Prayer

I enjoy praying!  It is one of the gifts God has given to us that we may dialogue with Him.

Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines prayer like this:

PRA'YER, noun In a general sense, the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness.

In worship, a solemn address to the Supreme Being, consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God's glorious perfections, confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings on others, and thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for his mercies and benefits. A prayer however may consist of a single petition, and it may be extemporaneous, written or printed.  Practice of supplication.

As you can see by the above definition, prayer definitely has many applications, but it is always used as a platform to speak with God. 

My daughter and I spoke yesterday about a subject which is relevant to this topic.  She asked me, “How do you pray when you feel so unworthy?"

I am sure I could have taken this in any number of different directions, but I told her that “we are all unworthy of God’s mercy, and that is the beauty of Christianity, none of us have anything to offer to God except our bodies and our unconditional surrender of our mind, will, and emotions”.

I told her that Jesus said,  “it is finished” when He died on the cross, and that means He completed the work He set out to do. Our salvation is secure and settled if we only believe.  Jesus loves us unconditionally and without limits.  I also told her that  Jesus died for her over 2000 years ago. His death covered every sin you could ever commit, past, present and future.  It is amazing to think that Jesus knew our failures and forgave them even before we were ever born.

This inspired me to write a small blog post about “prayer”. 

What are the details about prayer we all need to consider?

Prayer is our direct line of connection with heaven. God wants us to communicate with Him like a person-to-person phone call, much like using an iphone, or an Android cell phone.  We also have bluetooth devices, tablets, and even wristwatch computers! These are all a means of communication that allow two or more people to interact, discuss, or respond to one another. God also wants us to respond to Him in the same way—directly!

To many people, prayer seems complicated, but in truth it is simply talking to God. Here are some basic points to consider when it comes to prayer:

What is Prayer? —

Many people question what prayer is all about, because they desire to pray but don’t know how.

Prayer is dialogue with God, no more than open communication we can pick up at any time and at any place.  God doesn’t hold us to the rules of etiquette when it comes to dialogue with Him, He just wants open, honest conversation.  God isn’t taken back or shocked by anything you could possibly tell Him... remember, He actually died on a cross for you. He knows what it means to be despised and rejected by others.

What Do I Say to God?  

Praying is like talking to your best friend.  It’s easy to talk to someone when you know they love you unconditionally!  Tell Him what your needs are.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV)

⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Thank Him for His sacrifice, for He died on the cross at Calvary for you!

John 3:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and make you new in Him.

Acts 3:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

How Do I Say my prayers?

With confidence, because He loves me.  If you believe in Jesus Christ then the matter of salvation is settled.  God has placed His spirit within you to affirm that you are His.:

Ephesians 3:12 (NKJV)

¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

With joy that He will deliver.

“You have shown me the way of life, and you will give me wonderful joy in your presence” (Acts 2:28).

With expectation that He is going to deliver.

“Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3).

“I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray” (Psalm 17:6).

What Does the Bible Say about prayer?

Pray for each other. Jesus set an example for us on what to pray. He prayed for His disciples and for every generation to come that would follow Him. His prayer was that God protect and strengthen them as long as they were in this world. Jesus also prayed for those who would come to believe in Him through the Gospel message (see: John 17).

Jesus gave us a model for prayer, a template in the Lord’s prayer.

Luke 11:2-4 (NKJV)

² So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

³ Give us day by day our daily bread.

⁴ And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

Pray with faith.

The Lord gives us faith to come to Him.  Even that faith is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Pray with worship and praise

The Lord Jesus is worthy of praise, honor and glory.  When we pray, He desires we that we should see His beauty and His majesty as He is seated in His rightful place as King over all creation.

Psalm 99:5 (NKJV)

⁵ Exalt the Lord our God,

And worship at His footstool—

He is holy.

Always remember that our God is approachable and never condemning.

You will know with confidence that God will hear you when you pray, so open that line of communication! Talk to Him, knowing that no matter how far you stray, your connection with Him can never be lost!

Philippians 1:9-11 (NKJV)

⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, ¹¹ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Stephen Barnett

God is good all the time—all the time God is good!

Because Of Your Love

Words and Music by Brenton Brown and Paul Baloche

Yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah 

As we come into Your Presence

we re- member every blessing

That You've poured out so freely from above

Lifting gratitude and praises for compassion so amazing

Lord, we've come to give You thanks for all You've done

(Chorus)

Because of Your love, we're forgiven

Because of Your love, our hearts are clean

We lift You up with songs of freedom

(1st ending)

Forever we're changed because of Your love

Yeah, yeah

(2nd ending)

Forever we're changed because of Your love

(Chorus)

Because of Your love, we're forgiven

Because of Your love, our hearts are clean

We lift You up with songs of freedom

Forever we're changed because of Your love

Yeah

Yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah

©2006 Thank You Music
The above lyrics are copyrighted by the respective artists and are presented here for educational purposes only and not for porfit