Articles and Testimonies

Prayer is Essential to All Believers!

by Susan E. H., London, Ontario

Prayer is Essential in a Believers Life

Prayer is the beginning foundation to re-establishing the fellowship with God that was severed at the Garden of Eden when man sinned. As a young adult, seeking God, I was very humbled that God, the Father and Creator of all of heaven and earth, would lend His ear to my petitions, but He did and still does. Just as stated in Psalms 17:6 "I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech." Time and time again He shows me how important I am to Him. He hears and answers all my prayers and He will also answer your prayers! Yes, He will, you are that important to Him. His answer is, ‘yes', ‘no' or ‘wait' and probably the hardest one is ‘wait'. In Matthew 7:7-11, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" The key is the Bible, His Holy Scriptures. That is where we can find His promises, stand on them and believe in answered prayer for our greatest need. For He promises that He will meet your needs from His riches in glory. (Philippians 4:19) If you have a husband, a daughter, a son, a mother or a father not serving the Lord, believe for their salvation. One of the first promises the Father gave me is Acts 16:31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." I also agree with and stand on the truth in Joshua 24:15, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." The greatest miracle of all is the salvation of our loved ones! The most awesome gift of all is Jesus Christ and the price He paid at Calvary. God, the Father saw mankind's greatest need - salvation and sent His only begotten (sinless) Son to save a lost and dying world. Our greatest need was for a Saviour - Jesus is that Saviour!

If you have been praying and believing for your family, but see no results, don't give up!!! God has not finished! Be reminded of the promise in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Nor is He a moment too late in answering your prayer. Everything God does is perfect, including His timing!! It may be you who needs the encouragement to persevere. Do you have a prayer partner? Do you have an accountability partner or a support system around you? If not, it is a must!

The second key God showed me is that we need each other. We need to agree together in prayer, using Jesus' name (Matthew 18:19-20) and He promises to be in our midst. We also need to confess to each other our struggles and our faults that we may overcome them through prayer and through the blood of Jesus Christ. If you don't have a trusted prayer partner, you need one. If you are not part of a small group of believing Christians, you need to be. I am talking in addition to the Sunday morning Church services you attend. I am talking about a small cell (house) group where you share each other's burdens and pray for each other. If you are reading this and haven't yet asked Jesus to be your personal Lord and Saviour, you need to and then find a good "Spirit filled" church; a church where Jesus is glorified! Be "real" with God and be "real" with your small group, then you will see your victory!! Be supportive of other believers for God says that the cost of love is never paid up. (Romans 13:8) We are also to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

The third key is ‘examining yourself' to ensure that nothing is blocking, inhibiting or hindering your prayers. You ask, "what could hinder my prayers?" Sin can and will not only hinder our prayers, but if left uncorrected it will destroy our relationship with God. (Psalms 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.") We need a repentant heart. We must also be in right relationship with others as clearly stated in Mark 11:25, "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." Husbands, you are given a warning to honour your wife in order that your prayers not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)

God wants us to live a righteous life that His ears can be open to our prayers, 1 Peter 3:12 states, "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." We have another wonderful promise we can stand on in James 5:16 "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

The fourth key is faith. Faith comes from hearing and believing in the Word of God. Faith changes facts. "Let us ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." (James 1:6) As I read the Word of God and start to believe in the Promises of God, I realize they are more real than my circumstances! What is really real in your life? Let me tell you what is truly real - God's promises, not the apparent illusion of the mountain in front of you! There is also power in "saying" and "believing" - Mark 11:22-23) "So Jesus answered and said to them, have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." We want to remember that ‘without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.' (Hebrews 11:6)

In conclusion we want to remember to continually seek Him, because He is God and as we seek Him we need the attitude of thanksgiving! It is well put in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. With a thankful heart and an attitude of gratitude we can have the peace of God inspite of any mountain or mountains of circumstances in our life and we can truly live Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God: and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."