I can’t wait to get to heaven and see how my prayers had an impact in my life circumstances and the lives of others. I’m fully convinced that if we all REALLY BELIEVED in the power of prayer, we’d do more of it! Amen?
Yet, Jesus told us that above all other disciplines, we should pray. It’s not just so we could present to Him our wish list, but He wanted us to KNOW Him – personally, intimately. In fact, Gregory Frizzell expressed, “No one’s relationship with Christ will ever rise above the level of his or her praying.” In other words, if our prayer life is inconsistent and weak, then so will be our relationship with the Father. I don’t know about you, but when I feel most distant from God, it always stems from my lack of communing with Jesus.
But building our relationship with God is not the only benefit in prayer. For all the times we’ve worried if our kids are going to be ok, or if there’s enough money to pay the rent, or if God is even there, PRAYER has it covered!
Think about your own struggles. What are you most concerned about today? Look what happens when we call out to God:
- Prayer summons God’s will into our greatest heartaches.
- Prayer transfers our worries to a higher source.
- Prayer unfurls hope when there is none.
- Prayer puts God’s thoughts in our minds.
- Prayer drives us to God when we have no place else to go.
- Prayer makes God’s presence real, alive, and engaging!
Friends, simply put, prayer is at the heart and soul of a successful relationship with Christ. Feeling discouraged? PRAY. Feeling afraid? PRAY. Feeling devalued? PRAY. Prayer gets our disappointments, fears, and negative emotions out of our hearts and into God’s hands.
