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| A moment of deep worship |
Prayer:
1.
It is a
solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another
deity.
2.
It is a
devout petition to God or an object of worship.
3.
It is a
spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication,
thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.
- We are
invited, even commanded, to pray.
- Prayer is
both a privilege and a duty, and any duty can become laborious.
- Prayer, like
any means of growth for the Christian, requires work. In a sense, prayer is
unnatural to us.
- The Holy
Spirit teaches, inspires, and light-ups God’s Word to us. He mediates the Word
of God and assists us in responding to the Father in communion (prayer).
- Simply put,
prayer has a vital place in the life of the Christian. One might pray and not
be a Christian, but one cannot be a Christian and not pray.
- Romans 8:15
tells us that the spiritual adoption that has made us sons of God causes us to
cry out in verbal expressions: “Abba!
Father!”. Prayer is to the Christian what breath is to life, yet no duty of
the Christian is so neglected.
Prayer is difficult to do out of a false motive. One can preach
out of a false motive, as do the false prophets. One can be involved in
Christian activities out of false motives. Many of the externals of religion
can be done from false motives. However, it is highly unlikely that anyone
would commune “with God out of some improper motive.
How
is your prayer life? Are you meeting Him and sharing your heart?
THE PLACE OF PRAYER:
Prayer
is one of the most important things a Christian can do. It is a time they are
communicating with God and it should be taken very seriously. Below are few
reasons prayer is important in the life of a Christian:
1. Prayer Establishes A Deeper
Relationship With God
It’s impossible to know someone if you don’t spend time with them.
Prayer is an opportunity to spend time with God. To really understand the heart
of God, you need to pray.
In John 15:15, Jesus
says He no longer calls us his servants, but calls us His friends. Talking
with God develops a deeper relationship with Him.
The deeper the
relationship becomes, the more time you want to spend with Him. In 1
Corinthians 3:9, God calls us His fellow workers. How can we be His fellow
workers if we refuse to talk to Him?
2. Prayer Brings Light to Darkness
We are not fighting an imaginary war, but
real warfare. Our prayers are targeted at fighting against spiritual battles
that linger in dark places.
Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
The power
of prayer is so great it has the power to defeat the devil and his power over
us. He wants to destroy us, but God wants to bring us closer to Him. Prayer is
our tool to win that battle. Prayer gives us the strength and the faith to
finish the race victorious.
3. Prayer Transforms Us
We often think prayer changes God. This
simply is not the case. Prayer changes us. When we spend time with God, He is
working to change our heart to be more like His. The more time we spend with
Him, the more we are like Him. Our habits and lifestyles change. Our desires
change. We no longer live a self-centered life, but one that is focused on what
God desires. Prayer changes us inside out. Genesis.
32:24-27 "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a
man with him until the breaking of the day. And
when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his
thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with
him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And
he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And
he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob."
4. Prayer Protects
Protection is ours just for the asking.
Psalm 91:1-3 "He who
dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I
will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will
trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence."
The Psalm starts with where we should be with God and that is an intimate
relationship with Him which is achieved through prayer. The snare of
the fowler are traps that are set up to harm you. They can be physical traps,
but also things the enemy puts in your way to trip you and keep you from
reaching your fullness in God. If you have a good relationship with Him and listen to His
voice, He will tell what to avoid.
5. Prayer Brings Breakthroughs In The
Life Of A Christian:
One of the most important aspects of prayer in your life is the
breakthroughs that come. Sometimes we are faced with devastating circumstances
and feel we have nowhere to turn to. It is even at the point of our pain that
our acclaimed loved ones leaves us. It’s at that point we should pray. It may
be painful during the prayer and waiting process but once you receive it you will
be so happy you sought Him. Even if the breakthrough doesn’t happen that day,
you will receive the strength and the grace to carry on.
6.
Prayer Is The Secret Of Holy
living
Though we were created for fellowship and communion with God, the
effects of the fall have left most of us lazy and indifferent toward something
as important as prayer. Our rebirth quickens a new desire for
communion with God, but sin resists the Spirit.
We can take comfort from the fact that God knows our hearts and
hears our unspoken petitions as well as the words that emanate from our lips. If
we examine the lives of the great saints of the church, we find that they were
great people of prayer. John Wesley once remarked that he didn’t think much of
ministers who didn’t spend at least four hours per day in prayer. Luther said
that he prayed regularly for an hour every day except when he experienced a
particularly busy day. Then he prayed for two hours.
Conclusion
The neglect of prayer is a major cause of stagnation in the
Christian life. Consider the example of Peter in Luke 22:39–62.
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to pray, as was His custom, and told His
disciples, “Pray that you may not enter
into temptation.” The disciples fell asleep instead. The next thing Peter
did was try to take on the Roman army with a sword; then he denied Christ.
Peter did not pray, and as a result he fell into temptation. What is true of
Peter is true of all of us: we fall in private before we ever fall
in public.