Tag: answers to prayer

Devoted to Prayer

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

Prayer, as most of us know, is simply having a conversation with God. But what does it mean to be “devoted to prayer”? If you look up the word “devoted” in a dictionary, it means loyalty, strong affection or dedication. Prayer should be something that we do daily, all day long and we should miss it if we neglect to do it. Some synonyms of “dedicated” are constant and steadfast. Prayer isn’t something that we practice occasionally; it is a habit that we need to get into so that we are establishing a close relationship with our Heavenly Father. Those of you who are married know that your relationship with. your spouse would not last very long if you never communicated or even if you only talked to each other occasionally. The foundation of a strong relationship is communication and prayer is communicating with God and then giving Him time to communicate with you.

When we pray, our minds should be alert, watching for the enemy’s attack. For me, that usually comes in the form of distracting me away from prayer to something else. We also have to be discerning as we pray, alert and watchful to what God is doing. We should not assume that God will answer our prayers in our way and on our timetable. We need to watch for Him to act on our behalf and be ready to adapt to the way and time in which He is answering our call.

Finally, we are to be thankful, recognizing that there is nothing we are, nothing we have, nothing that has any meaning to us that did not come from God. Our prayers should begin with adoration for who God is and end with thankfulness for all that He has done and is doing. Again, relate this to your human relationships. If you are never thankful to the person with whom you spend the most time, are they likely to want to continue to spend time with you? Everyone wants to be appreciated, not just for what they do for us but for who they are in our lives and how much they mean to us. God wants to be appreciated because He wants to establish a close relationship with us, for us to know Him intimately just as He knows us.

Today is the National Day of Prayer. As you pray today, may you remember to be devoted, alert and thankful.

The answers to prayers come, in God’s time, but remember that He is constantly guiding and restoring you. So, be thankful for His presence in your life.

Persistent Prayer

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

We rejoice before the answer from God comes because we have hope that He will answer in His good timing as we persistently pray. But what does “persistent” mean? According to the online thesaurus, it means ceaseless, continuous and enduring. To me that means that we start praying in the morning and keep that line open to God all day long. Even in the night hours when I am restless, I have only to speak His name to know that He is right there with me, already listening for my call.

Well, what should we be praying for? Here’s a Scriptural answer to that question:

We need to be praying for all believers everywhere. If you think you can pray quick prayers and cover everyone everywhere who needs prayer, then I would say that you have barely touched the surface of needed prayers. It is when we are listening to God speak to our hearts, though, that He tells us for whom we need to pray and how to pray for them. There are times when I am praying that God will bring someone to my mind and I won’t know how to pray for them, but I know without a doubt that God knows their need and has brought them to my mind so that I could bring them before His throne in prayer. I don’t know, but God always knows and is ready to hear and answer.

Have you ever picked up the phone and been about to call someone when it rings in your hand and it is that person calling you? It’s a really strange feeling that the two of you were thinking about each other at the same time. Now, put that into God’s perspective. He is always reaching out to us to speak to us. We just have to be ready to listen. Prayer is more than telling God a “wish list” of things that we want Him to do for us. It is telling Him what is on our hearts and asking that He speak His will into our lives and into the lives of those for whom we are interceding.

God starts sending the answer to us before we even call on Him. He is always ready to listen. Unlike our friends or our spouses, His entire attention is devoted to listening to each of us. God loves us and wants us to call Him, much as a doting Father wants to hear from His distant children. We are denying ourselves a close relationship with God when we neglect prayer since that is how we communicate with Him and how He communicates with us. How long can a relationship last without any communication between the parties involved? I hope that you will take time to talk to God today, about your frustrations, your victories, your fears, your worries. Talk to Him honestly about whatever comes to your mind because whatever it is, He already knows and wants to answer. Some say that it is not necessary to pray because God already knows what we need and will answer when He chooses. I, however, choose to believe that it is not for God that I am praying. It is to build my own faith and to establish a firm relationship with the only One who has all of the answers. Yes, God can answer without my prayer, but I want to be an active participant in this faith journey, so I pray.

Starting your day with prayer means starting it in tune with the One who knows your heart and wants to touch you with His mercy and grace throughout the day. May your day be blessed with persistent prayer!