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It has been
truly said that 'seven days without prayer makes one weak'!
How important is prayer and how does it work?
How
should we pray, and for what? Is there a special formula for
success? If some pray more than others, are they more spiritual?
How can we move a bit closer to God? These are just some of
the questions that we all ask from time to time.
Without
prayer, we would not be members of the Church.
When we decided to be baptised our attitude changed and we were
prayerful as we approached the Lord. This was where it all began
for us. Prayer took us through to receive the Holy Spirit. As
members of the Body of Christ, a superlative prayer life is
crucial to every Spirit-filled person. We cannot sing 'What
a friend we have in Jesus' without a prayer life because prayer
is our communicating link with the Lord.
The
Lord's principles for prayer are recorded in Matthew 6.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites
are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in
the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily
I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye
pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they
think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not
ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things
ye have need of, before ye ask him
Matthew 6:5-8
Jesus
condemned 'showing off' like the traditional religionists of
the time.
He condemned them as hypocrites and pretenders promulgating
false doctrine, false hope and false worship. Jesus condemned
their outward show as something to be avoided. Our Lord advocated
that we should enter into a place of sanctuary and quietness,
and approach Him personally.
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Jesus
taught that our Father in heaven knows what we need before we
ask Him.
This is one of the most important verses relating to prayer. He
knows our physical condition and He is closer than a friend. When
we pray, we are communicating with the Creator knowing that He
is listening and will respond. When we pray, it is not to change
the will of God, We are not trying to convince the Lord that He
is wrong in the way He is dealing with us. Nor should prayer be
an attempt to conquer God's seeming reluctance to answer in the
way we think is best.
Prayer
is laying hold of God's willingness to help.
It is an act of confidence in the plan of God. When we pray 'Yes
Father, thy will be done', knowing that His will is that we prosper
and be in health, we are understanding that we are part of the
big picture and are thanking the Lord for His mercy and grace
and the amazing miracle of receiving the Holy Spirit and being
brought into the Kingdom of God.
The
'Lord's Prayer'
Many people recite this prayer regarding it as an end in itself,
but it is a means to an end. The Lord's Prayer is a series of
instructions about the supreme pattern of prayer to help us understand
what our objectives should be when we pray. Jesus said: After
this manner therefore pray ye:
*
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. This indicates
total reverence to God, putting the Lord where He deserves to
be as King of Kings.
*
Thy kingdom come: anticipates the glorious future with the Lord
at the helm.
*
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven: describes our willingness
to conform to God's purpose.
*
Give us this day our daily bread: speaks of God's provision. He
will never leave nor forsake us, but we need to recognise this
fact.
*
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors: Our sins
are remitted and we will be immortal beings when He comes again
if we continue in the faith. However, there is the condition that
requires us to forgive each other, but more than that, to bring
others to an awareness of God's forgiveness.
*
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: help
us to stay focused on what is good.
*
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever:
an affirmation of faith, trust, and reliance on God.
*
Amen: so be it.
Matthew
6:5-13
All
over the world, people recite the Lord's prayer without understanding
what it means.
The Lord was saying 'I'm here, you are there, it's My plan and
you can be part of it'. It is not a prayer of pleading, it is
a prayer of respect and reverence, acknowledging God's authority
and ability. When it is tied in with the prayer language of the
Spirit, the power prayer unleashes is immense.
When we approach the Lord we are reaffirming that we understand
the big picture and that in a sense the here and now are neither
here nor there!
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Living
in the attitude of prayer - Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not
the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast
that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the
very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole
spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians
5:16-20
To
pray without ceasing means to recall the attitude towards prayer
that the Lord indicated in His Prayer, which is always to be aware
of our place is in God's plan and His presence in our lives, and
remain faithful to Him.
Prayer
is an individual responsibility and opportunity. The Old Testament
prophets and patriarchs, despite all they saw and heard in their
dealings with God, would envy the position we are in today. We
are able to rejoice in our circumstances no matter what they are.
Prayer
must not become routine; it should always be dynamic, focused,
practical and personal.
Prayer must be with intent, building ourselves up in our most
Holy faith (Jude 19.) It is better to pray for five minutes with
great resolve than to pray for half an hour looking at our watch.
Our focus needs to be on the big picture as we thank the Lord
for what He has done and for the magnificent place where He has
put us, and not so much on the little ailments and worries in
our lives.
We
are God's people and have the prayer language of the Holy Spirit.
When we do not really know what to ask for or how to ask we can
still pray. This is taken care of as we communicate with the Lord
in the language He has given us. This means that when problems
come, we are ready to take them on because we don't have to renew
our relationship with God every time the chips are down. Our
relationship with God in the Holy Spirit doesn't have to be started
again each time we approach Him. Prayer is precious. There is
no last minute getting to know the Lord, He must be in our lives
every step of the way.
We
don't pray for trivia, we pray according to His Will.
Prayer is an opportunity to thank God for what He has done for
us, not just a session for outlining our wants. Prayer leads us
to a peace of mind in every situation, that the answer will be
there no matter what circumstance comes our way. The Lord is there
and the way to maintain this assurance is by keeping our prayer
lives intact.
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