Progressive Baptist Church's Website
One of the most important parts of our relationship with God is our prayer life. Communion with God must be the element in which we live, move, and have our being. Prayer keeps us in touch with God so we can discern His will in our lives. It is through prayer that we seek His guidance and He tells us what path to take in life. Prayer acknowledges our total dependence on God. When we take our problems to God in prayer, we are letting Him know how much we need Hin in our lives. So that makes prayer not only a privilege, but a necessity, because without prayer we are cut off from the source of life, light, and love.
There are four truths to keep in mind when we approach the mercy seat where God answers prayer:
1. Through the precious blood of Jesus and by virtue of His finished work, "we possess all things in Christ." - This means that when we make an appeal to God, we must realize that anything we can ask for is already ours if we pray in accordance to the will of God.
2. God has given us a name above every name to present as we enter His presence. We all know the Scripture, "At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess." - We must know that God delights to honor the name of Jesus so we should always plead the name of His well-beloved Son.
3. Because we don't know how to pray as we should, the Holy Spirit is there to help us in our infirmities. - It has to be comforting to know that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
4. Christ, who prayed on earth, continues His intercessory ministry on our behalf at God's right hand. - Becasue of this, we can come boldly to the throne of grace in our time of need.
The power of prayer has a most serious and important place in Scripture. The Bible is full of illustrations and examples of the reality of prayer. Many saints prayed for many different things. Abraham prayed for an heir; David prayed for God to save him from Saul. Mose's prayer parted the Red Sea, and Samson prayed one last time for strength so he could die with the Philistines. Peter prayed, James and John prayed, and the Apostle Paul admonished the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing; and finally, the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ prayed. Jesus prayed before and after the great events of His life. He prayed after some of the crises of His life. He prayed after His great works were accomplished. If Jesus Christ, who is all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-powerful prayed, how much more should prayer be a part of our sinful lives?
In all of Jesus' teachings, one of the most beneficial to a sinful race is the conditions upon which prayer is answerable and successful. Jesus taught that we must persistently pray a simple and humble prayer of faith in His name.
In Luke 11:1, after Jesus had finished praying, one of the disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray as John had taught his disciples. It was the custom of the outstanding Rabbis of that time to compose and teach prayer formulas to their disciples. So Jesus taught His disciples the model prayer we all know as "The Lord's Prayer."
In closing, we should realize the ten elements of the prayer we so often pray and the one we teach our children at an early age:
"Our Father" - A personal relationship with God.
"Which Art in Heaven" - Faith
"Hallowed Be thy Name" - Worship
"Thy Kingdom Come" - Expectation
"Thy Will Be Done in Earth, as it is in Heaven" - Submission
"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" - Petition
"And Forgive Us Our Debts" - Confession
"As We Forgive Our Debtors" - Compassion
"And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil" - Dependence
"For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory Forever" - Acknowledgment.
The essence of true, effective prayer is found in a right relationship with God. God is always ready to be in a right relationship with us. The only person who can stop a relationship with God is you. Strive to make prayer an important part of your life.
