By Mark Maher
“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” Mother Teresa
Prayers where we get God’s will done on earth, not our will. We gain a gift of listening with a heart seated in humility. I honestly think we change our prayer life when we switch it from silent to out loud. The whispers of a prayer keep us from drifting in the mind. Prayer is acknowledging that God is your partner.
Prayer is the place where we draw close to God‘s presence. Prayer puts me in a place of humility. “Heaven is full of answers to prayer for which no one ever bothered to ask.” Billy Graham
The answer to some prayers may take a while, but this doesn’t prevent us from praying fervently. So if you’re waiting for an answer (Never Stop Knocking). “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” (Acts 12:5)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) “Don’t let your faith deteriorate when your expectations are not met. In the absence of answers, faith grows.” Steven Furtick
“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” (2 Chronicles 20:17) Some prayers are for things beyond my control so I fight from afar, with the only weapon I know of; prayer.
“I am convinced prayer changes me. Praying boldly boots me out of that stale place of religious habit into authentic connection with God Himself.” Lysa TerKeurst
“For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.” (Hebrews 3:4) We are to dwell in the house of prayer, a constant stream of subconscious, with the conscious act of praying out loud and getting real intentional throughout the day.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) Being a prayer warrior is when you lose the “spirit of intentionality” and transfer it to the “place of doing.”
“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:7) Put your prayer life into practice so you can gain the testimony of its power. Through the prayers, even if we don’t get what we expected or wanted, we will have the opportunity to “pick up every treasure we can in the darkness” (Isaiah 45:3). Often these treasures lead to the ability to help other people. Even if we don’t get a miracle, we can still be a miracle. God softens hardened hearts. Prayer changes my heart and nurtures my soul.
Our savior, Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” (Matthew 21:13) Scripture tells us to pray “without ceasing… at all times… in everything… continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18) “We must always pray, and not give up.” (Luke 18:1)
We are to “continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2) Thanksgiving means we are to trust Him with a spirit of knowing God’s got this, so we can calm our anxious heart and fearlessness begins to take over. This is the place of audacious faith.
A game changer is the power of praying with somebody consistently out loud. This is such a great practice reaffirmed by Christ himself who was always modeling prayer. “Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.” (Matthew 18:20)
