Praying to God

An active prayer life is something that every Christian should have. The Hebrew writer wrote, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Prayer is an effort on our part to reach and commune with our God in heaven. When we read the Bible we are letting God speak to us. When we pray to God we are speaking to Him. When we engage ourselves in an active prayer life we become closer to God. Our families will have a stronger, deeper relationship with one another when we communicate effectively with one another. As parents, we need to talk to our children and our children need to talk to us on a regular basis. That is the way it needs to be between every Christian and our Father in heaven. The more we communicate with Him, then the closer we will be with Him. We have so many things in our life to be thankful for and we need to express our thankfulness to our Father. He needs to hear it from us just like we need to hear words of thankfulness from our own children.

Besides letting God know how thankful we are for all the blessings that He has given us, we should also pray for guidance. We have an example of the apostles seeking guidance from God when they were ready to select the apostle to replace Judas. The text says, And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen” (Acts 1:24). We too should petition God in prayer to help us make good decisions in our day to day life. One of the best ways that we can get closer to God and increase our faith is to talk to Him often. How is your prayer life?

 

Praying to God

The prophet Daniel prayed to God three times daily (Daniel 6:10). This godly man serves as an example to each one of us, showing us that it is important that we communicate with God on a continual basis. Without prayer we fail to bring ourselves into the full enjoyment of the blessings of God’s kingdom. 

The Sincere Desire of the Heart

We learn from scripture that our prayers to God are sincere desires from our own heart. Paul wrote in Romans 10:1, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” Paul was expressing a desire in his heart that Israel be saved. Our prayers should be addressed to God our Father, expressing the desires of our heart and we must do so in faith without doubting (James 1:6-8). Christians must realize that prayer is an acknowledgment of the all-sufficiency of God and our own dependency upon Him. When we truly realize and recognize this then our prayers will truly be from our heart.

The Importance of Christians Praying

Christians realize that God does not hear the prayers of sinners (John 9:31). Therefore the Christian understands the true value of prayer for the righteous. We know that God does answer prayer and therefore when we pray we pray expecting God to answer, even giving us greater things than we can ask or think (Jeremiah 33:3; Ephesians 3:20-21). Prayer creates an attitude in the Christian that brings peace to the heart. As we study our Bible on a daily basis we gain a deeper and better understanding of our Father. Likewise, when we pray to God on a daily basis, this creates a closeness with our Father and keeps us focused on striving to please Him in all things. Pray to God — because prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance, but laying hold on His willingness!

Why Should We Pray?

Some might ask “Why should I pray?” A Christian knows that talking to God is important in drawing them closer to God. God listens to the saints (His children), and when we understand that, then it gives us a closeness to our Father. We need God and we need to ask God to intervene on our behalf. When we pray, we recognize that God is in charge and we need His help to direct our steps in life (Jeremiah 10:23). 

A Fundamental Point

In James 1:5-7 it says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.” We need to understand that when we are lacking in something, in this case wisdom, then we should pray to God and ask for it. But when we ask, make sure that we are asking in faith, fully expecting God to make the change in our life. A prayer without faith is a prayer offered in vain. A Christian that prays constantly to God is a Christian devoted on serving God. Are you praying to God in faith, fully expecting Him to change your life? Many times our lives are made miserable because we do not take the time to pray to God and allow Him to intervene and help us. How frustrating it must be to God to know that we need His help, but simply refuse to ask!

