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Some Thoughts On Prayer

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Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles Tags:

Many people that call themselves Christians, neglect the most powerful single force in the world — the power of prayer. In doing so, they make a double mistake. First, they deprive themselves of the spiritual enrichment that comes by praying, and secondly, they provide a poor example to their children.

Let’s ask ourselves the following questions regarding prayer:

Whose prayer will God not hear?

  • He will not hear those who ignore the needs of the poor (Proverbs 21:13-NKJV).
  • He will not hear those who turn away from His law (Proverbs 28:9-NKJV).
  • He will not hear those who regard sin in their hearts (Psalm 66:18-NKJV).
  • He will not hear the prayer of the proud (Job 35:12-NKJV; cf. Luke 18:10-12-NKJV).
  • He will not hear the prayer of those who doubt (James 1:5-7-NKJV).
  • He will not hear sinners (John 9:31-NKJV).

Whose prayer will God hear?

  • He will hear the prayers of those who worship Him and do His will (John 9:31-NKJV).
  • He will hear the prayer of the humble (Psalm 9:12-NKJV).
  • He will hear the prayer of the righteous (1 Peter 3:12-NKJV; cf. Psalm 34:15-NKJV).
  • He will hear the prayers of those who keep His commandments (1 John 3:22-NKJV).
  • He will hear the prayers of those who are needy (Psalm 72:12-NKJV).
  • He will hear those who pray earnestly (James 5:17-18-NKJV).

How should we pray?

  • We should pray regularly (Romans 12:12-NKJV; Ephesians 6:18-NKJV).
  • We should pray in the spirit of forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15-NKJV).
  • We must pray in faith (James 1:6-NKJV).
  • We must pray in harmony with God’s will (1 John 5:14-NKJV).
  • We must pray in the name of Christ (Ephesians 5:20-NKJV; Colossians 3:17-NKJV).
  • We must pray in the spirit of sincerity (Matthew 6:5-NKJV).

As Christians, we must believe in the power of prayer, if we want to be productive citizens in God’s kingdom. We must be willing to set the proper example before our family and friends with regard to our prayer life. We must make prayer integral part of our life every day of our life. We must ask for the help and strength to be more like our Savior in every aspect of our life (Gal. 2:20-NKJV). We must be willing, not only to pray, but do our part in helping God answer our prayers. God will do His part, if we will do our part.

Let’s make prayer and integral part of our lives — not merely an emergency backup plan when we get into trouble. God wants His children to communicate with Him on a daily basis — prayer being that avenue of communication.

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