PRAYING SUCCESSFULLY 3

 

PRAYING SUCCESSFULLY 3

Nehemiah 1:6 …..listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel.”

When you pray, be expectant. James 1:5-8 reminds us of this truth. Expect God to hear you when you pray. Expect Him to listen with a willing and loving heart. Expect Him to patient with you, especially if you are emotionally upset and spill your guts out to Him. Expect God to understand you when you pray.

In Romans 8:26-27, we find some very comforting words to help us as we pray. The Apostle Paul tells us the role of the Holy Spirit in our praying. He takes what we pray for and puts it into a heavenly language that God hears. If you don’t know how to put into words what is troubling you, don’t worry, the Spirit does and prays on your behalf. If you sense that you need to pray but don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit knows and will help you as you pray. Expect the Spirit of Christ to help you as you pray and He will.

In Matthew 6:5-18, Jesus gave us some guidance on how to pray. While the Lord’s Prayer offers us some basic guidance, it is not an ironclad model for prayer. Prayer is carrying on a conversation with God, our Father. It is a two-way communication. God listens to us and we listen to Him. Jesus emphasized our need to acknowledge God’s greatness, gracious provision for our needs, and goodness to us. We are to ask for what we need. We are to have humble and forgiving hearts as we pray. We are to ask for forgiveness for our sins. We are to pray to God, not to impress others. We pray for what is on our hearts. Our prayers can be long or they can be short. We can pray anywhere and anytime we sense the prompting of God to pray.

We are to pray for ourselves, and we are to pray for others. There is never a shortage of things to pray for. Pray is essential for a healthy soul and nation. We must be willing and able to pray all the time. People need us to pray for them. The church and her leaders need us to pray for them. Our nation needs us to pray for it. Those who are actively serving the Lord in ministries outside the church need our prayers. People who we know need prayer. People who surround us need our prayers. People who are suffering or destitute need someone to pray for them.

Pray day and night. God always listens to the prayers of His children. Tell it all to Jesus. Pray often, the more you do, the more comfortable you become with it, and the more you will want to pray.