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PRAYER
A Word on Prayer by Elle Bailey
One of the greatest privileges available to those of us who’ve accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is the privilege of prayer. Like any communication process, prayer involves a 2-way exchange or sharing of information. For instance, we praise the Lord and He graces us with His presence. Or, we share our concerns with Him and He gives us directions for managing our lives. Similarly, we thank God for His goodness and mercy and He gives us even more blessings for which we’re grateful. These are but a few examples of how the prayer process works. In every case, we initiate the exchange and God responds as He sees fit.ne of the greatest privileges available to those of us who’ve accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is the privilege of prayer. Like any communication process, prayer involves a 2-way exchange or sharing of information. For instance, we praise the Lord and He graces us with His presence. Or, we share our concerns with Him and He gives us directions for managing our lives. Similarly, we thank God for His goodness and mercy and He gives us even more blessings for which we’re grateful. These are but a few examples of how the prayer process works. In every case, we initiate the exchange and God responds as He sees fit.
It is at once awe-inspiring and humbling to have an audience with the Creator and Sustainer of the universe at will. Yet that’s one of the most significant benefits of being a Christian. We can take our concerns to the Lord and leave them there. Not only can we cast all of our cares on Him, we can also share with Him the concerns of our friends, neighbors and loved ones.
To be certain, God is not a genie in a bottle. He does not exist solely for the purpose of making wishes come true. However, He is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. He knows all, He is all powerful and He is everywhere all the time. Furthermore, He is able. God can do all things. Nothing is too hard for Him. He can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think (Eph. 3:20). What’s more, He takes pleasure in blessing His children—those who’ve accepted Christ, those who love Him, those who obey His commands, those who seek Him with their hearts. Indeed, it is the Father’s good pleasure to bless us (Luke 12:32).
Because prayer is a privilege and an amazing source of power for Christians, we pray daily. Our team of intercessors meets each morning to offer prayers for those in need. Our standard practice involves following the ACTS model of prayer—Adoration and Acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty, Confession (and repentance), Thanksgiving and Supplication (requests). With supplication, we make our petitions known to God and in anticipation of His response, we pray for peace of mind, patience, understanding and guidance.
Peace - We pray for peace, as well as grace and mercy, so that the person(s) in need is/are better able to handle their situation(s).
Patience - We pray for patience so that the person(s) in need is/are better able to endure the meantime—the time between our prayer and God’s response to it. Although God’s timing may not synch with our own, rest assured, His timing is perfect. Therefore, we pray for patience to wait on Him in cases where His response is not immediate.
Understanding – Whether good or bad, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28) Therefore, we pray for understanding of God’s will in every situation.
Guidance – Lastly, we pray for guidance in the form of wisdom, discernment and instructions. We also pray for strength and courage to do the things necessary to secure victory.
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