Bridging the Gap Presents…
Resources for New Believers

Prayer

What is prayer?  Prayer is, simply, talking to God.  He loves to communicate with His people and has done so from the very beginning.  God, the Father, talked with Adam on a regular basis.  Just like a friend.  But, He’s much more than a friend - He’s our Creator and Savior - the One who knows our deepest dreams, our loneliest hours, our biggest fears, and our need for fellowship with Him.

There’s no magic formula or special words for prayer.  You don’t have to kneel, lay prostrate, stand, or sit.  God hears us any time and every time we talk to Him.  He’s waiting to hear from you any time - day or night.  Talk to Him as you would a trusted friend sharing the deepest secrets of your heart. 

Luke 11:1-13 gives us Jesus’ teaching on prayer.  Even though Jesus taught this as the model prayer, He did not mean for us to use it as a repetitious prayer.  What He was doing is showing us an outline as to what we should include in our prayer time.

1.  Praise - glorifying God with our praises

2.  Honor - acknowledging His sovereignty in our lives

3.  Confession - confessing our sins

4.  Forgiveness - forgiving those who have offended us

5.  Petitions - asking for our needs

6.  Thanksgiving - thanking Him for what He has done and what He will do

Why is it important to pray?  Living in a world filled with temptation, sickness, heartache, death and every kind of sin will leave us feeling scared, frustrated, and emotionally drained.  Thank God, He has shown us that we can call out to Him and He will answer us!  His fellowship gives us joy, hope, and peace. 

As you begin to develop a prayer life, you will find yourself talking to God quite often.  Besides praying for your needs, include the needs of others.  This may seem hard at first.  Think outside the box of your own family.  Pray for friends, co-workers, the president and those in authority, your pastor, the world.  (1 Timothy 2:1-8) 

Above all, be persistent!  Sometimes it will seem as if our answer isn’t coming.  Because God knows what is best for us, He may say, “No” or “Wait”; but, our prayer time is never wasted.  Even when He says “No”,  God will make changes in us without making changes for us and will give us peace in that situation.  Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Luke 11:9-10 NIV

by Karen Geisen

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