Why Pray?

By: Unknown

You already know what prayer is. Even if you don't do it often, you probably have prayed. Your prayers may have been little more than a plea for help. That's a good start. To utilize prayer properly, however, we must go further.

A common misconception is that prayer is just a request. You ask for something you need or want. Here we can get off the beam. Prayer is more accurately a mindset. The act of pray gets us out of ourselves. We raise our thoughts and consciousness to a higher level

Action is a Key Part

Proper use of prayer can result in miracles. Our own efforts are not enough in life. We are, however, responsible for our actions, and action is a key part of prayer. It is not just sitting doing nothing and waiting for God to waive His magic wand. A heartfelt prayer is an act. It is an act of turning our thoughts and mind to God. We have to let go of the outcome and believe fervently that God will both hear and answer our prayers.

Anyone who is a skeptic of prayer hasn't tried it. Or if they have, they either didn't like the answer to their prayer (all prayers have answers) or they didn't stick with it. The answer to your prayer will either be yes, no…or wait.

So, why pray? First of all, you should pray because it is part of your relationship with God. God desires a personal relationship with you and that requires communication. Prayer is a form of communication with God. Secondly, proper prayer releases us from our self-centeredness. As we deflate our ego, and let go of our self-controlled will in matters we cannot change, we allow God's power and grace to flow. It is always God's desire to draw us closer to Him and prayer can certainly do this.

Another reason to pray is to express gratitude. God has certainly blessed all of us. Your present circumstances might blind you to your blessings. Prayer allows you to see again all the good things in your life. Through praying you quiet the inner turmoil and this allows you to open your heart to God. Since God wants a personal relationship with you it is important that you pay attention to His communication. Oh yes, God does communicate! It is rude to ignore someone who is speaking to you. The height of rudeness is to ignore God

What Are You Praying For?

What you pray for or about is really important. There are those who state that you should pray for specific things in your life and then lay claim to them. Maybe that works for them, but I've always found I get into trouble with this approach. It's far better to simply pray that I can be useful to God and others. I pray that God will reveal to me what he wants me to do and will give me the strength and courage to do it. I also pray especially for the willingness to do it.

When you have prayed then it is time to accept that God has heard your prayer and to be open and willing to accept the answer. You must also believe without doubt that God is going to answer your prayers. Read in James 1 of the New Testament. Verse 5 and 6 are incredibly important:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

You can certainly make good use of prayer on a regular basis. You can pray at any time, but there is great benefit in regular morning and nightly devotion. Try to find a quiet place, get peaceful and spend quality time in prayer.

Another great scripture verse is "Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10). I marvel at the immensity of this short phrase. You can break it down into a meditation mantra, if you'd like, and find peace. It goes like this:

Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be.

A Really Good Prayer

There are lots of great prayers and many books have been written that can help you develop a richer and more rewarding prayer life. I recommend anything that helps you in this area. Avoid, however, simply mouthing words. God already knows your heart. Sincere, honest, humble and heartfelt prayer thoughts are the most effective. If you want one prayer that covers everything, remember the prayer Jesus gave us in response to his disciples' request (Luke 11). The Lord's Prayer is remarkable in its efficient use of words and proper order of acknowledgement. We pray to our Father in heaven, praising His holy name. We request that He provide our daily needs. We ask forgiveness of our sins, recognizing and admitting that we must also forgive others. Finally, we ask for protection from evil and temptation.

The benefit of a good prayer is that it changes our attitude. That is a very important thing. Maybe that is why the Bible encourages us to pray always. Paul frequently speaks of prayer in his Epistles, especially Ephesians 6:18:

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Individual prayer is valuable, yet when two or more gather in prayer it can be phenomenal. Jesus said, "Wherever two or more are gathered in my name there I will be". Try this. You can really feel the spirit move.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright© 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.

Article Source: Living the Solution

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