Prayer

Before we get into this I would like to take a moment to pray to the person reading this.

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to pray for the person who is reading this right now. I pray that as they’re  reading, You help silence their thoughts so that they can listen for You. I pray You ease their mind with Your peace and fill them with Your spirit! Lord God, help them to continue creating a stronger relationship with You. Remind them of Your unconditional love! In Jesus name, Amen.

Questions to ponder; what’s the point of prayer, does God hear our prayers and when is the right time to pray? 

At the beginning of my journey with Christ, I didn’t understand the purpose of prayer. Before I came to Christ, the only times I’ve witnessed prayer was in movies. They would pray before a meal, thanking god in the morning and at the end of the day. When I began my journey, I didn't have the understanding that prayer is a dialogue not a monologue. So before I prayed, I would rehearse the things I wanted to say to God beforehand, making prayer a routine for the morning, before a meal, and at the end of the night. (Keyword, “routine.”) 

At times when I forget to pray in the morning, I would end up just waiting until the end of the day to pray. This caused me to dread praying, because it now felt as if praying was a chore. I began to lose the meaning of prayer. I stopped praying after a while, causing myself to drift away from God. All because I didn’t understand the purpose of prayer.

One morning before work, I felt as if God was tugging on my heart to speak to Him. This was at a time of feeling incredibly depressed and conflicted. Even though my heart had drifted so far from Christ, I wanted to rekindle my relationship. This time instead of rehearsing what I was going to say, I broke down that morning before work and just prayed about everything that’s been happening and how badly I needed to hear Him. I sat there in silence, in hopes of hearing His voice. There was nothing, but my heart trusted that He heard my prayer and would speak to me. 

The same day while I was working my morning serving shift. This old man came in and asked for a table for two. He sat in my section and was alone waiting for a friend so I greeted him first. He was very kind and after his friend arrived they sat there for a while engaging in conversation. A little while later when they were getting ready to leave, the sweet old man came up to me and said “You were doing amazing. Thank you so much for taking care of us!” I was flattered, because I had felt so defeated all morning after praying and getting slammed with a lot of tables all at once, I felt like he somehow knew I was giving myself a hard time.

After they left, I went to their table to clean up. As I was clearing up the table, I saw a napkin that looked like there was something written. I checked to see what it was and to my surprise… on the front of this napkin said, “Living God’s way” and inside was, “I believe God will be there when I need Him. (Psalms 27)” Below that said “There is no fear in Christ.” I ended up running to the back and crying because that very morning I had asked God to help me to become more in Christ, to help me to live in Christ! I told Him about my fears and just how badly I needed Him. I BELIEVED He heard my prayers and I BELIEVED He would speak to me. I was open to listening and as I listened, He spoke.

What’s the point of prayer? The point of prayer is to build a relationship, not a transaction. When is the right time to pray? You can pray whenever! Don’t just pray when it’s convenient for you. Praying isn’t supposed to feel like a routine or chore. We were blessed to have a relationship with Christ, so don’t forget to value that. Lastly, does God hear our prayers? Yes, He does. The real question is, do you stop to listen? Do you believe? Next time you pray, make it a genuine one. God hears everything and He wants you to hear Him too. Let Him speak to you. 

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:24‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

This entire week we will be focusing on prayer! Take a few minutes this week and read the verses below. Then share with us in the comments section below, and social media what spoke to you!

Verses about Prayer…

Matthew 6:9-13 Philippians 4:6-7 1 John 5:14

Mark 11:22-25 Matthew 6:6-8 Matthew18:19-20

James 5:13-18 Luke 5:15-16 Romans 8:26-27

Luke 11:9-13