Consistency is the Key

Please take a moment and read the following scriptures in your Bible: Matthew 15:21-28; Luke 18:1-8; 11:5-8. What do you see in these verses? In each case, what is the one clear message that we can learn about persistency in praying? We must pray to God knowing that He WILL provide for us IF we ask in faith, and if we ask in a persistent manner, expecting Him to deliver. That is what Jesus was trying to teach concerning an individual’s prayer life. When our children want something, don’t they usually ask us for it? And if they REALLY want it, don’t they ask over and over -- even to the point of “wearing us out?” We need faith, a faith that knows God is listening and He will provide for our needs, we’ve just got to ask Him and be consistent about it. Sometimes we just need to stop and look around at life itself. Life is teaching us something whether we recognize it or not. Life says, I need help. God says, “ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Learning From The Old

The context of James 5:13-16 is prayer. Then in verses 17-18 it says: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” Here we have a message about Elijah. Sometimes the praying of Old Testament characters are put in front of us in the New Testament to teach us lessons concerning our prayer life. What lesson do you understand James to be teaching here about prayer? First of all we should pray at all times, whether sick or glad. An effective prayer life can heal wounds, forgive others, and gladden our hearts beyond comprehension! We can also learn that God will listen to the prayers of the righteous and answer them. All we need to do is ask God to help us and He will. Elijah was a man of faith and the example before us is that he was sincere and “prayed earnestly.” Again, we are sometimes our own worst enemy because we don’t take the time to pray to God and allow Him to direct our steps. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “pray without ceasing.” Why? Because when we have an active prayer life, communicating with God, then our lives will be enriched with all the spiritual blessings. Are you happy? Pray. Are you sad? Pray. Are you thankful? Pray. Pray all the time!

Prayer -- The Example of Jesus

In John chapter 17 we can read a short prayer offered by Jesus to God the Father. I say "short," because it only takes a few minutes to read it. This is the best example of prayer we can find in the Bible. In it we can see all the elements we should include in our prayers to God. 

In verses 1-5, Jesus prays for Himself. 

In verses 6-19, He prays for those closest to Him, the apostles. 

In verses 20-26, he prays for others; specifically, His future followers, the church. 

Could there be a better model prayer? It was brief, personal, and specific. We should pray for ourselves, those especially dear to us, and for God's people. 

Jesus was concerned about you and me and He included us in His prayer. Notice what He said in verses 20 and 21, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." 

Let us learn how to pray from Jesus. Let us be brief, personal, and specific, and let us pray often, as He did. Our lives will be much better when we pray and allow God to be part of our everyday life. 

Praying Always

The amount of time we spend praying shows, to a great extent, the depth of our relationship with God. If we want to improve our relationship with Him, then we need to pray often. 

The Bible emphasizes that we should pray often. In fact, Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing." Again, in Ephesians 6:18, he said, "...Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit..." Furthermore, he said in Colossians 4:2, "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving..." 

Whenever possible, we need to find a quiet spot where we can be alone and speak openly with God, a time and place where we can fix our mind deliberately on God without confusing distractions. This isn't always possible, of course. When it isn't easy, we need to pray right where we are. 

Nehemiah asked God for help right in the middle of a conversation with a king! Nehemiah 2:4-5 says, "Then the king said to me, 'What do you request?' So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, 'If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it.'" 

We need to understand that God is with us wherever we are, and He will listen to us, that is, if we are His children. Isaiah 59:1-2 tell us, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear." 

Let us seek to pray to our God and Father always, and live the kind of life that shows that we are His children. 

How Thankful Are We?

This coming Thursday is the day that is set aside in our wonderful country as a national day of Thanksgiving. As Christians we have so much to be thankful for and it should be very easy to find reasons for being thankful. Besides having so much of this world’s goods, we have all spiritual blessings which can only be realized by being IN Christ (Ephesians 1:3). But how thankful are we? There are others in the world that certainly do not have or ever will have the material things that we are blessed with in our life. Yet we still find ways to complain and wish that we had even more. In addition to all the physical things that we are blessed with, we should thank God every day that we have learned about Jesus Christ, obeyed Him, and are striving to live a faithful life on this earth until we die. We are promised that heaven is waiting for us to possess it IF we are faithful to the very end (Revelation 2:10). Now that is something we can truly be thankful for.

