Posted on 09/27/2016 11:57:35 AM PDT by metmom
"With all prayer and petition pray at all times" (Eph. 6:18).
Make prayer an ongoing part of your day.
As important as prayer is to your Christian life, you might expect Paul to list it as another piece of spiritual armor, but he doesn't. Instead, he makes it all-pervasive by instructing us to pray at all times. That's our spiritual lifeline—the air our spirits breathe. The effectiveness of each piece of armor is directly related to the quality of our prayers.
We see the importance of prayer throughout the New Testament. Jesus instructed His disciples to be on the alert at all times, praying so that they would have strength to face the trials and temptations that lie ahead (Luke 21:36). The apostles devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 6:4), as did godly people like Cornelius (Acts 10:2). Every Christian is to be continually devoted to prayer (Rom. 12:12).
In Philippians 4:6 Paul says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." He told the Thessalonians to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17) and instructed men everywhere to "pray, lifting up holy hands" (1 Tim. 2:8).
Jesus and Paul not only exhorted believers to pray, but also modeled diligent prayer in their own lives. Jesus often went for extended periods of time alone to pray. Paul wrote often of his own fervent prayers on behalf of others (cf. Col. 1:9; Philem. 4).
As a child, you may have been taught that prayer is reserved for mealtimes, bedtime, or church services. That's a common misconception many children carry into their adult years. But believers are to be in constant communication with God, which is simply the overflow of seeing all of life from His perspective. Just as you would discuss your everyday experiences and feelings with a close friend, so you're to discuss them with God.
God loves you and wants to share your every joy, sorrow, victory, and defeat. Be conscious of His presence today and take advantage of the sweet communion He offers.
Suggestions for Prayer
Thank God that He's always available to hear your prayers. Ask Him to give you a desire to commune with Him more faithfully.
For Further Study
What do these verses say about the most appropriate times for prayer: Psalm 55:16-17, Daniel 6:10, Luke 6:12, and 1 Timothy 5:5?
Studying God’s Word ping
Prayer is an humble admission of powerlessness to The Almighty God. None of us pray as much as we should. I fear that the reason we don’t pray enough is because we’re not humble enough. But God has a way of eventually forcing us toward humility. Because the reality is He’s more than everything, and we’re less than nothing.
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times”
Easier said than done!!!! But I keep trying..
Excellent.
Thank you.
Prayer can be the most dangerous activity if one expects to receive an answer and it is not forthcoming. It may lead to a condition of despair and depression.
I know, I know, we must have faith. Where is it available at Walmart or anywhere else? Personally I cannot remember a prayer that was answered and I don’t expect any answers any time soon.
Some Orthodox Christians, particularly monks and nuns, have traditionally tried to carry out this scriptural admonition by saying the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.") almost constantly.
I’m a fan of Brother Lawrence and “Practice the Presence of God.” in all that you do and at all times...
“Prayer can be the most dangerous activity if one expects to receive an answer and it is not forthcoming. It may lead to a condition of despair and depression.
I know, I know, we must have faith. Where is it available at Walmart or anywhere else? Personally I cannot remember a prayer that was answered and I don’t expect any answers any time soon.”
There comes a point in the process where you hit bottom and stop asking God to do things for you. You surrender to God and ask to be His servant. You then pray for God to use you and guide you to do His Will.
I'm not trying to be judgmental, but if what you say is true, I would go back to the very start and start again. Dedicate your life to Jesus and even get baptized again if need be. You must see a change in your life because you love Him. It cannot be "mustered up". The gifts of God are supernatural. If you aren't living a supernatural life, you can't be living a life of faith.
**I don’t want to seem flippant or mean, but if you pray and you never get an answer, you’re doing it wrong.**
God is NOT a spiritual vending machine, meaning you don’t insert some change (a prayer) and get your wish.
Prayer lines you up with the will of God, not your wishes. God may grant your wishers, or He may say no, which is an answer too.
Sometimes we undergo suffering or trials to make us stronger and it isn’t until much later in life that we can clearly see how God sustained us through hard times.
THIS
Gamecock's reply is spot on. Too many Christians seem to think that all you have to do is "name" something and "claim" it, whether it be an appeal to do so by faith or prayer. Not so at all.
Matthew 6:7-8:
"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him"
A most common question that seems to arise is, "well, If God knows what we want and need, why pray?"
Here's a great, succinct explanation to answer that question provided by Ligonier.org:
"God knows what we need before we ask Him, and in His providence He meets those needs. Yet, if God knows what we need, why do we pray? To understand the relationship between God’s providence and prayer, we must have a right understanding of prayer. While God certainly knows what we need and the desires of our hearts, He calls us to verbalize our needs to Him. The reason He does this is not because He needs to be nudged out of some slumber to act on our behalf, but because prayer benefits us and deepens our dependence on Him."
The rest of this very, very good explanation is located at:
Why Pray?
Hoss
13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. 1 John 5:13-14
The key requirement for answered prayer is to be a follower of Jesus, the Son of God.
Answered prayer is conditional upon our prayer being in accordance with His will.
I hope this provides you with some comfort.
I don’t think for a moment that praying without ceasing means being on our knees 24/7.
We can pray about everything through out the day as situations come up. We can pray on the fly and don’t always have to be in a prayer position, on our knees for example.
One case I remember was when I was on an icy cloverleaf type on ramp to the interstate and as we were going around the curve, our van stated sliding off the road sideways.
I cried out to God out loud and no sooner did I finish speaking when the van lurched sideways, back onto the correct path and right back down the center of the lane. It was like a big, old angel body checked it back onto it’s right path.
My daughter and I just looked at each other in shock. I was sure we were going off the road into the ditch.
You are confused. And men like Kenneth Copeland and his ilk cannot help you out of your confusion with their 'prosperity gospel'.
The church today is filled with Job’s worthless friends.
There are lots of people out there who think they have God all figured out and know exactly how He works and how He ought to be working in your life as well as theirs.
And when He doesn’t do what they expect Him to, something that doesn’t fit in the nice, tidy box they have Him locked in, they sit back and pass judgment on you and condemn you. It’s ALWAYS the fault of the person struggling or suffering.(in their eyes)
Don’t listen to them.
When I was going through a time of struggle where it seemed like God hadn’t answered anything I had prayed for in a long time, I found a prayer journal I had kept while in a Bible study and was rereading it and noticed that God had answered virtually everything we prayed for in the way we had asked. I had just forgotten it.
God does hear and answer prayers and there’s no easy answer for why we go through seasons, or years, where it seems that prayer is completely ineffective and a waste of time. It’s a tough place to be. I’m sorry you’re going through that.
Sometimes the answer is different than you expect. It may be positive, negative or no answer at all. Sometimes the answer comes down the road. He knows everything and He can see the future. He knows your future and knows what is best for you. He is the answer.
If you pray for $100 to pay a bill and you have $1000 in the bank, that's not faith. If you have $1000 in the bank and need $50k, that's faith. You guys think that's unreasonable. I wouldn't have a job, house, children, and be dead of cancer, if I thought that way.
That reminds me of a trip back home from visiting my relatives in MS. We were on the Natchez Trace when we noticed we were out of gas. I had forgotten to gas up before we left. We were driving on fumes. I knew the next gas station was in Cherokee, AL where we got off. We started praying to be able to get to that exit. Her 2 small kids were with us. Well, we made it. I do not understand how except for God’s answer to our prayers. When we got back on the road home, I told her I had never prayed so much in my life. She said her, too. He is the answer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.