The Gift of Prayer

1 John 5:15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have petitions we have asked of Him."

Prayer is the most beautiful gift from above

It is our weapon in times of danger,

Our way out in times of trouble

It has the power to change the atmosphere...

And even for no reason at all let us utilize prayer to talk to the Father,

To give Him thanks, to give Him praise and to give Him honor.

He loves hearing from us like a parent waiting for a random call or sweet text from their children.

It is a way for us to bond with Him, it need not be long it can only be a few words, a few minutes but certainly He loves to hear from us.

It is normal for us to call to the Father when we have needs and problems; and sometimes answers do not immediately come and we get frustrated. This is understandable but the ways of the Lord is higher than our ways. His knowledge and understanding is above our human capacity. When our prayer requests are not immediately granted sometimes it does not mean NO, instead NOT YET.

When our prayers are not answered it is when FAITH comes in that we BELIEVE we will receive by persevering in our prayers. In my personal experience some of my prayer requests are not immediately given by the Lord, it took a lot of perseverance on my part, patience and hard work.

Hebrews 12:7-12 "Endure hardships as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father if you are not disciplined- and everyone undergoes discipline then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplines us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good in order that we may share in his holiness. NO DISCIPLINE seems pleasant at the time, but painful, however it produces a harvest righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."



Sometimes when we pray we tend to be demanding, and as children asking from the Father, it is important to keep our heart aligned to His will that is we seek Him first before everything else and we love Him above everything else as we offer before His feet our petition. This may seem difficult for some, it was difficult for me especially during my rebellious years but if we desire to seek I guarantee you, you will find Him, He will make ways, He will use your circumstances, send you people until you find Him.

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." -Ephesians


There are no rules when it comes to prayer, anytime of the day, everywhere we can talk to the Father and invite Him to hear our petitions but if we aim to have a more deeper and more meaningful prayer life there are six steps that can help us pray and invite our Father to influence every aspect of our life. It is a way of working together with God in our lives:

1. PRAY TO THE FATHER IN THE NAME OF JESUS
John 16:23-24 "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive that your joy may be full."

2. BELIEVE YOU RECEIVE
Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."

3. FORGIVE WHEN YOU PRAY
Mark 11:25-26 "And whenever you stand praying if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

4. DEPEND UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOUR PRAYER LIFE
Romans 8:26-27 "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts know what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

5. PRAY THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
ROMANS 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

6. EDIFY YOURSELF BY PRAYING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Jude 20 "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit."
1 Corinthians 14 "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself but he who prophesies edifies in the church."


When you pray, have the confidence of heart that the Father hears your voice.
One secret to prayer life is to say our prayers in the name of Jesus our Saviour.

John 14:6 "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as wel. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him."

In the past years before I completely surrendered to the will of the Lord and prior to my decision to follow Jesus, when I pray my heart is always full of anxiety and mostly adamant if the Father truly hears me. There was no certainty in my prayer. There was doubt. I believe because I wanted to believe. It was my mind dictating but my heart does not agree. I did not understand then as I understand now. Reading the words from the Bible helped me understood my faith, and it was such a revelation to be able to believe and to understand at the same time. It is not complicated as I thought it was. To have faith after all is a decision of the heart and not satisfied by logic and reason. It is our core from the heart direct to the Father.

So when approaching God, I remind myself, "Valerie, you are the daughter talking to the Father and because He loves you, He sees the blood of Christ in you; because He sees you and He hears you... You have him... You are heard, You have it."
The Father wants to unburden our load by seeking Him, by asking His help. God does not give us the spirit of fear but the spirit of hope to be able to do things. Hence when we come to the Father it can help us to communicate by beginning with thanksgiving and praise,

"Father,

Thank you for another day to experience the abundance of Your love, grace and mercy.

Each day Father I long for you, I seek for You, in Your presence there I find my peace and contentment.

Thank you for the kindness and compassion of people around me, thank you because indeed the length of Your arms reach the farthest of the far to embrace each and one of Your children. All can experience the warmth of Your embrace. Father please help me to be worthy of all the blessings you are sharing with me.
I know Father that you know my voice,

You know my name,

I love You Father

My contentment is my knowing that You are beside me always

That is all that matters
This I pray in the name of Jesus'

Our Savior and Mighty King

Amen."

Philippians 4:4-7; 10-13, 19-20 REJOICE IN THE LORD

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, 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.

Like children talking to our Father, Just ask, believe that God is working in our life. Another secret that I can share if I may is to find someone who you can agree with in prayer.

"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask,

it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.- Matthew 18:19"

Just like any activity two heads are better than one. During our times of trouble and distress it is best to seek a close friend or a spiritual advisor who can understand your situation and can pray with you to the Father in Jesus' name.

The following are more verses on prayer:

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you." -Matthew 7:7

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." -Matthew 6:33

"Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

-1 Pater 5:7

As brothers and sisters in faith, let us encourage and motivate one another that none of our problems can ever be greater and bigger than our God. His arms can stretch the opposite ends of the universe and His works are mighty and His intention for us is always the best. Let us always come to Him for everything that concerns our life. He want to get to know us, let us introduce ourselves to Him through prayer. Prayer is ours let us make the best out of it.





(The Six Most Important Things in Prayer is from Newlife Christian Center www.newlife.ph)