CD - An Introduction to Prayer - 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Psalm 19:14

Do you really realize the power of prayer? I think most of us can not even imagine the awesome power that is ours in prayer. Why? Because, we do not ask and when we do ask, we often do not believe the Lord will answer.

Prayer is a heart-to-heart talk with God. It is as simple as unspoken thoughts addressed to our heavenly Father. It is as simple as conversation with our true Father. We do not hear God speaking to us only because we do not stop, take time, and listen.

Why is it that we are so afraid to pray, especially in public? Probably because our prayers, in our own eyes, do not come out as eloquent as do the pastor’s, or the man’s on television. Who are we praying to, or why are we praying, for others to see and hear, or for God to hear and answer?

Pray without ceasing. Let your life be a prayer to your Father in heaven. Prayer is your talking to your Father. It is answered by your Father. It is answered, “yes,” “no,” or “wait.” We feel our prayers are not answered when they are not answered the way we want, or the way we thought they would be answered. Instead, God answered them with, “no,” or “wait.” If you look, you will be surprised at how often your prayers are answered. We pray for patience, we get tribulation to teach us patience. We pray for increased faith, we get put into situations that test and strengthen our faith. Maybe we should think about our requests before we pray for certain things.

In the next few devotions, we will be looking at the model prayer, the one Jesus gave us, The Lord’s Prayer. I want you to know right off that Jesus did not break His prayer down into petitions. His prayer has been broken apart for study by human beings. There is nothing spectacular about the way the petitions are broken down. We can and do learn much about prayer and its parts by the studies that men have done and by breaking it into petitions. We humans can understand only so much, and breaking the prayer into bite-sized chunks makes it easier for us to digest.

As we look at each of the petitions, I pray that you will learn something for your own prayer life that you may grow in your own relationship with the Father. Practice makes perfect, and we need much practice in praying. Once you begin spending time in prayer, you will see and feel the need for more prayer. You will also find, as Martin Luther did, that the more time you spend in prayer at the beginning of the day, the more day you will have to get your work done.

Dear Father in heaven, forgive me when I neglect to come to You in prayer. Help me to be confident in my praying, knowing that my best prayers are the ones that I pray from my heart. Also help me to see how You answer my prayers, not according to my own wishes, but according to Your good and gracious will. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.