If you look back historically, even the most remote tribes were found to present offerings and pray to their gods—praying for a lot of things we still pray for today. The ancient Incas and Aztecs even sacrificed humans to get the gods’ attention. Muslims will stop five times a day and pray. Buddhists have their prayer wheels. Millions in AA groups will pray daily to a higher power, asking for help to overcome addiction. It seems like we as people can’t help but pray.
Here is the question: are those prayers being heard? Is there something (or some things) that we can do to cause our prayers to not only be heard but be heard in the affirmative?
Jesus taught us how to pray in Matthew 6.
Practical Principles
- We are taught by Jesus that we are to pray to our Father in heaven. Some of us have awesome dads—loving and nurturing and affectionate and affirming and communicative. That is great. Thank God for that. Some of us have weird dads. Some, abusive dads. Maybe you never even knew your dad. Whatever the case, your Father in heaven is different than your father on earth. God is the perfect Father and He never lets His children down. When you think of God as a Father, don’t think of a distant supreme being who is disinterested. Think of a loving father, because the Bible says, that God has given us “the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). It is a warm father-child relationship that God offers us.
- We are taught by Jesus to pray with other believers. When you become a Christian, you become part of God’s family. It is called the church. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all in this together. Church is so important. Fellowship is so important. Praying together is so important, because it helps to give us the proper perspective in the midst of our circumstances.
Relevant Reminders
- Prayer can change situations. It can change people. Prayer can even change the course of nature. Most of all, the thing that prayer changes is you.
- It has been said that if you have been swept off of your feet, it is time to get on your knees.
- Jesus prayed, and He prayed often.
- Three things that help to sustain Christians in difficult times are prayer, the Word of God, and the encouragement of other Christians.
Applicable Actions
We have a Father who will always be there. We have a Father who listens. We have a Father who loves. We have a Father in heaven.
There is nothing wrong with calling out to God in your time of need. In fact, God encourages you to do so. The Lord says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). The Lord is encouraging you to call out to Him.
