Get On Your Knees and Pray

Ok, you don't have to be on your knees, nor do you have to fold your hands. But whether you are in bed, driving to work, at the dinner table or in the shower, the bible encourages us to pray. Without ceasing in fact.

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Throughout the bible, it tells us about the importance of prayer and talking to God. It tells us that when we go to God in prayer, we can trust him. He is reliable and will always listen to us. 1 John 5:14 says: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us."

Jeremiah 33:3 tells us we can come to him with confidence, knowing he will listen and shows us the power of prayer "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

We can come to him with assurance and certainty. And we can have faith that even though he may not answer immediately and maybe not in the exact way we are asking, but he will be there listening. Jeremiah 29:12 says: "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you." David writes in the Psalms 145 about the glory and majesty of God, including the fact that he will always be there for those that come to him. Verse 18 says "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." For those that believe in him and those seeking a relationship with him, God will always be there. Whether it's to thank him for his goodness, to pray for others or to ask for his help and guidance in darker times, he will be there.

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Psalm 18:6

Most of us pray to God in times of distress or sickness or heartache. We go to him when our need is great or when all other options have failed. God hears these prayers. He answers these prayers. Psalm 118:5 says: "I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place." In 1 Samuel, a desperate, childless Hannah wept and prayed to God for a son. In verse 1:27 she says “I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.” God. Answers. Prayer.

God loves us and wants us to bring our needs to him. But he also wishes that we come to him in prayer for other things. He wants us to come to him with thanksgiving in our hearts and to hear our praise. He wants us to pray for others in our lives, our friends and family. He wants us to pray even for our enemies. (Haha, you read that right, look up Matt. 5:44) He wants to hear our hopes, our ideas, and our fears.

Simply put, God wants to hear from us. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to communicate with us and bless us. Communication is a huge part of any relationship and our union with him is no different. Prayer is how we talk with God. It's how we came to him for salvation.(Acts 2:21) The bible tells us to come to him boldly and unwavering. Hebrews 4:16 says: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." He even tells us not to get in the habit of praying the same prayers and just reciting memorized lines. "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Matthew 6:7

So let's go to him with bold prayers. Let's not get in a habit of just reciting a canned prayer. Let's TALK to God and create a relationship with him. Let's pray for big things, life-changing things. Let God show us mighty things. Let's go to him with unwavering confidence and conviction, knowing exactly what he can do.

Let's show the world the power of prayer.