Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction, be persistent in prayer. Romans 12:9-12 HCSB
Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. There are two qualifiers to this. For all things to work for your good, you must love the Lord and be called according to His purpose. Now we often think that this means that we are doing the job He assigned us or using the gifts that he gave us. This is a big part of it, but our Scripture passage tells us we are also called to love others, to serve the Lord, and to pray.
When you think about it, why do we need to pray? I mean God knows our hearts, our thoughts, our desires, our shortcomings, our worries and concerns, so why do we need to pray? Well, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, God tells us that if His people, who are called by His name, will humble themselves, seek His face, and pray that He will heal their land. We all know that our land is in desperate need of healing. In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus tells a parable that encourages us always to pray and not lose heart. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to be anxious for nothing and to bring everything to God in prayer.
Our prayers are our way of keeping an open line of communication between God and us. Think about it this way, you want an open line of communication with your spouse or close friend, right? Do you want an open line of communication with 911? In close relationships, communication is essential. Now, my husband and I have always been able to finish each other’s sentences, and we always seem to know what the other is thinking. But we still talk to each other.
Prayer is an essential part of our relationship with God. It is not something that should only be done at mealtimes and just before bed. It is something that should be constant. We should pray in all circumstances. We should give all things to God in prayer.
Yesterday, I spoke with a close friend whose family seems to be under attack from the devil. They are going through some very difficult times right now. She said that she has come to the realization that God is in control and He will work everything out. They just need to pray.
Prayer can move mountains. It can remove obstacles that are in our way. It can change hearts. In James 5:16, we are told that the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Proverbs 15:8 tells us the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
When we truly love someone, we want to keep an open line of communication. As Christians, we do this with our Lord through Bible study and prayer. Our prayer expresses our thoughts, our gratitude, and our desires to a loving Father. Bible study helps us to get to know Him better. It helps us to understand the depth of His great love for us. It helps us to better appreciate all that He has done for us, and most importantly, it helps us to understand His will so that we can align our will with His will.
When we do this, our prayers will never go unanswered because God’s will is always going to be done. So, we should pray as Jesus instructed us to do in Matthew 6:10, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
God wants to hear from you. He wants you to want a close relationship with Him. We stay in a close relationship through Bible study and prayer. Have a good, honest, heart-to-heart talk with your Lord and Savior today. Study His word so that He can communicate with you.
Have a great day!