God has an open-door policy and it is called prayer. God encourages us to call on Him, Jeremiah 33:3. God wants us to open up to Him and cast our burdens to Him for He cares, 1 Peter 5:7 & Psalms 55:22. Prayer is very important in that it allows us to voice out our frustrations, disappointments, struggles as well as thanksgiving. It is a safe space to talk frankly, cry, ask questions, and seek meaning from God.
Essentially, prayer is a turning point; in prayer, we turn from fear to faith, from darkness to light, from calamity to peace, and from blame to acceptance. Prayer does not only change things around us, it also changes things inside us. We have a better view of things when we pray for and about them.
KNOWING AND TRUSTING GOD
Our perception of God is revealed in what we believe and how we pray. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, Romans 10:17. So, our faith in God should be informed and based on what the Word says about God. We need to have the right knowledge of Who God is and believe Him for Who He is. The Bible tells us that “Those who come to God must believe that He exists…” Hebrews 11:6. God does not only exist, He actively responds to those who seek Him. The Bible also says, “Pray like this, ‘Our Father in heaven…’” Matthew 6:9. This speaks of the relationship we have with God, He is our Father, our provider, our protector, our judge, and our lover. Have faith in God, and let nothing take away your confidence in Him.
As God’s children we don’t have the FULL VIEW of things. We see in part and we prophesy in part,1 Corinthians 13:9. In the present, we live in moments, however, we should not be consumed by events that happen in these moments. God knows the bigger picture and He is sovereign over all that happens to us and through us. That is why we need to know God’s character (Sovereignty) and fully trust Him with our whole lives.
In all circumstances, no matter how shattering, we need to seek to know and elevate the will of God not only in our lives but with our lives.
CHOOSING PRAYER OVER STRESS
Most of the time we spend time thinking about things that we go through. We think so much and so long about them that we end up not praying about them. God responds to our prayers not to our thoughts. When was the last time you had a genuine, open, heart to heart prayer? God compels us to bring our cares and concerns to Him in prayer:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6.
Prayer and anxiousness are mutually exclusive; if you have one, you cannot have the other. We are anxious about things we are not praying about. Furthermore, our lack of prayer is a sign of self-reliance. Whereas, when we pray, we acknowledge that God is God, and we are not.
So, if we know that prayer is good for us, and that God actually encourages us to pray, why do we find it hard to pray? Why do we keep thinking about things instead of praying for them?
The nature of prayer is that of a relationship, thus, prayer emanates from a living relationship. Do you have a living relationship with God? Your prayer life should answer this question for you.
If we seek to improve the quality of our lives, we need to improve the quality of our prayer life and this starts with being real, honest and open in prayer.
AUTHENTICITY IN YOUR PRAYERS
Prayer requires honesty from those who make it, but most of the time we cover up things that we should be open and honest about. We cover up our fear, pain, disappointments, and weaknesses. We say things that we think God wants to hear from us; we want to appear strong even before God. Yet, Jesus Himself said, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Luke 22:42. Jesus was honest in His moment of weakness and God responded to Him accordingly, “And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.” – Luke 22:43.
You can’t sugar-coat your suffering, you can’t be smart about your pain, and you can’t pretend about your deepest needs. You need to be honest and seek God’s divine help. Don’t try to conceal your pain, suffering, or struggle. Keep it real, pray out your life to God as it is, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. It’s not easy, but we must be willing to be open to God with/about our struggles and trust Him to heal, restore, and revive us. The Lord will send you help in the moment of your weakness!
“May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!” – Psalm 20:2.
The book of Psalms is a book of prayers and it is full of real, honest, and vulnerable stories of people who struggled yet still believed God. There are seven Psalms of Confession that were used by the early church (Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143) which were used for repentance. Traditionally, these Psalms were read on Ash Wednesday to begin a season of repentance during Lent (40 days of prayer, fasting and repentance). These Psalms will help you to be more expressive in your prayer, they will give you perspective, and they will provide you with a language necessary for your devotional prayers.
CONCLUSION
Let me put it on record that there is nothing that we can ever ask for that is beyond God’s ability. At times, what we are asking for is outside God’s will but it’s never beyond His power. Meaning, if God does not respond according to our desire, it is not a reflection of His power (inability to do it) but it’s a reflection of His will (Sovereign Will). What must we do then? We must trust that God will never forsake us. Our trust in the Lord is what fortifies us, Psalm 125:1-2.
Remember, your prayer life is your lifeline. No matter how bad things get, God is always willing to give you strength and perspective. God is always willing to hear when we pray, “The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.” Isaiah 59:1.
