Text:

‘Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him’ – 1 John 5:14-15

Thought:

‘Now this is the confidence that we have in Him’. Is that our experience? Praying with the confidence that it will be heard and answered? Jesus said, ‘If you ask anything in My name, I will do it’ – John 14:14.’Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full’ – John 16:24. What more encouragement do we need? So why is prayer all too often last on a Christian’s list of priorities?

1. The Need to Pray

A ministers’ conference was discussing how much time should be spent in prayer each day. A famous evangelist astounded everyone by stating that he rarely spent thirty minutes in prayer. Then he added, “I rarely let thirty minutes go by without praying. That was the secret of his success, bringing God into every aspect of his life. The Bible instructs Christians to pray regularly; for Kings and ruling authorities, for people who do not have faith, against the devil and wicked spirits, and for each other. A quick glance at national and world events reveals that the need for prayer has not diminished in any way.

2. The Neglect of Prayer

Many Christians find it difficult to maintain an effective prayer life. Prayer meetings are usually poorly supported when they ought to be the power house of the church. There must first be the desire to pray, then the discipline to do it, before it will ever become a delight. It’s important to choose a place and time to pray when one won’t be disturbed. John Wesley’s mother, having no spare place in the house with 19 children running around, used to put her apron over her head to pray. The children soon learnt not to disturb her. The desire became a reality because she was disciplined to do it. James writes, ‘You do not have because you do not ask’ – James 4:2. What could we have received if we had just spent some time asking?

3. A New Prayer

Jesus’ disciples had asked Him to teach them to pray in a similar way that John the Baptist had taught his. This is something churches need to do – teach Christians how to pray effectively. So Jesus taught them what we call, The Lord’s Prayer – Matthew 6:9-13. This was not intended to become a prayer that we repeat parrot-fashion every time we pray. We are to use the principles of it to be incorporated into our prayer life. The Lord’s Prayer is firstly:

 Godward – ‘Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name’.

It speaks of a Relationship – Our Father, Residence – In heaven, Reverence – Hallowed be your name.

Manward – ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’.

Praying to bring God’s best into man’s worst.

Inward – ‘Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one’.

Asking the Lord to deal with us in the same way we deal with others. Dealing with Unforgiveness and asking for protection from temptation and evil.

Godward – ‘For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen’.

True prayer begins and ends with God. We remind ourselves to give Him all the glory when He answers our prayers.

What’s the best way to get started or to get praying again? Little and often. Don’t set a prayer goal that’s difficult to achieve immediately. Start the day with a Bible reading followed by a short prayer time. Then see what happens.