Effective Prayer for the Nations

Effective Prayer for the Nations

            Prayer is personal communication with God. Prayer forms and molds our hearts into a wonderful and beautiful thing through trust and faith. It changes our motive and intent in every area of our lives. We can express our love for God. Here are some reasons why God wants us to pray from Wayne Grudem’s book Systematic Theology:

1.     God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in Him can increase.

2.     Prayer brings us into deeper fellowship with God, and He loves us and delights in our fellowship with Him.

3.     In prayer God allows us as creatures to be involved in activities that are eternally important.

When we pray, the work of the kingdom is advanced. In this way, prayer gives us opportunity to be involved in a significant way in the work of the kingdom and thus gives expression to our greatness as creatures made in God’s image. 

God hears, considers, and listens to our prayer, He even delights in it! We all can become very effective in our prayer, but how do we be effective? Here are some ways we can do that, also from Systematic Theology:

§  Praying according to God’s will

§  Praying with faith

§  Obedience

§  Confession of sins

§  Forgiving others

§  Humility

§  Continuing in prayer over time

§  Praying earnestly

§  Waiting on the Lord

§  Praying in private

§  Praying with others

§  Fasting

§  Praise and thanksgiving

Prayer take’s patience. What I have learned and gathered from God’s word is that it is so important to be gracious and patient with yourself as God stretches you and molds you. A beauty of prayer is that you get to talk and communicate with God at any time! Enjoy it and don’t become overwhelmed with trying not to mess up.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”-James 5:16

I encourage you this New Year, 2014 to be praying with others. Invite people to your house and pray continually. Imagine what God can do if everyone is praying? In our prayer we can worship God. Where ever you are at He will hear you! Tune your heart to the Spirit, He is listening. Don’t forget the greatest gift- Jesus Christ! It’s a new year, rejoice, He is working!        

“One of the first, and most important of those duties which are incumbent upon us, is fervent and united prayer”-William Carey, 1792