All religions of the world have one thing in common: they all willingly and enthusiastically engage and promote the ritual and practice of prayer. While prayer is common, it is also seemingly elusive and mysterious to many of us in the Christian faith.
Many are suffering from silent disillusionment because their prayers did not necessarily result in the tangible results they expected, nor did they feel any meaningful connection with God. Many of us find ourselves just going through the motions, not really believing that there is power in our prayers that will ultimately change us, our circumstances, and our world.
How can we renew and restore the desire, joy, and enthusiasm for prayer among the people of God, so that the church can continue the ministry of Christ Jesus in the world?
The main reason we should pray is very simple: Jesus prayed.
The secret to Jesus’ success in ministry was a lifestyle of prayer. Jesus prayed to God because he had confidence in God. He prayed to be in communion with God, to be able to call upon God, and finally to cooperate with God.
Understanding the purpose of prayer gives us the desire and enthusiasm to pray. Understanding the power of prayer gives us the confidence and authority to pray in faith and expectation. Not having the enthusiasm to pray or the confidence in your prayers will result in not finding the time to pray.
Praying with confidence is believing and having faith that God has the power, authority, and ability to answer prayer.
The Bible teaches us that there is a direct connection between faith and prayer. Romans 1:17 says, “the righteous shall live by faith.” Having faith is not believing that God will give you everything you ask for, but faith is believing that God loves you and desires the best for you no matter what the circumstances or challenges you have to go through and that he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Your confidence in God comes through your connection or relationship with God. Prayer is about developing an intimate relationship with God.
Prayer is to be connected and in communion with God with the purpose of being one with God, in love and purpose, adoration and praise, rest, reflection, and discernment. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus said: “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” The greatest gift of prayer is God and being in his presence. Psalm 13:5-6 says, “My heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me.”
Having confidence in God and being in an intimate relationship with Him allows us to be able to call upon God for something on our behalf (supplication) or on the behalf of others (intercession). Psalm 86:6-7 says, “Give ear to my prayer, listen to my cry of supplication. In the day of trouble, I call on you. For you will answer me.”
Prayer is being able to call upon the Lord to deliver us from or change a difficult situation for the better.
Our confidence, connection, and ability to call upon the Lord is essential in seeking through prayer our cooperation with God and carrying out his plans and purposes. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly....in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.”
So often our prayers are all about us and not about what God wants.
Richard Blackaby in “Experiencing God” makes the claim that God is at work all around the world; God’s invitation to us is to join God in the work he is already doing. In John 4:34, Jesus declares, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me.” We should pray to discern and seek the will of God to cooperate or be in partnership with God in bringing about his kingdom purposes.
The four Cs (confidence, connection, calling upon God, and cooperation with God) are critical in how we pray to God. They give us the desire and enthusiasm to have an active and meaningful prayer life.
