PRAYER IS TALKING TO GOD. MEDITATION IS LISTENING TO GOD.
God communicates with man through His Word, by His Holy Spirit, by prayer and especially through meditation.
“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).
“Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not” (Jeremiah 33:3).
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7)
“And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:13, 14)
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7)
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)
“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
Prayer is for believers only (Those who have accepted Christ as personal Savior), with the result that they became “children of God” (John 1:12).
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” Notice this point of doctrine: a) only a child of God (true believer) has the right to call God “Father.” b) Believers are the only people who are in the “family” of God.
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3: 26)
All prayer is directed to the Father! (Matthew 6:9), in the name of the Son (John 14: 13, 14), in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:18).
Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Christ is praying for us at the right hand of the Father. Romans 8:26, 27 tells us the Holy Spirit is praying for us. Since the Son and the Holy Spirit make intercession for us, we should not address our prayers to the Son or the Holy Spirit, even though we pray through the Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Long prayers should be reserved for private prayer. Make your public prayers brief and to the point. Public prayer generally should be specific. See Mathew 6:5-7 which emphasizes this point.
Private prayer should follow these four points:
1). Thanksgiving: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
2). Intercession: Intercessory prayer is prayer for others. Use a prayer list to be thorough, somebody take names and record needs.
3). Petition: Praying for your needs. “Let us come boldly before the Throne of Grace” (Hebrew 4:16). We are able to come boldly (with confidence) to the very throne of Grace because Jesus Christ our sacrifice satisfied the Father by paying for your sin debt and mine.
GENERALLY, PRAYER IS NOT HEARD BECAUSE OF:
Carnality: perpetual, unconfessed sin — living like the unbeliever (Psalms 66:18).
Lack of faith: Matthew 18:19; 21:22; Mark 11:24.
Failure to comply with Divine will (1 John 5:14).
Remember, through prayer God’s Power is released on His Church and His Children, provided our prayer is God’s Will. Let us gather in the house of the Lord and together let us prayer to our Father in Heaven. Let us pray for His will on earth as it is in heaven. Let us rest in God’s Will for our lives.
God has always blessed America, but He may not continue to do so. “As goes the believer, so goes the nation.” The very fate of this nation depends upon believers steadfastness in prayer and in living the Christian way of life — daily fellowshipping with God through His Word, and in intercessory prayer for our nation. We are on the brink; God awaits our decision, as believers, to intervene in the ongoing angelic conflict and win victories for Him, even if those victories are limited to our own periphery.
American leadership must repent and then return to the God of our forefathers who founded our country based on the Word of God.
Thank you Father for sending Jesus Christ to redeem us from our utter helplessness.
Amen.
Happy Studying from www.wordoftruthministries.org