“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 NIV
Jesus’ prayer life was evident to his disciples. He had a certain place of prayer and his manner of prayer inspired them such that they desired to pray like him. Prayer was obviously a priority to him and should be to every Christian.
When God created Adam and Eve, He created them primarily for a love relationship with Himself. In Genesis, a picture is presented of God walking in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day and calling out to Adam and Eve, “Where are you? (Genesis 3:8-9).
This remains God’s call to His children; His highest desire is to be with His creation – You and I. He wants to enjoy fellowship and communion with those He created in His own image. Similarly, our greatest joy and fulfillment as believers will come from being in His presence, seeking Him and hearing from Him. Prayer should be understood as communication with God, speaking and listening to him, the latter through his Word and the still small voice into our spirit as we commune with him.
To accomplish this we must value and prioritize prayer; we must build into our lifestyle a time of daily devotion with the Lord
“…When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the man and his wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God. God called to the man: “Where are you?” – Gen 3:8-9[MSG]
The above verses show us that God is relational – that is, he communed with Adam and Eve. To this day, He still communes with people. Adam, where are you? I want to speak to you.
And like Adam in the garden, could something be keeping you from really communing with God? Could it be that you’ve lately become very busy – busier than God wants you to be? Could a certain sin have given you a sense of guilt like the famous couple in the garden of Eden? Is it something else?
Dear friend, the importance of prayer can’t be overstated enough. God knows what you need. He knows you need that breakthrough; that job; good health; He knows your family needs healing. He knows. But He wants you to tell Him all about it. Express your inner self to your maker. God does nothing except in response to prayer, someone said. Because praying is the method that God has established to commune with you, let’s examine various ingredients of prayer: (see 1 Tim.2:1-
- The petition – when you present your case before God. Perhaps you have a grievance. Perhaps you feel wronged and you decide to take it up to God, who is the righteous judge.
- The thanksgiving -when you thank Him for what he has done; and what he will continue to do.
- The supplication – here, you request for his providence. You seek him to supply your needs.
- The intercession – you go to God and plead on behalf of another. Perhaps a sick friend or a wayward brother. You should also remember to intercede for your country.
- The agreement – here, you hold hands and agree with someone to pray for something specific. You pray in united faith.
When the disciples asked him to teach them how to pray, he gave them a model, What has come to be known as the Lord’s prayer (Matt. 6:9-13). He didn’t give them a prayer for them to be reciting, but a way to pray; showing the attitude to have as you pray, basic areas to cover and as a guideline in communicating with God.
The first three sentences for instance are:
- Our Father… shows our relationship with him, he is personal and accessible.
- In heaven… although close to us (Emmanuel), he is enthroned high in heaven… fully of glory and majestic in power.
- Hallowed be your name… His name is holy and set apart, above all else. It must NEVER be used in vain…
To be continued…