THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER
SONG:
I pray, I pray
Lord Jesus answered me.
I pray, I pray oo
I pray, I pray
Lord Jesus answered me.
It's well with my soul.
TEXT:
"And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;..." (Luke.18 verses 1 to 7)
Prayer is an act by which we offer praises, worship, intercede and supplicate before God. In other words, it's a way of bringing our requests unto our God. Praying to God is important because it's an integral part of Christian fellowship. It serves as a powerful tool for personal transformation and spiritual growth, as well as a powerful weapon of the believer against the adversary.
Prayer is a vital connection to God Almighty, and by it, we avail ourselves of His strength, power, peace, grace, aside other numerous blessings that He's made available to us in Christ.
I see prayer as a link to God, a means of communing with our God. It is an ordinance that opens heaven for us. The Bible promises us saying ,
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" (Matthew 7 verse 7)
From the Scripture reading for today, the Bible says, "men ought to pray not to faint...." (Luke.18 verse 1 to 7)
The widow persistently in that parable visited the judge, pleading for justice. She refused to give up until she got the attention of the judge and got judgment in her case. In the same vein, the believer ought to Pray Until Something Happens. (PUSH).
Again, Elijah prayed until he saw the little cloud, which was a sign of abundant rain. Six times, he sent his servant until the seventh time before something happened. This tells us not to give up too soon in our prayer life. Any wonder the Bible says, "... The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
(James 5 verse 16).
The Bible tells us how Elijah prayed that there should be no rain in Israel; and for a period of three and half years it was so. He prayed again and the Heavens gave rain. It's worthy of note that Elijah prayed with the hope of seeing results. Like him, we should never pray without the same hope of seeing results. The fervent and unwavering hope of seeing results when we pray is what keeps us praying until something happens. What's more, prayer that is dedicated to God in faith will never go unanswered.
God works powerfully through prayer. Most people look at prayer as a last resort when they are at their wits end. That shouldn't be the case. Until we begin to see prayer as fellowship with God, we will continue to miss out on the import of prayer in the life of the Christian. In times of need, let prayer be our first response before all else (Matthew 6 verse 33).
PRAYER:
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for hearing me whenever I call. I am grateful for the answers to all of my requests in Jesus' Mighty name.