The Power of Prayer (Life 101)

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Life 101! As usual, we’ll be looking into more Christianity today! I love looking into the wonders that God has made, along with all the little details in His masterpiece of Creation. Today, I’m looking into one of the most amazing opportunities God has made for us. It’s one of the core parts of Christianity for good reason. The wonder of prayer.

You might remember that I’ve covered prayer in the past. I talked about its immense importance before, but I only had a paragraph to cover it. It was buried by all the other stuff I had to cover. So today, I’m going to talk about it in full. It definitely deserves it, and I can’t stress enough about the purpose it has in Christian’s lives. Besides, I love talking about it. Prayer brings miracles. Prayer is a way we can talk to our Father. Prayer saves lives.

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Prayer is simple, and that’s what makes it beautiful. Let me explain. The most basic way to define praying is closing your eyes and talking to the Lord. In fact, you could define it as some kind of conversation or request made to your Father. All you do is say what you desire and express your thanks. God hears it all. You don’t have to be important, or the best Christian in the world. All that’s required is faith and the will to talk to Him. Talking to the Creator of all sounds intimidating on the surface. However, the effect is quite the opposite than what’s expected. A ton of people find comfort in confiding in the Lord.

God is always there for us. We are never alone. You can sit down and pray anywhere. You don’t have to be in a fancy church to pray, or somewhere special and sacred. Even in the humblest of places, He is still watching us and He can hear our thoughts and struggles.

You might wonder, then, if prayer is even necessary. God knows what we ask before we ask, so why even ask at all? Well, for many reasons. For one, it’s simply better to talk out your fears and worries with someone. Most of the time, we feel better after letting our emotions out to another. Second of all, it helps your faith and trust in the Lord to ask God directly. Whenever a prayer is answered, I always feel grateful to the One who truly helped others in time of need. Plus, even if He knows what you’re about to ask, God wants to hear from you. He doesn’t want our thoughts to be thought of as hidden away from everyone. He wants to hear what you request when you request it. And honestly, it’s such a simple task to talk to him that I don’t think it’s worth complaining about.

I mean, don’t you see how amazing this is? Talking to the Father at any time you wish, and knowing He hears you? Prayer itself is an incredible blessing. Yet, it should not be taken for granted. This is the most common problem with people who pray. A lot of people can fall into the trap of their prayers becoming meaningless. They begrudgingly say what they have to say, and can’t wait until the prayer is over. Either that, or they repeat certain prayers. That isn’t always bad, don’t get me wrong. However, it’s ridiculously easy to make prayers you say over and over meaningless. You have to watch for that.

Plus, asking the Lord for things can definitely be taken the wrong way. It’s important to remember that you work for the Lord. He doesn’t work for you. You aren’t the master commanding the servant to do exactly what you tell him to do. You are a servant quietly requesting a favor from the Master of All. There’s a significant difference, and it all comes down to humility. If you’re humble, then you’re treating God with proper respect. However, if you’re angry or demanding, you’re forgetting what your position is. No one can compare to God. We wouldn’t even have the opportunity to live life if it weren’t for Him. No one would.

If you ask the Lord for something, do it with the right intentions. I don’t need to tell you that it’s extremely horrid to wish ill will upon someone else. Even if you’re not praying, I wouldn’t recommend that! That’s an incredibly cruel thing to do, and it goes against the commandments of love and forgiveness.

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Make sure to be patient. Not all prayers are answered right away. In fact, most of them rarely come true immediately. God has control, and He’ll choose the time that seems right. A lot of us are impatient by nature, but we have to impose self-control on this one. One thing we can do, though, is keep praying for the thing we need. Why? Wouldn’t it annoy Him? Not at all. It shows persistence, and how eager we are to get the thing we need. It also keeps our mind from wandering away from that strong desire. The person who gives up on the thing they need shows that they don’t really need it in the first place.

Pray without ceasing. We need to pray a lot. The more we pray, the more we depend on the Lord. And that’s a good thing! We need to learn to serve Him, we need to learn to rely on Him. It helps us to be more open, to cry out our deepest pains, struggles, and needs to God. People who pray often end up being better Christians. Never forget how to pray.

Prayer changes lives. That sentence seems so simple, yet there’s so many meanings to it. Consistent prayer helps us to be more reliant on the Lord, thus changing us. Praying for someone else can change their lives physically, emotionally, or spiritually, thus changing them. Praying with each other shows the close connection we all have of each other, thus changing everyone involved. And finally… The most important change of all… Prayer is how we become saved. How we become sanctified. To cleanse ourselves of our sin, we have to ask God to forgive us, to wash away those foul stains on our souls. Then, we pray to ask God to change us, to turn our souls white as snow. We become new people, and it’ll always be the best decision we ever make, no matter how our lives turn out.

Are you starting to see the power of prayer now? Talking to the Lord can create beautiful and bountiful results. There truly is no downside. Do you see the amazing opportunity that the Lord has opened up to us? There is no better place to witness the wonder of God. There is one more thing I need to talk more extensively about though. One of the most important parts of prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Giving thanks. The Lord is willing to do amazing things for us, and has made many wonderful things come to light. Make sure to thank the Lord in all your prayers, no matter what the result is. If you’re still here, then the Lord has a wonderful plan for you. Give thanks for everything. For your life, your loved ones, for the ground you stand on… Everything. I’ve talked about gratitude before, but I can never stress it enough. You will always be a better person if you remain grateful.

I hope this post opened your eyes to prayer’s power. It’s such a beautiful wonder, but so painfully underlooked. Even devoted Christians can forget the joy of prayer from time to time. I certainly did at one point or another. However, I’m learning to appreciate prayer for what it is. A way to talk to our only Holy Savior.

Thank you Lord, for giving me the opportunity to write about prayer. I hope it touches the hearts of many people. Please continue to help guide and direct me on the path of righteousness, until I finally reach the Heavenly Gates. Amen.

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