Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Prayer

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Abraham's servant prayed and God led him to a wife for Abraham's son. (Genesis 24: 12-14, 18-19)
Samson prayed and regained his strength. (Judges 16:28-30)
Hannah prayed and received a son. (1 Samuel 1:9-20)
Nehemiah prayed and received help from God. (Nehemiah 1; 6:15-16)
Jonah prayed and was saved from the fish. (Jonah 2)
Paul and Silas prayed and were released from prison. (Acts 16:25, 36)

Countless men and women in the Bible prayed and God answered their prayers in mighty ways. Does it seem like God doesn't answer your prayers, even in small ways? I believe that prayer is a spiritual discipline that is greatly overlooked by the Christian church today. Often we are told to pray, but not how to pray or what to pray for.
We must pray with faith (Matthew 17:20).
We must pray for God's will to be done instead of our desires to be met (Matthew 26:39). Since Jesus is fully man, His human nature resisted suffering on the Cross, but since He is also fully God, He knew it was necessary. God's will, although it may be difficult, is always best.
We must pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If you ask God for a thing in prayer, you cannot expect it to happen right away. We must pray until something happens. When you continue to pray for something, God teaches you to be patient, He may show you what you are praying for isn't necessary, and He often changes your heart so that your requests align with His perfect will.
If you have trouble praying or your mind wanders easily, consider writing prayers in a prayer journal or using the simple acronym ACTS.
A doration (Praise God for how amazing He is)
C onfessing (Confess your sins to God)
T hanksgiving (Thank God for His work in your life)
S upplication (Present your requests to God, you might notice that they change a bit after worshiping and thanking Him!)

How has God answered your prayers lately?

1 comment:

Jules(: said...

God recently answered my prayer when one of my friends made a decision for Christ. :)

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