{Scripture Challenge 2} Challenge Word #17, Prayer

(Good Morning - This weeks Scripture Challenge - Copied and Pasted from patter Cross blog)

While we were on vacation, God really gave me time to sit and listen to things He wants me to share with each of you. I grabbed my pencil and a notebook and wrote furiously because my mind doesn’t remember things for very long. LOL! Anyway, one thing God gave me was the word “prayer.” I actually posted a study on prayer back in March 2008. You can see that study here. Well, I kept thinking “God, I have already done that study.” However, He had more for me to say so today we are going to look at prayer again, and I also hope you will reference the 2008 study as you read and study on your own. Let’s look at:

Challenge Word #17: Prayer
Have you ever stopped praying because you feel like God has never heard or answered your prayers in the past? Have you given up? Do you feel like He doesn’t hear you? Or maybe you see answer to prayer, have experienced His amazing power, and you want others to have the relationship you have? Or are you somewhere in the middle and you feel like you are on a ‘prayer rollercoaster’? And what is prayer exactly, and how should we go about praying?


First, God knows all things and is intimately familiar with the details of our lives. (See Psalm 139:13-18). Prayer is communication with God and a way believers experience a relationship with Him. Any relationship you have or want to maintain with someone involves communication (both talking and listening). If you have ever lost communication with someone that has moved to a new town, etc., you see that relationship dwindle when the communication is not maintained. Being in prayer and maintaining a relationship with the Lord changes us forever, helps us to know His will for us, and gives us that desire to live for Him each day.


We need to pray because it pleases God, and He loves to answer prayer! Psalm 50:15 says “And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” And Psalm 147:11 says “the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” He does hear our prayers, and He delights in our fear and reverence of Him. It is a privilege to pray, and it helps us to trust His decisions and desire for our lives.


There is no magic formula to prayer. Sometime during the day you may have a lengthy prayer in your quiet time modeling what is in this study, and other times during the day you will need to shoot up those quick prayer requests. The Holy Spirit will lead you, and the more you pray and develop that relationship, the easier it becomes, and your desire to pray to Him for others and for all things (big and small) will increase. Philippians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” And 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior.”


In our prayer time, we need to worship Him and praise Him for who He is. The Book of Psalms is a wonderful place to learn words that describe God (see Psalms 86 and Psalms 145). Pray His attributes back to Him. We need to thank Him for what He has done. And then comes the hard one—we must confess our sins and realize that it is hard to be in His Holy presence with unconfessed sin in our lives. After that, then we can share our specific requests (for ourselves and others) with Him. After you pray, listen for His direction and expect an answer. Psalm 27:14 says “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” But notice the word “wait.” We must wait for His perfect timing and His perfect answer (which doesn’t always line up with our desire). Ask Him to give you a desire to pray powerfully in His name. Jesus is our perfect example of prayer. I encourage you to read John 17 which includes Christ’s prayer for Himself, His Disciples, and for future believers. It is an amazing and encouraging chapter! Praying also gives us that desire to share Him with others. Prayer is a powerful resource. Turn to Him in prayer first in all things!


For my page this week, I had trouble finding a scripture because there were SO many great ones I could have used. I had to control myself even in this lesson because I wanted to reference so many passages! Anyway, I decided to use James 5:13-16 “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”


~Love Barbara~