It’s Time to Pray

Now more than ever, the Father is seeking those who will call on Jesus and pray.
I PROBABLY COULD FILL A SMALL LIBRARY with the many books I’ve read on the subject of prayer. But when I was a new believer years ago, the concept was foreign to me.

It was inconceivable to me to think I could communicate directly with God. After all, He is God, I thought. What could I possibly say to Him? And how-in a vast world with millions of people calling on Him every moment-could He hear me?

During an exhaustive study on the subject, I came across an intriguing quote by John Wesley. He said, “It seems that God is limited by our prayer life-that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him to do it.”

Did Wesley have the answer? Could it be that God was waiting on me to ask Him to move in my life? I decided to find out by consulting the foremost authority on the subject, the Bible.

Again and again, I found affirmations in the Word about what is expected of Christians. What I learned transformed me. We are to saturate our lives with fervent prayer so that communicating with God becomes a lifestyle.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (KJV). First Thessalonians 5:17 is more direct: “Pray without ceasing.”

God expects us to pray continuously because it brings His will to pass in the earth. It moves Him into action. He listens. He hears. He acts on our behalf. In fact, what happens in the natural realm is first motivated by something in the spiritual realm. Now more than ever, the Father is seeking those who will call on the name of Jesus and pray.

Do you need God to move in your life? Do you or a loved one need a miracle? The most powerful spiritual artillery is prayer. So often we attempt to confront our difficulties before we seek His face, yet we have the privilege of communing with Christ daily.

Before you head into destruction, cry out to God and ask anything. As you believe
it, you will receive it. Hebrews 4:16 compels us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” The Father tells us to come because He gives us authority, or power, as believers.
Here’s an example of what I mean.

Before and after the start of a service at my church, thousands of cars flood the
streets. Police officers are there to direct traffic. When the officers raise their hands signaling to motorists that it’s time to stop, without hesitation drivers stop.

Though most of the officers are big men, their stature doesn’t give them the power to physically stop a car. But what they do have is authority vested in them by the government they serve. As a result, drivers stop based on delegated power afforded to every police officer.

Behind the authority of every believer is a power much greater than our enemies’.
It is the wonder-working power of God.

As I developed my friendship with God over the years, I set aside time each day to
document my thoughts and prayers in a journal. The pages of my journal record
my most intimate prayer requests. I also write what God is speaking to my heart.

Writing to God in casual and honest conversation is a healthy and beneficial form of communing with your heavenly Father. Whenever I look over my past entries,
it reminds me how faithful God has been in my life. And when I think of His
goodness, I can’t help but thank Him.

My prayer life has enabled me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving, all because
I have learned to communicate with God. What an awesome privilege!

Friend, I pray that you too will discover the power of prayer in your life. You will
never realize all that God has in store for you until you can hear His voice. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (NIV).

What are you waiting for? Start praying today!