THE WEEKLY WORD
 a weekly devotional by pastor jerry robinson

February 23, 2009

How’s Your Prayer Life?

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee…”
(Jeremiah 33:3 KJV)

William Temple once wittily said: “When I pray coincidences happen, and when I do not, they don’t.” Of course, we know that a coincidence is simply when God chooses to remain anonymous, as the old Jewish saying goes.

John Bunyan said this about the power of prayer: “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”

The importance of prayer in the Christian life is difficult to measure with words. Prayer is not an option for growing Christians. Instead, God intends that His children make prayer a way of life. Those who wish to grow closer in their relationship to the Lord can begin that journey by making a renewed commitment to seeking the Lord's power, presence, and voice through prayer. By seeking God through prayer, we express our dependence upon Him.

Even Jesus Himself, our ultimate example, demonstrated the importance of prayer throughout His entire life. The Bible records many moments when Jesus would escape the crowds of people that constantly followed Him just to get alone with the Father and to share intimate times of communion with Him. Through this, we can also see that prayer is a powerful source of strength and renewal for the believer.

I’ve heard some Christians say: "How often and how long should I pray for?" The answer is however long it takes. God does not want us coming to Him with a stopwatch and a religious spirit. He desires us to come to Him because we want to.

Others have told me: “Well, I would like to pray but I just don’t know what to pray for.” I can understand that. I remember when I got really serious about my prayer life. When I first starting practicing regular solitary time with God, I felt like I would run out of creative things to say. But it may surprise you to know that God isn't looking for clever conversation. Instead, He is looking for those who will simply come into His presence long enough for Him to begin changing you from the inside out. In His presence there is amazing power to change, heal, restore, and there is abundant joy and peace.

Here's a brief checklist to help kickstart your next prayer time. The list of things that we can and should pray about is nearly endless.

  • When in doubt, pray for your family, your friends, and your leaders.

  • Do you have any enemies? Amazingly, God directs us to love them and to pray for them. Nothing makes us love our enemies quite as much as praying for them.

  • Do you have children or want to have children? Pray fervently for their future.

  • Do you know anyone who is sick or in need? Pray that God would provide the answer.

  • Do you need wisdom for a decision? Pray and ask God for wisdom. The Bible promises that He will not withhold wisdom from those who ask for it in faith. (James 1:5)

  • Do you need God to act in the midst of your trials and persecutions? Pray. The Bible declares that "when the righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them and delivers them out of all of their troubles." (Psalms 34:17) What a great promise! Cry out and remind God of His word and He will hasten to perform it.

  • Do you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? Pray. Prayer is where burdens change shoulders - from yours to God's. (1 Pet. 5:7)

  • Do you know any new Christians? Pray for them to grow in maturity and stability.

  • Pray for your brothers and sisters worldwide who are in need. Your prayers are greatly needed.

  • Pray for those who do not know Christ. The best way to influence people for God is to intercede with God for people.

    Finally, remember that when you call out to God, He will hear, and He will answer! So enter His courts boldly and enjoy His presence. He is lovingly waiting for You to come to Him with a heart full of faith and mouthful of praise.


    Prayer: “Holy Father, thank you that through Christ’s shed blood I can gain entrance into heavenly courts through prayer.”