Having Faith in Prayer
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." (1 John 5:14, NIV)
I’ve posted this about prayer before, but I’m posting it again because prayer can truly heal us everywhere we hurt.
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Prayer to God is the closest we can get to being with Him while we’re on this Earth. Can you imagine what being right next to God would be like? I’d imagine it would be like taking all of the most fantastic days you’ve had on this Earth, and multiplying them times infinity! Now, that would be an inexplicably good feeling. But, since we’re not in Heaven with God yet, prayer is a way for us to still communicate with him and feel his presence as if He is standing right beside us. Isn’t that a comforting thought?
Prayer doesn’t have to be long and drawn out as some may think. Matthew 6:7 tells us “And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” (NIV) Quick prayers throughout the day can be highly effective in helping you to not only make it through the day, but be victorious as you go about your day. If you don’t do it already, try quick prayers throughout the day. The constant dialogue with God will change the way you do life. I’m a witness!
God gives us answers when we pray. The answers may not always be what we want or come as soon as we’d like, but He does give us resolutions to problems or answers to our questions. It’s through prayer that we can be close enough to Him to actually hear what He’d like us to do, and many times, He allows us to make our own decisions. That’s where our free will comes in; however, I truly believe His Hand does guide us in our decision making. Even though He gives us free will to make our own decisions, if we heed His Voice, I believe He allows things to still work out for us if we stay within His Will.
Prayer allows God to comfort us. If you’ve ever had an emotional pain that felt like it would last forever, and it hurt to no end, you’ll understand why God sends the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to dwell in us and intercede for us. Romans 8:26 shares, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (NIV) Psalm 34: 18 reassures us, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (NIV) If that’s not comforting, I don’t know what is! To know that even though you may be brokenhearted and crushed in spirit, the Lord is still close to you is beyond amazing if we just sit back and think about it.
Prayer can change many bad situations or change our perspective on how to deal with those situations until our breakthrough comes. You may have heard the saying, “Prayer changes things,” but I’m a living testimony that it’s not just a saying, but a reality. I was told that I had a health condition that had resurfaced, but a few weeks later, God had blocked it! The same problems that showed up on scans just weeks prior could no longer be found. Prayer does have the power to change things! Does every bad situation change? No, but through fervent prayer, many disasters are averted and many people are given the strength to deal with whatever ever challenges are presented.
Many times when things are going so far left in our lives, we can pray and those things miraculously straighten out. Just think about all the prayers He’s answered for you right in the nick of time. The Bible says in Isaiah 45:2, “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.” (KJV) God truly does go before us to prevent many dangers, disasters, and devastations. Our job is to trust Him to do His Work in our lives when we pray.
I could go on incessantly with more reasons why I believe prayer is essential for our daily lives, but I’ll just leave it here for now. What are some of your testimonies about prayer- big or small? Please list them in the comments below! Let’s P.U.S.H (Pray Until Something Happens) together!