I am not a worrier, but there are times when I can work myself up thinking, “What if this happens? If this happens, then that will happen, and this can happen.”  There have been times in my life when I was unemployed and/or mired in debt because of foolish decisions that I wondered if I would ever find a job or ever get out of debt.  It was not a happy time for me or those around me.

Then I remembered two things, one was that God said that he would never leave or forsake me.

Hebrews 13:5‭-‬6 NIV Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

I also remembered that the Bible tells me that when I worry, I should give those worries and cares to God, because he cares about what concerns me. 

1 Peter 5:7 NIV Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

When I give Him my cares and worries, He will exchange them for peace.

Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 NIV  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What this says to me is that nothing is too big or too small to pray about.  We don’t have to feel any shame about bringing any of needs before the Lord.

The word “guard” is a military term that can be translated “to mount a garrison.” In other words, the peace of God will mount a garrison around our hearts and minds. Or, to put it a simpler way, the peace of God will guard us.

The problems may not go away and disappear immediately, but God will give is peace during them.  I don’t know how He does it, but I can tell you from personal experience that He will give you peace.  He will give you the kind of peace that you can’t explain or understand you will just have peace despite the turmoil going on around you.

So, the next time you’re tempted to worry, commit your situation to the Lord.

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Some people tend to pray broad, generic prayers.  No one, not even God, can answer generic prayers that have no real answers. Of course, God knows everything. But when we bring our requests before Him, we should be focused. As the old saying, “If you aim at nothing, you’re bound to hit it.” A generic prayer is also impossible to quantify.  You wouldn’t know when God answered your prayer if it is not focused and specific.

The following is from Max Lucado’s book “Anxious for Nothing”
                        

• A specific prayer is a serious prayer. If I say to you, “Do you mind if I come by your house sometime?” you may not take me seriously. But suppose I say, “Can I come over this Friday night? I have a problem at work, and I really need your advice. I can be there at seven, and I promise I will leave by eight.” Then you know my petition is sincere. When we offer specific requests, God knows the same.

                         

• Specific prayer is an opportunity for us to see God at work. When we see Him respond in specific ways to specific requests, our faith grows. The book of Genesis relates the wonderful prayer of Abraham’s servant. He was sent to Mesopotamia, Abraham’s homeland, to find a wife for Abraham’s son. How does a servant select a wife for someone else? This servant prayed about it.

 

• Specific prayer creates a lighter load. Many of our anxieties are threatening because they are ill defined and vague. If we can distill the challenge into a phrase, we bring it down to size. It is one thing to pray, Lord, please bless my meeting tomorrow. It is another thing to pray, Lord, I have a conference with my supervisor at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow. She intimidates me. Would you please grant me a spirit of peace so I can sleep well tonight? Grant me wisdom so I can enter the meeting prepared. And would You soften her heart toward me and give her a generous spirit? Help us have a gracious conversation in which both of us benefit and Your name is honored. There. You have reduced the problem into a prayer-sized challenge. 

Psalm 5 is a prayer of David that both focused and specific.  

Psalms 5:1‭-‬3 NIV Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

In the original language, this depicts setting up for a sacrifice and laying the pieces of wood in a specific order. 
 
Here’s the rest of David’s prayer.

Psalms 5:4‭-‬12 NIV For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest. But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.


David was saying, “Not only am I praying with passion, but I am praying with precision. I am being specific in my prayer. When you are specific and focused you don’t fall into the trap that Jesus warned against.

Matthew 6:7 NIV And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

King Solomon also tells us that we should think about it when you pray.

Ecclesiastes 5:1‭-‬2 CEV Be careful what you do when you enter the house of God. Fools go there to offer sacrifices, because all they do is sin. But it's best just to listen when you go to worship. Don't talk before you think or make promises to God without thinking them through. God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so don't talk too much. (Emphasis mine)

We should be passionate when we pray but we should also think through what we will bring before the throne of God.

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Luke 11:1 NIV One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

What makes this request so remarkable isn’t the fact that they’re asking Jesus to teach them something.   After all, Jesus was God and they constantly referred to him as Rabbi and Teacher. 

This request stands out because this is the only record in Scripture where the disciples actually ask Jesus to teach them something.  “Lord, teach us to pray”

When it comes to Jesus’ mighty acts and miracles, the disciples marveled at how he could calm the winds and waves. They stood in awe as Jesus heals the blind, casts out demons, and makes the lame walk. 

