“Alive to God through Prayer”
By: Rev. Dan Minor
No.2 in series “Alive to God”
Prayer is our lifeline to God. It is our most direct access to God. There is power in prayer because God is all-powerful. There is wisdom in prayer because God is wisdom. There is peace in prayer because God is our source of peace. We are most alive to God when praying.
Here are some lessons I learned about prayer:
QUIET OURSELVES BEFORE GOD
“Be still and know, I am God…” (Psalm 46:10)
Begin by quieting ourselves. It is helpful to get an image of Jesus in our minds before we pray. It may be Jesus with the children or Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane or Jesus knocking on the door of our hearts.
GOD LOVES PRAISE
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” (Psalm 103:1). In offering praise to God we are showing that prayer is more about God than it is about us. The essence of prayer is being aware of the presence of God.
CONFESSION OF OUR SINS
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). Confession of our sins clears the way of anything that would hinder our conversation with God.
OFFER OUR REQUESTS TO GOD
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). While it is true is that God knows our needs before we ask, our loving Heavenly Father wants us to come to Him.
RELINQUISH OURSELVES TO GOD
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “Not my will but Your will be done” (Luke 22:42). To relinquish is to give ourselves totally to God. It is to trust God completely and leave the results with God.
THANKSGIVING
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name…” (Psalm 100:4)
We thank God for listening to our prayers and working in our lives.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for hearing our prayers as You have promised. In Your strong name. Amen.