Prayer

This past Sunday morning, I talked to our children in my time with them about their wants instead of their needs. I gave them a choice between a slice of loaf bread and a piece of chocolate candy. Only one of the children chose the slice of bread. They all wanted candy except one. Jesus said, “Give us this day our daily bread…” He did not promise us candy. Bread is a necessity. Candy is a desire, a want. Jesus taught us how to pray because we need to pray. Prayer is a basic necessity for a believer in Jesus. Here are some tips on how to fulfill your need to pray:
 

1. God is Sovereign – We need to pray because God is perfect and greater than we are. God has never said, “Oops.” He has never confessed, “I messed up today.” We are flawed and full of mistakes. We need to pray in order to confess our sins. We need to admit our mistakes and tell God we are sorry for what we have done wrong. Our problems show us that God is able to answer and provide what we need, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)
2. God has the answer – Prayer should not be our last resort. It should not be something we do after we’ve tried everything else. Prayer should be our first response, our first “go-to” place when we need an answer. God promises to answer when we pray, “Ask and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 6:7-8)
3. Finding God’s Will – The will of God is not a mystery that God keeps for Himself. God’s plan and purpose is clearly revealed in the pages of scripture. You will never know what God wants if you do not read His word. Pray with your Bible open and ask God to show you in His word what He wants you to do, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
4. Living with Confidence – Once you’ve determined that God’s word is true and that it provides the answers and directions you need, you can live with confident assurance. People may disagree with you. They may even mock your choices, but God’s presence of power through the Holy Spirit supersedes the opinions of others, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)
5. Serving with Gratitude – Giving thanks for answered prayer is the highest mark a praying believer can reach. Praise is the language praying people use to tell God thank you. God is not stingy. He is not a promise breaker. He is like a father who supplies good things to His children, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”(Philippians 4:6)

 
With all these good promises to inspire and guide our praying, why do we find it so difficult to pray?
Why are there so many hindrances keeping us from praying, and so many excuses we use to cover our not praying?
 
We simply need to pray. Ask God to give you the desire to pray. Then pray. He’ll do all the rest.