“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (Psalm 95:6-7).
Prayer.
That one word means so much. Prayer is powerful. Prayer is a beautiful expression and reminder that we can’t do life on our own. Prayer helps us remember our fragility, humbles the heart, and consistently confirms our desperate need for the Savior.
Prayer is a precious gift. James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Prayer brings comfort and strengthens our faith. Prayer gives us the ability to communicate our heart’s concerns to the very One who created our hearts. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection provided a bridge back to our Heavenly Father. And we can come to the Father anytime, day or night, right where we are, and be assured that He hears our every cry, knows our every need, and loves us with an everlasting love.
Something I’ve told my children often is how important it is to spend time praying, praising, and reading the Bible. Our hearts desire should be to exercise all God’s given us to grow in our relationship and know Him better. Like I mention to them, if you have a friend that you want to become closer to, don’t you have to put in the effort to get to know that friend better? Spending time with that friend will grow your friendship. Spending very little time with that friend won’t achieve much progress if you wish to grow closer. The very same is true with our Heavenly Father.
We, as brothers and sisters in Christ, have the awesome opportunity and privilege to pray. When you stop and think about this amazing privilege God gives us, it really is truly remarkable! We can come to Him and are promised that He not only hears us, but that He cares deeply about our every concern. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Wow! What an amazing God we serve!
Aren’t you thankful that we, as broken vessels, can come to the throne of grace anytime and receive His mercy? Aren’t you thankful that you can come before Him with your prayers, your imperfections, your praise?
1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 commands us to “Pray continually.”
Not only do we have the privilege of coming before Him one-on-one, we have the privilege of standing together with other brothers and sisters in Christ, believing for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 18:20 reminds us of this: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
There is power in prayer. And, there is power when we gather together to pray and praise our Creator. Because it’s one of many tools God’s provided all believers, let’s not take it for granted or be passive about practicing it.
Speaking of not being passive, let’s commit to stand united and kneel in prayer for our nation and the nations of the world. The world may seem to be frozen in place right now, but be assured that God is still moving. We can find comfort in knowing that God hears our cries, listens to our heart’s prayers, and has everything in His control. Among many things we’re to pray about, He specifically calls us to pray for the nations.
2 Chronicles 7:14 reminds: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Let’s unite and kneel together in prayer. Let’s commit to pray and give praise daily to our Creator. Let’s put prayer front and center in our lives. And as we bring our prayers and petitions to our heavenly Father, we can be certain that He hears us and will answer.