Prayer is us talking to God.
A lot of times, we may not know what to say or how to say it. Yet, God hears and knows our hearts.
Prayer takes a lot of faith on our part. We have to believe that there is a God that hears us. He is there whether we believe it or not, but we still have to believe that He is there in order to pray.
John, in I John 5 is writing to believers to provide assurance of their faith in Jesus as Savior.
“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” I John 5:14-15 NLT
Our confidence comes from our belief in Christ. Not a prideful confidence but a knowing that we belong to God as His children.
“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 5: 14-16 NLT
Jesus is our High Priest in who we are confident. We come boldly to Him.
Therefore, with that confidence, we should not view prayer as a way to “claim” our wants or use God as a genie in a lamp wanting Him to give us anything we want.
As followers of Jesus, we must remember that the outcome of our prayers is subject to the plan and will of God.
Wherever brings Him glory and for our good. As we grow in maturity as Christians, we come to God with an open and trusting heart.
We come in the confidence of Christ that God hears us.
We come before Him with a heart to glorify and to do good.
We come before Him posturing our prayers for His will to be done.
We pray that His will becomes our desires.
In the last year, I have been trying to apply Philippians 4:6-7.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ, Jesus.” (NLT)
Mostly, the part about praying about everything. I pray that my car will start in the morning or as I get into the car at the end of the day that it will start. Or if I am in a lot of traffic that I will not bump into anyone, or no one will bump into me. It may seem like every “little” thing, but I have found it helpful to rely more on the Lord than taking for granted everyday happenings in my life. It has started to mold my heart to want God’s will for me. The more I talk to Him and read His Word, the better I have an understanding of His desires for me. I pray that His desires will be my own.
I would love to hear about your prayer life or what God is teaching you through prayer. Leave a commit below!
Prayer is an atmosphere that I live and breathe. I am learning that prayer should be continual and not sporadic. Also, it should be habitual not an isolated act. Therefore, I am learning to pray about everything. Prayer provides me a potential peaceful spirit throughout my day and a total dependence on Him.
Yes, it is a continual state of mind.
I am learning that prayer from a place of surrender and trust opens the door to so much more than I can ask or think.
Surrender and trust are key!