With everything that is occurring in this world and the craziness that life can bring, the need for a strong and consistent prayer life becomes more and more essential with each passing moment.
Why is a consistent prayer life important and necessary?
1) Prayer provides protection.
It is an essential tool for fighting against the ways of this world, the evil that may come against us and others, and even against our own flesh. Prayer keeps us and protects us.
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed, is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41, NKJV).
2) Prayer gives direction and provision.
A weak or nonexistent prayer life can lead us to feeling distant, lost, and vulnerable to what life and this world may throw at us. Seeking God’s will for our lives in prayer is essential because it allows God to take the pilot’s seat. We can make our needs known to Him, and He will direct us, provide for us, and make a way out of no way. The more we seek Him on the decisions and battles we face, both big and small, the more sensitive we will become to His voice and leading.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5, NKJV).
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3, NJKV).
3) Prayer builds relationship.
Prayer provides that much needed, dedicated, one-on-one time with our Father where we can connect with Him. It allows us to get to know our Creator on a more intimate level. Just as He looked forward to spending time in the cool of the day with Adam in Genesis, He looks forward to spending time with us as well. He loves it when we set aside time to spend with Him. He is a good Father who loves to hear from His children.
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalms 145:18, NKJV).
It is easy for our prayer lives to become neglected in this busy day and age, however, despite the distractions and obligations, it is something that we should strive to improve. He is a great God who deserves our best, and He appreciates it when we seek self-discipline in consistent prayer.
When we struggle to pray or don’t know where to start, P.R.A.Y. can be a helpful tool in building that habit of prayer in our daily walk with God.
P.R.A.Y.
The “P” stands for Praise.
Before anything else, open up this time of prayer with praising God.
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Psalms 100:1-4, NKJV).
Verse 1 instructs all to make a joyful noise and for everyone to praise God, and verse 2 instructs us to serve with gladness. Let us praise Him with joy. Our praise is a song unto Him. If you have a favorite praise song or hymn, go ahead and sing it to Him. It’s just you and God, and He loves the sound of your praise!
Verse 3 is a powerful reminder that He is in control of everything. God is all powerful and our protection. We are His people, and we can use this time of praise to celebrate His character, sovereignty, and authority over us and the world.
Verse 4 says to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, which means that we enter into praise through giving Him thanks for all that He has done, for what He is doing right now, and for what He is going to do. We cannot praise God without giving Him the thanks that He is worthy of!
Opening our prayer by putting on this spirit of praise and thankfulness humbles us and prepares us for the next step of P.R.A.Y.
The “R” is for Repent.
Repentance is essential in creating an effective prayer life. To repent from sin means to turn away from our sinful ways and to instead turn toward righteousness.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2, NKJV).
This scripture may sound harsh, but it is not without hope. Jesus gave His life for us so that we can be forgiven and in communion with Him. All we must do is ask and take action!
“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:12-14, NKJV).
Verses 12 and 13 instruct us to repent for sins that we knowingly commit and sins that may be secret even to us. An example of a sin that is secret to us could be unresolved negative feelings that, if not addressed and worked through, can grow into bitterness that we may not be aware of. That bitterness can cause us to act sinfully without us fully realizing it.
We must ask God to search our hearts and souls and to bring to light anything that we need to turn away from.
The “A” stands for Ask.
We all have needs, big and small, and God cares about them. An essential part of an effective prayer life is trusting God with our needs when we bring them to Him.
“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:21-22, NKJV).
After we repent, our hearts will be pure, which will make our requests to God pure in turn. Furthermore, whatever we ask for, as long as it is in line with His commandments and His will, it shall be done.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:7-11, NKJV).
Matthew 7 conveys to us that God wants to answer our requests. God is always looking to bless His children.
There are conditions to the requests we make.
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14, NKJV).
Our requests must glorify God and must be asked in His name, the Name of Jesus.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7, NKJV).
Our requests need to abide in God, meaning that they must be in line with His Word. Jesus will never do anything that contradicts scripture.
“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23-24, NKJV).
Our requests should be intended to bring joy. We should not ask God for anything other than requests that bless, edify, encourage, and bring about joyfulness.
The more time we spend in prayer, the more comfortable we become turning to God with every need, which builds relationship and trust in our Father, which deepens our prayer life.
The “Y” is for Yield
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4, NKJV).
At first glance this verse does not seem to apply to the word “yield,” but let’s take a deeper look into the first word of the verse, delight.
Delight in the original Hebrew translates better as “soft” or “pliable.” Something that is soft or pliable will yield to even a gentle touch. It is not rigid or immovable; it is easily molded.
When we yield in traffic, we stop and wait for someone else to move. Similarly, effective prayer includes pausing and waiting on God to respond and speak; a place where we can be still, listen, and be molded by what He has to say. This is where revelation, peace, and restoration are found.
These are some steps to help build an effective prayer life and to grow closer to God. We must pray every single day and about all things.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 commands us to “pray without ceasing.”
This does not mean that we should pray every single second, all day, every day, nonstop, but it does mean that we are called to a habit of recurring prayer. We are to pray during good and during bad times. We are to pray for direction and for godly wisdom. We are to pray for gratitude and for our needs.
Using these four steps can establish a foundation to build upon in our prayer lives and help us make the most out of our time spent with the Lord. Let’s keep that direct line between us and God busy. He listens for the call and is ready to answer when we speak His name.
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