It’s a Privilege to Pray

God sits on His throne in His temple. Jesus sits beside Him, vigorously pleading for those He loves. For us. The Holy Spirit is there too. On our behalf He utters groans that words cannot express. And then there’s us. Sitting here, yet welcomed into the presence of this Almighty God (Psalm 11:4, Psalm 18:6, Jeremiah 50:34, Hebrews 7:24-25, Romans 8:26-27).


–He invites us to come with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).


–He tells us our prayers are powerful and effective (James 5:16).


–He says pray about anything and everything. When we do He gives us His peace (Philippians 4:5-6).


–He tells us that faith the size of a mustard seed can say to a mountain, –“Move!” and it will move (Matthew 17:20).


–God says He loves us more than we can know and that He is able and willing to do more than we ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:18-20)


It’s a privilege to pray.

Longing

God said, “All day long I opened my arms to them (Romans 10:21).”

Watching. Waiting. Loving. Longing.

How do you respond?

Pray Patiently

The Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled (Romans 15:4).

Pray patiently. Wait patiently. God is true to the promises he made (Romans 15:8).

God, the Source of Hope

Pray that God,

the source of hope,

will fill you completely with joy and peace

because you trust in him

Then you will overflow

with confident hope

through the power

of the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 15:13)

Eternal Life

The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift (Romans 4:16).

Receive God’s gift and say thank you.

Praying to a Forgiving God

We often overlook confession. Perhaps we live unaware of our sins. Maybe we think if we don’t talk about them, God will not notice. We probably don’t realize how absolutely bad sin is. But the consequences of sin are dire. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened (Psalm 66:18 NLT). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

Click here for a Prayer Guide on Praying to a Forgiving God.

Trust Through the Trial

“I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain.”*

Jesus’ death is our perfect example of God always working for the good of those who love him (see Philippians 2:8-11; Romans 8:28).

Remember this as you pray your way through.

*https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/saragroves/hesalwaysbeenfaithful585720.html

Strengthened Through Prayer

Facing an undeserved death, Jesus prayed, “I want your will to be done, not mine.”
God responded by sending an angel to strengthen him (from Luke 22:42-43).

Sometimes God’s answer is strength to endure suffering.

Why Our Prayers Are Heard

“Our prayers are heard,
not because we are in earnest,
not because we suffer,
but because Jesus suffered.”*

*Oswald Chambers, If Ye Shall Ask” p.10-11.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

Jesus told his disciples he would “be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant (Mark 9:31-32).”

I’m not sure why they were afraid to ask. But I am sure that we don’t have to be afraid to ask Jesus anything.

He invites us to “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God (Hebrews 4:16).”

Claim God’s Promise of Comfort

God promises those who mourn will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).

Though it does not take away the loss, God’s comfort soothes, like aloe on newly burned skin.

We pray to the God who is the source of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).