Prayer

Prayer, what is it? Talking to God? Does He answer? Does prayer help us? Does it benefit us? Why pray when God already knows what is on our hearts? How do we pray? When should we pray?

Prayer is how we communicate with God. Our way of connecting with God. It builds our faith in Him. It restores and strengthens us. Prayer is a gift from God. He is always there when we pray and always listens and hears us. Prayer draws us closer to Him and His heart. It helps us fall deeper in love with Him. Prayer is not just asking, but thanking, praising, and listening to Him. Prayer is a two sided conversation, not just our requests and thanks, but we must also listen for His voice leading & guide us. Prayer helps sustain us & keep us going.

How do you pray? How often? God longs to know us and spend time with us. He wants to talk with us. When we pray we need to humble ourselves & let His Spirit speak though us. Let His Will become ours and immerse yourself in His presence. Pour out your heart to Christ. Lay it at His feet. Don’t do all the talking either, pause and be silent and listen for Him. [Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”]

Praying helps us in many ways. It lets us give up our burden to Him and calms us. It leads us closer to Him. It builds our faith and trust and dependence on Him. It makes us realize we can do nothing on our own, how much we need Christ. That only through His strength can we do anything. God knew we needed and outlet, a way to let it all out and an ear to hear it. He is always there, listening and reaching out to us wanting to help if we trust Him. Prayer is an essential part of our relationship with Christ and needs to be a part of our lives everyday. You can’t have a relationship without communication. Everyday we should pray, in everything we should pray.

Pray when you don’t understand.
Pray when your hurt.
Pray when your tempted.
Pray when you feel His Spirit prompting you.
Pray for and with others.
Pray when your afraid.
Pray when you need to make a decision.
Pray when you want to quit.
Pray when you feel down and lonely.
Pray when His Spirit convicts you.
Pray when you don’t have the faith or strength.
Pray when your angry.
Pray when your worried.
Pray when you just need talk to someone.
Pray when you need guidance.
Pray when your faith is challenged.
Pray when you don’t know what to say.
Pray when your questioned about your faith.
Pray when you talk to others about Christ.
Pray in every situation.
Pray for your enemies and those that persecute you.
Pray for those that don’t know Christ.
Pray for everyone.
Pray for fellow Christians.
Pray when you feel hopeless.
Pray when praising God.

Throughout the Bible there are many prayers from God’s people. He knew we needed a way to communicate with Him. Prayer is not to benefit Him, but to benefit us, one of the great gifts He has given us.

Prayer is powerful. [Matthew 17:20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”]All God asks is that we trust Him. Faith and Prayer with a humble heart can do wonders. Be patient, trust Christ, have faith and watch Him work. Watch Him open doors of opportunities. Watch Him move and work things out perfectly. It may not always happen in our timing, but it Always happens in His Perfect Timing.

Psalm 5
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
You will destroy those who tell lies.
Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.
My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.
O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love.

Psalm 17:6-9
I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.
By your mighty power you rescue
those who seek refuge from their enemies.
Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Protect me from wicked people who attack me,
from murderous enemies who surround me.

Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
When evil people come to devour me,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident.
The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
singing and praising the Lord with music.
Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Do not turn your back on me.
Do not reject your servant in anger.
You have always been my helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,
O God of my salvation!
Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close.
Teach me how to live, O Lord.
Lead me along the right path,
for my enemies are waiting for me.
Do not let me fall into their hands.
For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
with every breath they threaten me with violence.
Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.
Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 55:17
Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.

Matthew 6:3-8
“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

Matthew 21:22-24
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

Matthew 26:41
“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

1 Timothy 2-6
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Acts 12:5
But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.

God Bless!

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