Peter didn't ask how Jesus walks on water. He makes a request, and just gets out the boat and walks.  It was a short walk but a walk nevertheless and He didn’t ask how to do it.

Matthew 14:28‭-‬30 NIV “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

When Jesus sends out the seventy-two in Luke 10, he doesn’t give step-by-step instructions on how to treat leprosy or cast out demons. He just tells them to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom. They took Jesus’ commission in stride and went with it, and they come back rejoicing that it actually worked. 

Luke 10:1‭-‬4‭, ‬NIV After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

Even when they were unable to cast the demon from the young boy, in Mark 9, the disciples don’t say to Jesus, “Teach us how to do that.” Instead, they say, “Why couldn’t we?”  

Mark 9:28‭-‬29 NIV After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

However, when it comes to prayer, the disciples say to Jesus, “Teach us”. They were saying, “We need to learn how to pray.

Jesus responded by laying out a model for us on how to pray.  In teaching us to pray Jesus doesn’t address the process He addresses the priorities and the agenda of our prayers,

Jesus taught us that prayer begins with longing for God’s presence before his provision. 

“Matthew 6:9‭-‬10 NIV This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

When we pray as Jesus taught, we’re reminded that God’s presence and person is precious—far more precious than his provision.  But prayer should not end there. We still need things from God. Because Jesus knows that we do need material, emotional and spiritual things He invites us to ask for provision.

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Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

Matthew 6:11 NIV Give us today our daily bread.

When you pray for daily bread, you are acknowledging God as your source of provision. God delights in providing for his children as any good father does. However, he also wants you to never forget he is the source of your provision.

Notice, he wants us to pray for daily bread—not weekly bread, not monthly bread, not a trust fund, not a nice little nest egg. He wants us to rely upon God daily. 

Proverbs 30:8‭-‬9 NIV Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches,the but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

In other words, give me just what I need today, and I’ll come back tomorrow. Keep me constantly dependent on you so that every day, understand that you’re the sufficient supplier of my needs.

God desires it to be this way so that our dependency will always be on him and nothing else. He is doing this for our own good because we can easily forget to depend on him when everything is going well.

We’re reminded that every good gift is from God.

James 1:17 NIV Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

When Isreal was in the wilderness on the way from slavery in Egypt to Cannan the “land of milk and honey” God sent manna from heaven and he sent it as daily bread. They were supposed to gather only enough for that day and no more, except for the sixth day on which he sent enough for two days so they could observe the Sabath.  

Exodus 16:4‭-‬5‭, ‬17‭-‬18 NIV Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

If they gathered more than their daily amount, it quickly rotted and filled with maggots, rendering it useless.  Jesus said we should pray for our daily bread, so stop trying to live today off yesterday’s prayers, yesterday’s grace, and yesterday’s strength. God has a reservoir of grace and strength ready to provide for you every day. Because each day brings with it new challenges and opportunities, you need fresh provision for today. God has a fresh supply of strength, love, mercy, grace, provision, his presence, or whatever you need to meet the need of the day. Best of all, he will give it to you as you ask him.

Praying for Daily Bread Is Not Just Physical Needs, but Spiritual Needs

God Is not a genie.  When we ask God to meet our needs daily we reject the false notion that God is a genie. The genie has one job: to advance the agenda of the one to whom he’s bound. Another way to look at daily bread is to connect it to asking God for what you need. It is easy to forget that prayer is always about asking, and never about demanding. Demanding means God must respond to what you want. That is not how prayer works.

When you ask God to give you what you need (daily bread) you are trusting that he knows exactly what you need and what is best for you.  Daily bread can be actual food for the day, or it could be spiritual nourishment that God provides you for that day. Daily bread can be a truth from his word that leaps off the page and meets your need for that moment. It could be a promise or even a correction, but it comes at just the right time, and it sustains you for that day.  Jesus teaches up to not only pray for pardon, and protection too.  

Matthew 6:12‭-‬13 NIV And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 

These requests remind us that peace with God always comes through pardon and forgiveness, never performance. To miss a day of praying this way is to spend a day where you're tempted to think that God and you are okay because of your performance. That’s never been the case and will never be the case.

Like forgiveness and pardon from past sin, protection from future sin is found in Jesus. The trouble is, we either respond to temptation with anxiety, thinking that we’ll never change, or we respond with arrogance, assuming we have the power to resist.

