Pray Boldly
Are we still praying the way our parents taught us when we were the age of three? Have we become complacent in the way we pray? Our payers, over time have become safe, unspecific and repetitive. In our prayer life, we have become lazy when we just simply utter prayers like “God, bless my family and friends” or “Thank you Lord for the day”. These types of simple prayer will give you a simple answer. What type of blessing do you want to fall upon your family? What are you thanking God for? Are you thanking Him for the ability to walk, talk or see? When we pray general prayers, we just simply benefit from general answers. Some of you would just leap out of your beds to kneel and pray without really thinking about the blessings you would like God to bestow upon you.
The story of Hezekiah is particularly fascinating, and it illustrates that God is moved by our prayers. Isaiah was sent by God to tell Hezekiah that he was gravely ill and was going to die. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed vehemently with a bitter cry asking God to spare his life. He knew that he was a man of God and walked in His truth. God heard the cries of Hezekiah and extended the life of Hezekiah by 15 years. When we pray with a contrite heart the Lord would say, “I heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; indeed, I will heal you” (Isaiah 38:5). Do not be afraid to cry out to God like Hezekiah. He didn’t exactly ask God for 15 more years to live, but he just cried out for mercy and God responded.
Prayer must be specific and distinct. Yes, God knows what is in your heart but he also states in His word, “You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways” (Job 22:28). When a declaration is made on a specific matter, you are establishing God’s authority in solving whatever problems you are experiencing. The words we pray daily have POWER. Words can be weapons of warfare and used to shape any outcome. For example, you may have two children who are being raised in the same household. One child is consistently being told that they are good, can do anything and become anyone they would like to be. The other child is constantly being told that he/she is stupid, a bad seed and a waste of time. Watch and see what materialize in their lives. There is a greater chance that the child who is being fed with positive words will prosper whilst the other child’s life may be directed down negative path. Words have power to either produce life or death.
When you pray specific, you know God is providing you with a specific answer to those prayers. When you pray – pray to move mountains and break chains. As we mature in our prayer life, we go past praying childhood prayers like “Gentle Jesus meek and mild” or “Now I lay me down to sleep”. We are God’s children and he already knows what we need. He would never leave or forsake us. He knows the desires of our hearts. But do we know that we have a direct link to God through prayer? We need to go directly to the Master, laying our petitions before the Cross. We are sons and daughters of a living God and just like any good parent, he would provide our needs.
“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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8). This shows that it takes energy and effort to pray to God. Sometimes it takes blood, sweat and tears to pray to God. But when we pray, God Moves!
Let’s go beyond the safe prayers. PRAY BOLDLY!
