prayer.
4.) Where should we pray?
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast
shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. -Matthew 6:6
Jesus said pray in secret. And why not? Away from distractions, away from worldly distractions, one on one with your heavenly Father. He's a personal savior that saves in a personal way. It's a relationship. Sure, we talk to Him in public, out in the open, but we can get into deep conversation in private. Prayer is not only talking, but also, listening. It's hard to listen in this distracting world, but get away in your closet and it's one on one with the Father. Throughout the gospels, Jesus often departed from the disciples to go away and pray. Great example.
I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands,
without wrath and doubting. -1 Timothy 2:8
But, pray continually. Always. Constantly. In the prayer closet for deep conversation (talking and listening) and also everywhere, be in touch with the Father. We must pray in our closets, pray in our families, pray at our meals, pray when we are out and about, public and private.
5.) Why should we pray?
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every
one that is indebted to us... -Luke 11:4
Confess our sins.
And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his
friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. -Job
42:10
So we will be blessed.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:For every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this
is the law and the prophets. - Matthew 7:7-12
We are sowing blessing for ourselves.
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father
which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. -Matthew 6:9
We are praising God.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. -Phillipians 4:6
We are thanking God.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. -John 14:13-14
We can ask for help.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye
shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. -John
15:7
There is power in prayer.
And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not
into temptation.And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, - Luke 22:40-41
In spiritual warfare.
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the
prayer of the upright is his delight. -Proverbs 15:8
It pleases God.
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to
pray, and not to faint; -Luke 18:1
Jesus told us to.
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