Keep it real, God is your loving and caring Father.
I am challenged to pray, to be as honest as I should be.
KG, you were the first to comment on this work. I need to think about a gift to reward this hunger! Thank you for not only commenting here but actually calling me.
Thank you Moruti,
This is a message of hope and encouragement. In it we’re encouraged to believe God listens to our real concerns and not our eloquence. In fact prayer is one of the things that don’t need eloquence. Whoever says they can’t pray, they don’t know they can keep it real. Prayer is not for the strong but for the weak who rely on God’s streangth.
“Our lack of prayer is a sign of self-reliance. Whereas, when we pray, we acknowledge that God is God, and we are not.”
Thank you Mfundisi
Thank you for your consistency, you have inspired the writing of this article. Now, this one made me wish to rewrite this article “In fact, prayer is one of the things that don’t need eloquence. Whoever says they can’t pray, they don’t know they can keep it real.”
Such comments enrich this work and help others in reflecting deeper on the subject. Thank you!
Thank you Ps T for this article. It has revived my prayer life. Sometimes we tend to overthink and inevitably not pray about certain areas of our lives; thinking “surely I don’t need to pray about this” kanti God actually yearns to hear about all that concerns us. Our power is really in the authentic fellowship we have with God through our prayers.
“If we seek to improve the quality of our lives, we need to improve the quality of our prayer life and this starts with being real, honest and open in prayer.”
Woooow… you have managed to spot the line that fully encapsulates this article “If we seek to improve the quality of our lives, we need to improve the quality of our prayer life and this starts with being real, honest and open in prayer.” Well done, Thank you for reading and commenting Cee!
“Let me put it on record that there is nothing that we can ever ask for that is beyond God’s ability. At times, what we are asking for is outside God’s will but it’s never beyond His power. Meaning, if God does not respond according to our desire, it is not a reflection of His power (inability to do it) but it’s a reflection of His will (Sovereign Will). What must we do then? We must trust that God will never forsake us. Our trust in the Lord is what fortifies us, Psalm 125:1-2.” Amen and Amen
Prayer is the reflection of our confidence in God…..Because,
God is willing, God is able, God is intentional and God is faithful. Therefore we keep it real and pray.
Thank you pastor
I agree fully, “Prayer is the reflection of our confidence in God.” beautiful! Thank you Pule for taking the time to read and comment.
After reading this I realized I have been doing it all wrong. I will let my guard down in prayer, be honest and have faith that God has got back. Now I understand that if it’s not happening according to my desire, then it’s not in alignment with God’s will.
Thank you Pastor
You are welcome Becca, I love your reflection. Our joy is in the WILL OF GOD. If we seek His will, we will find our joy in life. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on this work. Welcome to the Blog!
Thank for encouraging us to approach prayer with honesty and faith that is so potent. May our experiences not dilute the promises that God has placed in our hearts. We often like to avoid telling God about pain and disappointments, but the way to actually be closest to God is when we are willing to deal with emotions in prayer.
Thank You Pastoor…
WOW, well said, thank you for taking the time to read and comment. May God continue to carry you and grand you wisdom in all your dealings.
Wow! This is an amazing article Pastor T, so real, true and most importantly so practical. All the questions that come to my mind were answered as I continued reading…We have a Sovereign Father who is always readily available to listen to every single prayer we make; lovingly and in the most Sovereign way He responds in the way that is best for us!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment on this article. Indeed, Our FATHER is always ready to hear us and respond according to His divine will for OUR LIVES. This one thing is sure, GOD WORKS EVERYTHING FOR OUR GOOD! Let’s keep it real, and pray with honesty and openness, God knows our deepest thoughts… Let’s talk to Him about them.
“Prayer and anxiousness are mutually exclusive; if you have one, you cannot have the other. We are anxious about things we are not praying about.” After doing some introspection, I have noticed that it is so. Praise be to God for giving us a solution according to Phillipians 4:6. These are scriptures we know well. May they become real in our every day lives, and not just for memorizing. Thanks for a very helpful article.
Thank you for taking the time to read and reflecting on this work. Indeed, our spiritual convictions and the truth we believe me be practical and help us live the divine life promised in the Bible.
Wow, I love this…
“”Prayer requires honesty from those who make it, but most of the time we cover up things that we should be open and honest about. We cover up our fear, pain, disappointments, and weaknesses. We say things that we think God wants to hear from us; we want to appear strong even before God. Yet, Jesus Himself said, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.””
I am challenged..
Thank you for taking the time to read. Indeed, we don’t think of prayer as a place to be open and frank but this article is a reminder to keep things real.
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