DO YOU PRAY?

PRAYER

Wikipedia describes Prayer as an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication.

TOO MUCH GRAMMAR I MUST SAY!

The Penny Catechism describes Prayer as the raising up of our heart and mind to God. So simply put, prayer is the way in which we communicate with God.

WHY DO WE PRAY? (Ever asked yourself this question?)

I made my research and I found so many answers on the internet until I stumbled upon Alliancenet.org where I saw a list of different reasons why we pray and I chose to expatiate on them:

1. We pray because we love: We communicate with God in order to strengthen the bond of love that already exists between us and our creator. He loves us effortlessly and enjoys our company through fellowship with him.

2. We pray out of gratitude: Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made to God.” Gratitude goes a long way in sustaining relationships.

3. We pray because we want to Know God more fully: As we speak with him and study the bible daily, we get to know him better.

4. We pray to acknowledge our dependence upon him: With him all things are possible and without him, we can do nothing.

BENEFITS OF PRAYER (Can it be quantified?)

Prayer has endless advantages. After pondering on the benefits to discuss about, I decided to make do with the following:

1. We invite God to our activity: The act of praying should be inculcated as a habit in everything we do. Do not get distracted by the things of the world because nothing is promised but salvation alone.

2. It eliminates anxiety: James 5:13 “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Jesus Christ took the form of man for our sake and so therefore he has felt whatever pain you feel. We are invited to pray at the point of anxiety and he will give you peace that no man can give.

3. It produces confidence: 1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

So I invite you to ponder on 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

As Christians who are called by his name, we are expected to live like Christ by following his footsteps. The only means of achieving this is to humble ourselves and pray as prayer is a sign of submission.

The act of non-communication with your creator is that of pride as it portrays self- content and independence.

Ever wondered why things don’t go as planned sometimes. Make out time to ask yourself:

1. Did I pray about it?

2. Did I ask according to his will?

3. Did I maintain a constant rapport with him?

Guess what! It is never too late to start with God. Get on your knees, make it right with him and never forget to:

· Start off your day with God

· Align your activities with God and

· End your day with God

GOD LOVES YOU……………………

Rubby Ogenyi