PRAYER

Everyone has a different definition for prayer but what do you think prayer really is ? I believe prayer is the key to communicate with God ,ask him for what you want and also listen to what he wants from and for you.

I would like to ask you to analyse what you know prayer to be as we discuss all the perspectives we can view prayer from in the following sub-sections.

Prayer as a conversation

Conversation is a two way thing; You talk, I talk and we both understand. In a situation whereby I am the only person talking and I am not listening to you , we are not having a conversation.

When you pray, you are having a conversation with God. You need to be able to ask for all you want and also listen to what God has to say.

A lot of times, people pray in a hurry due to one reason or the other. I have done that many times but I feel good when I take out time to actually pray and listen to God.

Don’t try to rush your conversation with God, it’s never worth it.

Tips to have a great conversation with God

1. Be willing to listen: You can’t converse with someone if you aren’t willing to hear what they have to say.
2. Be calm : This is one thing I have learnt about God, he can’t talk to you when you carry a lot of things in your mind. He needs you to drop it before you talk to him so you can get the full message.
3. Be in a quiet environment / Be quiet: I won’t talk to you in a noisy environment let alone God. God needs you to be quiet in terms of your environment and your heart.
4. Don’t be in a hurry: God talks to you when you’re calm , quiet and willing to listen. Most times if you’re in a hurry, you won’t hear anything.

Trust in Prayer

During the course of this week, I realized something: You can’t have a great conversation with God except you trust him to a certain extent.
Trust is a firm belief in the ability of someone or something.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord , And whose hope is the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:7 NKJV

“Commit your way to the Lord , Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.” Psalms 37:5 NKJV

Do you talk to God out of need or you talk to him because you trust him to listen and take control ?

How to Pray

The beautiful thing about God is that he knows what you need and want before you ask.

‘“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ‘ Matthew 6:8

In the Bible, Matthew 6: 5-15 talks about how to pray :

‘“5. And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” ‘ Matthew 6:5-6

The Model Prayer

One prayer that stands out every single time to me is the Lord’s prayer.

It’s the perfect prayer you could ever say because it has everything that needs to be said and comes in the right order.

‘In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.’

‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.’

‘And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ Matthew 6:9-13

It includes the important parts of prayer we all need:

1. Praise/Thanksgiving
2. Forgiveness
3. Provision
4. Protection

What can I pray for?

Many times, I find myself thinking about what I can pray for, you might also find yourself here sometimes.

It’s safe to say you can pray for anything and everything, God listens to everything and will give you what you need.

My experience of how God works when you pray:

Sometime at the end of February, I was in a dilemma: I wanted to go for a conference but I didn’t have money to pay for it.

I had told everyone about my dilemma except God, thinking it was not important to pray about it but on the day I decided to pray about it,my answer came faster than I could imagine.

The organization decided to pay for me. I couldn’t imagine how God made it happen but I was grateful.

Sometimes, God has the answer to that inconsequential or important thing. He’s waiting for you to pray about it and he will give it to you.

Can I add anything to my prayer?

Yes you can!

You can sing , dance , worship God for who he is because it creates an atmosphere in which you can converse with God comfortably.

You can also praise God in your own language , be free, it’s your conversation.

There’s a song I would like to share with you , it has been on my heart for the last couple of days.

End Note

‘Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ‘ Romans 8:26

We all have different ways of praying, what matters most is the condition of your heart when praying.

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