The Power of Prayer

By Pastor M. Isi Eromosele

 

In Luke 11:1 Jesus' disciples asked, "Lord, teach us to pray." Christians today also need to learn to pray. People who are new in the faith may have never studied about how to pray. Some members do not pray properly so their prayers are not even answered. All of us can improve in this aspect of worship.

We need to learn what to pray about. Should we make requests, be thankful, offer praise, intercede on behalf of others, offer petition? And what power does prayer have? Does God really answer prayer? If so, how should we pray and what conditions must prayer meet in order for God to hear and answer?

What is prayer? Note Acts 4:24,31. Prayer is simply man talking to God, expressing his thoughts to God (Rom. 10:1; Matt. 6:9). Hence, it is a form of communication similar in many ways to simply talking to our earthly father, except that we must remember whom we are addressing and must meet conditions of acceptable prayer.

How To Pray To God - What Does The Bible Say?
 
In Matthew 6:5-13, Jesus shares how not to pray.

• Verse 5: We are to pray in secret, not the way people did in His day -- praying out loud publicly, primarily to just be seen, and heard.
• Verse 6: Jesus asks us to go to a private place since our Heavenly Father already knows what we are going to pray about.
• Verse 7: Jesus tells us not to ramble on and on, as people of other religions do, or be repetitious with words. God, our heavenly Father, would have us be specific about our prayer.
• Verse 8: Jesus reiterates that the believer is not to pray repetitiously like the heathen

Peter, in I Peter 5:7-8, exhorts us to cast all our care upon God because He cares about us. In verse 8, Peter warns us that Satan seeks to devour the believer. James 1:5 says we can pray and ask God for wisdom, but this should be done in faith. James 4:1-4 says that when we pray, we often pray or ask out of our own selfish ambition. James 4:15 exhorts that we pray to God for God’s will to be done in our lives.

In the Old Testament, Moses prayed to God almost constantly on behalf of the Israelites for God’s mercy and graciousness in dealing with their sins. Abraham prayed persistently for his relative, Lot, who lived in Sodom that God would spare him. 2 Chronicles 14:11 says Asa cried out to the Lord. Prophet Jeremiah prayed for God’s guidance and correction of the Israelites (Jeremiah 10:23-24). David prayed for the peace of Jerusalem in Psalm 122:6.

The protocol on how to pray covers several ways of prayer. The primary focus of prayer is intent. Does the prayer honor God and exalt His name? What is the purpose behind the prayer? Is it personal gain or ambition?

Do you pray for others to be blessed and encouraged? Are your prayers done in secret and in humility? Are your prayers focused on obtaining Godly wisdom, counsel and direction? God is pleased with these prayers and answers them.

How often are we to pray? The Bible says to pray without ceasing (1Thessalonians 5:17). What should we pray for? What if we do not know how to pray? The Bible says the Holy Spirit will help us pray (Romans 8:26-27).

How do we pray to God? Prayer is essentially putting your request, concern or issue before the Lord and trusting Him to answer them. Matthew 18:3 says we need to pray with the heart of little children, simple, reverent, specific and trusting.

Why Should We Pray – To Whom Do We Pray?

Before we can answer, “why should we pray,” we must know to whom we pray. There is only one Supreme Creator and Sovereign God. There is only one way to Him and that is through His only Son, Jesus Christ. God, our Heavenly Father, is the only one we can be assured of who hears and answers our prayers. He is the God of amazing love, mercy, and forgiveness. 

• By Him, all things are possible. Jesus says in Mark 10:27, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God."
• Daniel 9:18 tells us: “We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.” (Mercy means showing favor, compassion, and kindness.)
• God’s ultimate demonstration of love is forgiveness of the sins each of us have committed. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (John 3:16-17).

He is the only God who has done this and is the only God able to do so. But His enemy, Satan, has sent many false gods to deceive mankind. Do not be deceived nor allow anything or anyone to take priority over the only true and living God.

Why Should We Pray - For What Do We Pray?
Prayer is the key to the heart of God. Prayer is the only way to a real and personal relationship with God.

• Pray acknowledging He is God, and that you accept His gracious gift, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (Genesis 17:1, Romans 6:16-18).
• Pray confessing our sins and accepting His forgiveness (Romans 3:23-26).
• Pray that His will be done in our lives, that His Holy Spirit guide us, and that we be filled with the fullness of all God has for us.
• Pray for (spiritual) understanding and wisdom (Proverbs 2:6-8, 3:5).
• Pray with thanksgiving for all the ways He blesses us (Philippians 4:6). Pray when we are ill, lonely, going through trials or interceding for others (James 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
• Pray to worship Him (Psalm 95:6-7).

There is nothing we can’t pray about. There are abundant references to prayer in the Bible. The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” and “in everything give thanks to the Lord.” When we choose to have a positive attitude, we realize we have received many blessings for which to give God praise. 

We find intimacy with God through communicating with Him in prayer. We go to Him in faith, knowing that He hears and answers all our prayers (1 John 5:14). Be confident that God knows and wants what is best for us; so ask that His will be done in all we seek from Him. Then, thank Him for it, even though it hasn’t happened yet.

Pastor M. Isi Eromosele is a part of the Leadership Pastors at God’s Intervention Center in New York. He is also the Founder and CEO of Oseme Group, a global management consulting company based in New York City.