The Importance of Prayer

I was reminded of the importance and long reaching effects of prayer this past weekend at our son's ordination. My brother wrote a paper sharing a testimony of our great-grandmothers prayers from the 1930's. You often pray not really understanding how important that prayer is and the long term affect of that prayer. To read that testimony go to my personal blog at armitage-texas.blogspot.com.

Is prayer important in your life? How important is it? Take a moment and truthfully answer these questions. The answers will reveal your true heart condition toward the importance of prayer. Prayerlessness will leave you with an empty unfruitful life often full of doubt and fears. Review the memory verse for this lesson: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusted in Him." Isaiah 26:3 tell you that you can live a life of perfect peace. Christ has another promise in John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do." Prayer is important!

Pray is a gift, it is a source of strength and fellowship with our Lord. Know also that it is important and has a far reaching influence in your life and the lives of those for whom you pray.

There are many reasons to pray beside the fact that God commands us to pray. Let's look at a few of these from scripture:

• God hears us when we pray. Psalms 34:6 "This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. '


• Pray continually I Thessalonians5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."


• Prayer protects and give victory. I Peter 4:7 "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers."


• Heals a broken heart. James 5:16 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."


• Strengthens believers. Jude 20 "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit"


• Builds a desire to serve God. Matthew 9:38 "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”


• Prayer accomplishes much. James 5:16, 17 "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months."


• Prayer brings glory to God. Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”


• The impossible is possible through prayer. Acts 12:5-7 "Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.


• Prayer gives us good things. Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!


• Prayer imparts wisdom. James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."


• Prayer bring peace. Philippians 4:5-7 "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."


• Prayer keep us from temptation. Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”


• Prayer bring revival to the heart. Psalm 85:6 "Will You not revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You?

As you reflect upon these verses, also know that we should not only pray for ourselves. God wants us to pray for others. There are examples of these prayer thought scripture, prayers for the protection of other believers; we are commanded to pray for our government leaders as well as our church leaders and missionaries; As you read your Bible take note of those who pray and what they pray about. Pray about things that matter to God.

Prayer should not be an option for believers. I'm reminded again of the passage of scripture in Romans 12 that these things should be reasonable and a normal part of your everyday life.

I want conclude this lesson with a quote from Norman Nelson book "Morning Glory" July-August 1999.

"When we pray, we are saying by our action of praying that we are dependent on God, that we need His help...Prayer is power---power to change us and then, power to effect change through us...The good news is that when we seek Him in Jesus Christ, we'll find Him and we'll experience the fullness of life that only He can give."

Make the decision to make prayer an important part of your life.