PRAYER

Bible Reference : Luke 18:1-8,

Mark 11:24,

Mt 26:41

Key verse : “Ask and it will be given to you,

Seek and you will find,

Knock and the door will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7)

What is Prayer? Prayer is a two way conversation of man with God.

1) Is our prayer a two way conversation?

Imagine two people sitting in a room with one person talking continuously and the other remaining quiet. If we do not attempt to hear God’s voice then our prayer is incomplete .God speaks to us in many ways. We can listen to God’s voice clearly when we read and meditate upon the Bible. We can also hear God’s voice through preachers and teachers.

2) At what level do we converse with God?

Do we talk to God like we do with a leader,a neighbour ,a stranger or a friend? Jesus said “You are my friends”. We need to share, confide and confess in prayer as we do to our best friend. The Bible commands us to love trust and obey God. Love, trust and obedience become easy in a close friendship. Only a close relationship with God will make prayer a pleasure and not a burden.

Why Pray?

1) Prayer is a sanctifier.

If we walk with God then sin cannot dwell in us. A true relationship with God in prayer can enable us to lead holy lives.A sinning man stops praying and a praying man stops sinning.

2) Prayer is a tool to fight satan.

We cannot defeat satan by wealth, power or might But satan trembles when he sees the weakest person on his knees.

3) Prayer helps us to sustain temptation.

Jesus said to His disciples “Watch and pray so that you will not fall in temptation”. The disciples stayed with Jesus, heard him teach and saw all the miracles. If Jesus wanted them to pray, how much more do we need to pray today? Watchfulness and prayerfulness go hand in hand. If we are not alert and watchful, we may fall an easy prey for Satan.

When to pray?

I Thessalonians 5:17 says ‘Pray continually’ How can a person pray all the time? In fact prayer is a 24 hour relationship with God. It may not be possible for us to close our eyes and pray every moment of the day but there can be songs of praise, a word of thanks or some prayer request in our hearts all the time. Though we can talk with God any time of the day but morning is the best time to start our day. The person who avoids God in the morning rarely gets to meet Him throughout the day.

Relationship is built and nurtured by investing time. Are we investing time in our relationship with God or are we hurriedly meeting God in prayer?

Where to pray?

We need to find a peaceful place to meet God. Jesus often went alone on the mountain to be with God. We need to shut ourselves from the world and tune in to God to hear His voice clearly.

Parts of Prayer:

1) Adoration [Psalm 100] We need to praise and worship God for we have been created to worship Him.

2) Thanksgiving [Psalm 118:1] We need to thank God for all the blessings, for life, for health, for family but primarily for Lord Jesus who took away our sins.

3) Confession [Proverbs 28:3] We need to accept, confess and repent all the sins that we have committed knowingly or unknowingly.

4) Intercession [James 5:16] We need to pray for others, for the poor, the sick and the broken hearted.

5) Petition [Psalm 27:7] We may submit our spiritual, psychological and physical needs to God.

How to Pray?

1) Our prayer should be addressed to God, the Father, in the name of Jesus, God the son and with the help of God the Holy Spirit. [Romans 8:26]. If we are praying in the name of Jesus we cannot ask for things which Jesus will not approve. Anything that opposes the biblical principles should not be asked for in prayer.We have a helper and a counselor to help us pray and understand the word of God.

2) We should pray with faith. We need to believe that the God who created the universe, the God who controls the winds and the waves is perfectly in control of all situations of our life however bad they may seem to us. Matthew 21:22 says “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer”

3) We should pray persistently. Luke 18:7 says “Will not God bring justice to His chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?”

4) We should submit to the will of God. We are asked to put forth our requests before God but we should not impose our will upon Him. God knows best what is good for us and we need to accept His will as ours. In the Lord’s prayer we say ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’. His will should be done in our lives too. I John 5:14 says “ If we ask anything according to His will,He hears us”.

Conditions for Prayer to be heard.

1) We need to obey God. Obedience is the supreme condition for our prayers to be heard. If we do not do the will of God then we should not expect God to answer us. John 15:7 says “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.”

2) We need to repent of our sins. If we have unconfessed sins in our heart, if we hide our sins from God then God will hide His face from us.II Chr 7:14 says “If my people …will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,Then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin..”

1) We need to forgive others-unconditionally. Mark 11:25 says “When you stand praying,if you hold anything against anyone ,forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins”. Reconciling with others helps us to reconcile with God. When we talk about reconciliation we should not see who is right and who is wrong, whoever comes to the altar of prayer should take the initiative to reconcile.

Answer to Prayers.

1) Answer to our prayer may be delayed for God answers our prayer at the right time. We may feel dejected and discouraged when our prayers are not answered but we should wait patiently because God answers our prayers at the right time.

2) ‘No’ is also an answer to our prayer. Matthew 7:9 says ‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish will give him a snake?’ .Earthly parents know how to give good gifts to their children. God will also not give us gifts that may harm us.

Sometimes God says “No” because He wants to teach us the lesson of dependance. There was a thorn in Paul’s flesh and thrice he pleaded to God to take away the thorn but God said “No”. Instead God says “My grace is sufficient for you” because God wanted to teach him a lesson of grace and dependence. In all situations God provides His grace which sees us through our difficulties.

At times God says “No” to fulfill a greater purpose. Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane “Father, if it is your will let this cup be taken from me”. God was paving the path for salvation for all mankind. Job cried out to God in pain, but God was using Job to fight a war against Satan. We should not analyze the “No” of God for His thoughts are much higher than ours. Ultimately ‘In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose’. (Romans 8:28)

Prayer should not be used as a magic wand to get things done from God. Our faith should not increase or decrease on the basis of answers to our prayers.

The Lord’s Prayer:

Out of all the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer there is only one request pertaining to our physical needs that is daily bread. Jesus said “Why do you worry about life? What shall we eat and what shall we wear? Seek His first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be given to you as well.” We need to remember this when we pray.

Pray together, stay together:

Jesus taught His disciples to pray “Our Father….The Lord’s Prayer is filled with ‘our’, ‘us’ and ‘we’ and not ‘I’ and ‘me’. This is because Jesus wanted us to pray together. James 5:16 says ‘Pray for each other so that you may be healed. Prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective’. When people pray for us we need to remember that no one can substitute for our prayers. We need to be equally prayerful for our prayers to be heard.

Prayer warriors:

Prayer warriors are people who are known for regularly interceding on behalf of others before God.

To intercede means to come between, (coming between God and the trouble in another person's life).

A few examples from the Bible

1. Elijah prayed and it did not rain for three and a half years. Again he prayed and it rained.

2. In the desert, the Israelites murmured against Moses saying “What shall we drink?” Moses cried to the Lord in prayer and God showed him a tree which when he cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

3. Hannah prayed fervently for a child and God answered her prayers.

4. Ezra fasted and prayed for protection against the enemy on their way and God heard him.

5. Nehemiah fasted and prayed before God when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem are broken down.

6. Daniel prayed to God to reveal him the dream which the king had dreamt and its interpretation and God answered him.

7. The early church prayed together for days and they were given the gift of Holy Spirit and they preached the word of God fearlessly.

8. Jesus drew strength, inspiration and guidance from Prayer. His last words on the cross started and ended with a prayer.

For more information and help please read the lives of

Isaiah, Esther, David . . . in the Old Testament and

Peter, Stephen, Paul . . . in the New Testament.