Prayer

Prayer is an intimate thing that we do. It is us conversing with our great God. We are telling Him what is on our hearts; we are telling Him of our fears and our plight as we journey in this life. We are telling Him those desperate things that affect us; that impinge on us; we are asking Him to help us; we are asking Him to save us even.

Prayer is such a powerful tool to have. Like any other tool, you have to hone in on your mastery of it. When I say mastery; I mean the act of developing yourself in prayer. In retrospect, mastery and prayer do not go together well. Since mastery speaks of a prideful stance; and prayer involves a lowly stance. Prayer involves submission and acceptance of God’s will.

I have over the years seen such a difference in my prayer life. Once upon a time I usually prayed robotically. My heart was never in it. In fact prayer was a vehicle to ask for something; maybe protection, or money, or elevation. The amusing fact was I did not have the faith for what I was praying about; I just knew to pray. However over the years, as my relationship with the Lord has grown, so has my prayer life been more centered on God and on God’s Word. I use the Word of God in my prayers. I tell Him what I am asking for according to His Word. I have come to enjoy praying now. I have come to have such a great delight it in. Praying like we should takes time. It takes effort; it takes dedication. I must be dedicated to God in order to pray; otherwise I would be ineffective. Prayer helps me to touch the heart of God. It helps me know what God is thinking.

Prolonged prayer reaps a great harvest. Can you stay in prayer for an hour? About longer? Prolonged prayer is good for us. I hear people say, ‘God woke me up at 3am to pray. I could not sleep, I just had to pray. I prayed till morning and I had a breakthrough.’ What a treasure! Prayer helps us marinate in the presence of God. It helps us soak. It is a place for me and God meeting. It is a place for me to speak with Him and listen to Him. It is such a still place; peaceful and refreshing. We are not the same as after we have prayed. We change. Most times we might not see the change because it is a spiritual change. But we have actually changed! Jesus was so troubled at the Garden of Gethsemane. He was troubled at what was to come. And yet when he finished praying, he was revitalized, renewed, refocused and able to complete the work ahead of Him. That is the power of prayer. That is what prayer can do!

I encourage you to cultivate your prayer life this month.

Linda Faith