As We Bow

As we bow our heads in prayer to God this coming Thursday, before we eat our meal, let us truly be mindful of all the wonderful things that God has allowed us to enjoy here on this earth. We should be thankful for our prosperity and for being able to worship God unmolested at any time. Let us thank God for our health and that He may bless us with many more years of faithful service in His kingdom. May we thank God for those that have had an open heart to receive His Word, and are now determined to serve Him for the rest of their life. We should thank God for the opportunities that He presents to us to share His Word with others. Let us also thank God for our children and pray that we raise them completely in the training and admonition that He dictates to us. May we thank Him for the Poudre Valley congregation here in Loveland, CO and pray that we can all strive to continue to build each other up, keeping one another motivated for the cause of Christ and for each other, longing to be with God and each other forever in heaven. As we bow, there are so many things that we can be thankful for.

 

Prayer Is Important

The importance of prayers of Thanksgiving to God is taught to us clearly in the Bible. Notice the following:

 

Psalms 50:14 "Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High."

Psalms 105:1 "Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!"

Psalms 106:1 "Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

Colossians 3:15 "...let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Ephesians 5:20 "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Hebrews 13:15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. "

When we look at God’s Word, we can see where our duty is evident. We know that we have received many blessings from our creator in which we should be eternally thankful. Prayer is important because it is through prayer that God can clearly see in us the kind of children we really are. A prayerful child is one who talks to their father. God wants us to talk to Him and express to Him how truly thankful we are for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. Can it be seen in us by our expression to God in prayer that we really are thankful for what we have, both physical and spiritual?

Praying to God

The prophet Daniel prayed to God three times daily (Daniel 6:10). This godly man serves as an example to each one of us, showing us that it is important that we communicate with God on a continual basis. Without prayer we fail to bring ourselves into the full enjoyment of the blessings of God’s kingdom. 

The Sincere Desire of the Heart

We learn from scripture that our prayers to God are sincere desires from our own heart. Paul wrote in Romans 10:1, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” Paul was expressing a desire in his heart that Israel be saved. Our prayers should be addressed to God our Father, expressing the desires of our heart and we must do so in faith without doubting (James 1:6-8). Christians must realize that prayer is an acknowledgment of the all-sufficiency of God and our own dependency upon Him. When we truly realize and recognize this then our prayers will truly be from our heart.

The Importance of Christians Praying

Christians realize that God does not hear the prayers of sinners (John 9:31). Therefore the Christian understands the true value of prayer for the righteous. We know that God does answer prayer and therefore when we pray we pray expecting God to answer, even giving us greater things than we can ask or think (Jeremiah 33:3; Ephesians 3:20-21). Prayer creates an attitude in the Christian that brings peace to the heart. As we study our Bible on a daily basis we gain a deeper and better understanding of our Father. Likewise, when we pray to God on a daily basis, this creates a closeness with our Father and keeps us focused on striving to please Him in all things. Pray to God — because prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance, but laying hold on His willingness!

Talk to God Daily

An active prayer life is something that every Christian should have. The Hebrew writer wrote, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Prayer is an effort on our part to reach and commune with our God in heaven. When we read the Bible we are letting God speak to us. When we pray to God we are speaking to Him. When we engage ourselves in an active prayer life we become closer to God. Our families will have a stronger, deeper relationship with one another when we communicate effectively with one another. As parents, we need to talk to our children and our children need to talk to us on a regular basis. That is the way it needs to be between every Christian and our Father in heaven. The more we communicate with Him, then the closer we will be with Him. We have so many things in our life to be thankful for and we need to express our thankfulness to our Father. He needs to hear it from us just like we need to hear words of thankfulness from our own children. Besides letting God know how thankful we are for all the blessings that He has given us, we should also pray for guidance. We have an example of the apostles seeking guidance from God when they were ready to select the apostle to replace Judas. The text says, “And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen” (Acts 1:24). We too should petition God in prayer to help us make good decisions in our day to day life. One of the best ways that we can get closer to God while increasing our faith is to talk to Him often.