Powerful Prayer: Prayer is Powerful when we have the right perspective!
What is it supposed to be? 🙏
Why bother? What’s the purpose? 🤷♂️
Is God listening? Is He going to answer?👂
These are fair questions. If we’re honest, I expect most of us would agree – they are questions we have all have had. Perhaps your prayers feel like they are going nowhere, they are empty, hollow efforts to talk to God.
Powerful Prayer, begins with reverence, not requests
In a recent morning service where I worship we have begun a series of messages on prayer. The Pastor reminded us that: “before we ask anything of God, we must focus on who He is – Our Father in heaven. Recognizing God’s holiness first and foremost paves the way to how we approach prayer.”
“Prayer begins with reverence NOT requests.” Pastor Cody
So, what is prayer supposed to be?
- Most simply, it is a conversation with God. Prayer is not a time for an eloquent speech; it needs to be honest and sincere – the baring of your heart. Psalm 145:18; Hebrews 10:22; Psalm 51:17
- Time to speak of our gratitude, thankfulness and dependence on God in all things. Psalm 145: 18-19 Psalm 100:4 Colossians 4:2
- An intimate time of talking to and with God. In the Bible, Jesus gave us a pattern of prayer and it begins with the very personal and affectionate words “Our Father”. Matthew 6:9 ; 1 John 3:1 Psalm 95:2-3
- A great human privilege that God has given to His followers and He promises to answer. Philippians 4:6-7
- We can pray about anything and everything and we are invited to do just that. Jeremiah 29:12
- An invitation to bring all your anxiety and worry to Him by praying and coming to God with gratitude. By giving your worries to God, He WILL take that worry and replace it with His peace. Philippians 4:6,7
- Relief from anxiety. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
Be honest in your prayers
In Paul Sadler’s article Why God prefers honest prayers over polite ones, he writes, “how honest are your prayers? When you’re hurting, do you tell God that you’re hurting? Does He get the real you or a sanitized but more superficial version of who you are? Bring all of your emotions to God in prayer, but as you do remind yourself of who He is and what He’s done. And listen as much as you speak. Let Him speak to you through His Word and invite Him to meet you in your pain.”
Why bother? What's the purpose?
Here a few reasons why we should pray and the purpose of prayer:
- Firstly, God invites us to pray to Him, to pour out our hearts! Psalm 62:8 There are over 650 prayers recorded in the Bible and 25 of those are spoken by Jesus. Since Jesus prayed, don’t you think we should also? Jeremiah 33:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Psalm 50:15
- Importantly, God wants us to pray! This is an amazing gift! Incredibly, the Creator of the Universe allows and desires us to enter into a personal relationship with Him. 1 Peter 3:12; Psalm 145: 18-19
- God expects us to pray; Matthew 6:5 says : “When you pray” not “if you pray”. Devote yourselves to prayer… Colossians 4:2
- God is always available! Believers now have direct access to God through Jesus our mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5
- When Jesus died, He opened the way for us to have direct communication with Him. Matthew 27:50-51 Prior to this, communication with God was through the priests under the old covenant. Hebrews 10:19-22
- To deepen and strengthen our relationship with God. A relationship with God requires time together with Him. This time includes prayer, reading the Bible, discerning its truth, listening and responding to His still small voice in our hearts. James 4:8; Jeremiah 17:7-8; John 15:4-5 Similarly, we grow in our human relationships – they take time!
- Prayer is a time to show our gratitude and dependence on God in all things. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Philippians 4:6;
- God wants us to learn to trust Him in all of life’s challenges. Proverbs 3:5-6
- It is a time for self-reflection. Telling God about our sins- (confession) such as our failure to do what we should do or what we did that we shouldn’t have done and repenting ( being genuinely sorrowful and choosing to not further sin in this way)
The following article, The Purpose of Prayer first discusses What Prayer is NOT:
• bargaining with God,• making demands of God.
• only asking God for things. • a therapeutic, meditation-type exercise.
• bothering God and taking up His time. • a way to control the Lord.
• a way to show off one’s spirituality before others.
Is God listening? Is He going to answer?
It’s important to realize that we need to pray with the right perspective. This means that we approach God with our heart right, our attitude right and we rightly understand who He is – The Sovereign, holy and wise God of the Universe. This approach will lead to a God-centered perspective in prayer and will direct how and what we pray for.
“Pray With the Right Perspective” Pastor Cody
Here are a few thoughts and Bible verses that address the questions- Is He listening? Is He going to answer?
- We can have confidence that when we approach God, He hears those who seek Him in alignment with His will. 1 John 5:14
- God’s attention to our prayers is personal and purposeful. He hears the prayers of those who follow Him. Psalm 34:15
- God gives us a direct promise to hear us. Jeremiah 29:12
- Jesus taught us to pray to our Father – without distraction – in your room, with the door closed. God, our Father sees and hears us. Matthew 6:6
- In prayer, we should seek God humbly, with awe, reverence and submission. Ecclesiastes 5:2
- Submit to God’s will, not your wants. Matthew 6:10; 1 John 5:14
- Present your requests to God with thanksgiving, sincerity and faith. Hebrews 11:6; Philippians 4:6
- Be prepared to trust God’s timing and wisdom in the answer. Proverbs 3:5-6
Is God listening to our prayers?
Indeed God does listen to our prayers and answers in His perfect timing. However, for prayer to be answered, there is a posture of prayer that matters- its the condition of our heart. The Bible says in Psalm 66:18 that “if I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” So, unrepentant sin can and does certainly hinder our prayers. The good news is that genuine repentance ( confessing and turning away from sin) and humility will restore our communion with God.
If you are not receiving an answer, this article Empower your prayers: Align Your Mind With God’s Will, looks into some of the hindrances to answered prayer.
Or, perhaps you do not yet have a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ who died as the perfect sacrifice to pay for your sin and mine.
Perhaps you do not yet know Jesus Christ so you don’t have a saving relationship with Him, don’t delay! It’s the most important decision of your life to determine your eternal destiny!
Check this article out, Heaven is an Awesome Place, How to Get There!
This song Abide is a powerful prayer to our sovereign God expressing our trust and dependence on Him for literally everything!