The beautiful thing about our heavenly Father is he knows what we need, but what is even more beautiful is he is ready and willing to provide it. All he desires from us is that we would take the time to spend with him in prayer and while there, we can ask him to provide what we need.

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Some time ago I wrote and published “Persevere in Your Waiting”.  In that post I wrote that waiting doesn't mean just sitting around and doing nothing but waiting on God is active as we exercise faith in Him. While we wait, we should never forget that God is with us as we wait.

Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

We wait because believe that God loves us and that He keeps His promises .  

Psalms 145:13 NLT For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.

While we wait God may be working to put things in place for the perfect time.  I’ve written that waiting teaches us patience which will end in perfection.

James 1:2‭-‬4 NLT Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

However, when you've been praying and waiting for something for years and no answer there come times when your faith starts to falter.  Yes, know that God will either answer yes or no. You also know that He may still have you to wait. It’s at these times, and I’m going through one of those times now, that you must rely on the Holy Spirit to encourage you to be patient.  

Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 NLT But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!​

I’ve written that I we should persevere in prayer like the woman in Jesus’ parable about the widow and the judge.

Luke 18:1‭-‬8 NLT One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.  A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’  The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,  but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge.  Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

Or the man asking for bread so that he could feed a visiting friend.

Luke 11:5‭-‬13 NLT Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,  ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’  And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’  But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?  Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Jesus was persistent in prayer

Matthew 26:36‭-‬44 NLT Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”  He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?  Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”  When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.

We have all been there where we feel as if we are praying for the same situation or the same people over and over. Does the Lord hear my prayers? Is He getting tired of me? Should I just quit praying about this? We can have many questions when there are no apparent answers, but we can also find great comfort and understanding within the Bible itself. Am I bugging God when I continue to pray about the same thing?

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When We Think God Doesn’t Have Time

Sometimes we might believe that the Lord is too busy to worry with our concerns.  

Matthew 15:21-23 says, “Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! A demon miserably possesses my daughter.’ But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, ‘Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”

It is true that Jesus was in a solitary place, however He is sovereign and intentionally went to this place knowing that this Gentile woman would be there. The woman did not have a small issue – her daa demon possessed her daughterine the continuous, daily agony that this girl and her mother were in. They lived in a state of shame, uncertainty, and fear. This woman knew that Jesus was her only hope for her daughter to be healed so she sought after Him.

Notice that Jesus did not answer her at her first request. Sometimes the Lord is quiet on a matter. He is not a “mystical genie” who must respond in our time and in our way. He is in fact the opposite; He is the King of the world. He is the One who knows when to act and when to be still. Although the silence or the answer of “wait” in our own lives is challenging, Jesus models that He is not required to give an answer or respond immediately. This is not without purpose though. He did not respond for a reason.

The disciples suggested to send her away because of her continuous cries, but Jesus makes it clear that is not His intent. He was not wanting to push away the woman in her pain. Oftentimes when we do not hear a response, we can believe the lie that God does not want us to come to Him. This is the opposite. Jesus didn’t go anywhere; He sat with the woman and welcomed her tears. Jesus valued this woman and her pain and was always there for her in it, whether He responded or not.

When We Feel Humbled

Matthew 15:26-27 says, “The woman came and knelt before Him. ‘Lord, help me!’ she said. But Jesus replied, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.’ ‘Yes, Lord,” she said, ‘even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’”

At first glance, these are confusing verses. Matthew Henry shares from his commentary, “The state of this woman is an emblem of the state of a sinner, deeply conscious of the misery of his soul. The least of Christ is precious to a believer, even the very crumbs of the Bread of life.”

The posture of this woman was humility. We can easily be humbled by the circumstances that we are in. This woman knew that apart for Christ, she was hopeless. She pleaded with Him. She would be willing to take a crumb of what Jesus had to offer because it would be better than what anyone else could give.

In continuous prayer, we draw near to God in a special way. We grow to understand that He is our greatest need. We learn to have a posture of trust and humility. The Lord often uses these times of waiting and asking multiple times to do something greater within our hearts. He cultivates a patient reliance on Him and reminds us that He is worth more than our trials.

When Persistence Is Blessed

Whether or not in the end God says, “Yes” to our prayer request, we can see clearly that persistence is blessed.

Matthew 15:28 says, “‘O woman,’ Jesus answered, ‘your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

After not giving up asking and seeking the Savior, Jesus finally healed this woman’s daughter. Her desperation and her persistence is not dishonored, in fact it is welcomed and encouraged. No matter what the outcome, we are invited to come to God in prayer.

Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Again, this is not a guarantee that we get what we want in the end. If someone asks for a Ferrari every day, their persistence is there, but it doesn’t line up with the Father’s will. 1 John 5:14 makes this clear, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (emphasis added).

So yes, we are persistent in prayer, but as we pray, we also need to ask the Holy Spirit to expose our hearts and examine our motives. We need to surrender ultimately to the Lord.

Are we bugging God when we pray about the same thing? No. He loves for his children to talk with Him.  Jesus welcomes us to pray to Him. He encourages us to ask Him. He reveals that He will not always answer on our ideal time frames, but He is with us always. If our requests are drawing us closer to God that honor Him, may we keep asking unashamedly and bring our humble prayers to Him.

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Those of us who “believe in the power of God” know that praying for God’s power is essential to experiencing his best. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18 NLT Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (emphasis mine).

James 4:2 NLT You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. (emphasis mine)

Remember that prayer does not earn God’s favor it positions us to receive what his grace intends to give.

Here are some suggestions as to how you can be effective in your prayer life. 

Be specific.

No one, not even God, can answer generic prayers that have no real answers. For example, “Be with us,” is not necessary because Jesus promised to be with us always.

Matthew 28:19‭-‬20 NLT Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (emphasis mine)

Hebrews 13:5‭-‬6 NLT Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

A generic prayer is also impossible to quantify.  You wouldn’t know when God answered your prayer if it is not specific enough.

Be bold.

Nothing is impossible with God so be bold enough to ask anything according to His will.  You can find His will in the Bible so be bold enough to ask Him for anything He promised in the Bible or to you by His Spirit (Holy Spirit).

Matthew 19:26 NLT Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

Be specific and be bold. 

Hebrews 4:15‭-‬16 NLT 

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (emphasis mine)

Be honest.

God already knows your heart so be honest. 

1 John 3:20 NLT Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

 He invites you to reason with Him.

Isaiah 1:18 NKJV “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

If Jesus could ask “why,” so can you.

Matthew 27:45‭-‬46 NIV From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). (emphasis mine).

If Paul could plead for God to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” so can you.

2 Corinthians 12:8 NIV Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
When you don’t have faith, you can pray for the faith to have faith.
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Mark 9:23‭-‬24 NIV “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (emphasis mine)

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Be persistent.

It’s not that persistent prayer changes God, it positions us to be changed by God.

Matthew 7:7 NLT “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Right now, you and I are thinking about God. When we pray, we connect with him. And no one who truly experiences God can be the same.

Be childlike.

One of the reasons Jesus called us to “become like children” is that children often trust their parents more than we trust our heavenly Father.

Matthew 18:3‭-‬4 NLT Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ask for what you want but trust your Lord for what is best just like a little child trusts his or her parents.

Look for ways the Lord wants to use you to answer your prayers.

We are the hands and feet of Jesus, the body by which he continues his earthly ministry today.  He touched hurting bodies with his hands; today he touches them with ours. He spoke to people needing God’s word with his voice; today he speaks to them with ours.

1 Corinthians 12:27‭-‬28 NLT All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.
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Ephesians 3:20 NLT Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ​

Editor's Note: The Fifteen ReasonsTo Pray are from the book "Praying God's Will For Your Life" by Stormie Omartian, copyright Stormie Omartian. The full text of the Scriptures were added by me.

If you have any doubt about the importance of prayer or if you are still praying on an on-again/off-again basis, here are 15 reasons to continue to go to God in prayer.

1.To seek the face of the Lord and know Him better

Psalms 27:8 NLT My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “ Lord , I am coming.”

2. To get your eyes off your problems and onto the Lord 

Psalms 121:1‭-‬2 NLT I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth!

3. To speak to God 

1 Peter 3:12 NLT The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”

4. To unburden your heart 

Psalms 142:1‭-‬7 NLT I cry out to the Lord ; I plead for the Lord ’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me. I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. Then I pray to you, O Lord . I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life. Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.”

5. To make your requests known to God

Matthew 21:21‭-‬22 NLT Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Prayer is not just asking for things — although that certainly is part of it. Far more important, prayer is talking with God. It’s getting close to and spending time with the One you love. It’s seeking Him first, touching Him, getting to know Him better, being with Him, and waiting in His presence. It’s acknowledging Him as the source of power upon whom you depend. It’s taking the time to say, Speak to my heart, Lord, and tell me what I need to hear.

6. To hear God 

Proverbs 8:34 NLT Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home!

7. To be free of suffering 

James 5:13‭-‬18 NLT Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. (emphasis mine)

8. To resist temptation 

Matthew 26:40‭-‬41 NLT Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” (emphasis mine)

9. To be rescued from distress 

Psalms 91:1‭-‬16 NLT Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord : He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

10. To receive God’s reward 

Matthew 6:5‭-‬6 NLT “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

11. To withstand evil 

Ephesians 6:13‭-‬18 NLT Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

12. To have joy 

John 16:22‭-‬24 NLT So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

13. To get close to God

Isaiah 64:4‭-‬7 NLT For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways. But you have been very angry with us, for we are not godly. We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins.

14. To be healed emotionally 

James 5:13 NLT Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.

15. To have peace 

Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Once you pray about something, put it in God’s hands. That doesn’t mean you don’t pray about it again; it just means that you have laid that burden at the Lord’s feet. The answer will always come, although it might not be in the way you expect or according to your timing. Most important, you have spent time in the Lord’s presence, where you can hear God speak to you about His will for your life.

Prayer

Lord, I have a deep desire to draw close to You in prayer. Help me rise above the distractions and busyness that rob me of those times with You. Help me make prayer a priority so that I can learn what Your will is for my life. In Jesus' name Amen

Editor’s Note:  This is a prayer by Dr. Bill Monce the founder and President of BiblicalTraining.org.  Dr. Monce also serves on the Committee for Bible Translation (which is responsible for the NIV translation of the Bible).  He has written the best-selling biblical Greek textbook, Basics of Biblical Greek, and many other Greek resources. He blogs regularly on Greek and issues of spiritual growth.  The full scriptural references were added by me.

Thank you, Father, that we are not alone, that we are part of your community, your family, adopted along with our brothers and sisters. Thank you that you are a father to us, not some dispassionate deity but the perfect Father who is concerned with the details of our lives, even details like finding toilet paper in the midst of a crisis. Unlike our earthly fathers, you are our “heavenly” Father, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who sits in heaven and does all that you please.

Psalm 115:3 (NLT2) 3  Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.

It is to you that we pray.

In the midst of the Coronavirus, may our faith be strong and our actions resolute, not making you seem small in the eyes of our friends but displaying your holiness to all. May your name — your character — be preached even without words to our neighbors, friends, and co-workers. May we not act like those without hope.

Ephesians 2:12-13 (NLT2) 12  In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.13  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. 

You are king over our lives, and we live in your kingdom on earth. May this time of fear give us opportunities to share with others how we can be concerned but not fearful, and how they too can come into your family and under your kingship. Your family grows in difficult times; may it be so now.

We confess that we do not always do your will as we should. We do it imperfectly, slowly. Rather, may we be quick to listen and joyfully obey, knowing that someday we too will see the beginning from the end and that all of life will make sense.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT2) 12  Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 

As the lines in the store lengthen and the shelves empty, we acknowledge that you are the giver of every perfect gift.

James 1:17-18 (NLT2) 17  Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.18  He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. 

We ask you, our Father, to provide what we need as you do for the birds of the air.

Matthew 6:26-27 (NLT2) 26  Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?27  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Do not let us be like those outside your family who put themselves first and hoard in fear. May we accept what we have and share what we can with others.

I confess that I have let fear creep into my life. Afraid of sickness. Afraid of death. Of fearing that I can’t be with my son and daughter-in-law at the birth of my first grandchild. But your perfect love casts out fear.

1 John 4:18 (NLT2) 18  Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 

Help me to live as one who has hope. Help me to hold onto life as on to a thread, willing to let it go if it would advance your kingdom.

You made this world good, and we can see your goodness in everything we see. And yet our sin and Satan have corrupted so much of your world. Sickness, pain, and death are everywhere because we as a whole have abandoned your ways. Help us to see evil for what it is — a perversion of what you made — and please protect us from the effects of evil, and especially from the Evil One.

All things are yours. To you belong all power and glory. Until we see you face to face, may your Spirit strengthen us to be faithful children to the world around us, sharing hope and not despair, not living as those who are not your family live, but living as the prized possession of our Heavenly Father who protects us under his wings and will bring us safely to our eternal home. Until then, may we be found faithful.

Psalm 19:14 (NLT2) 14  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

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