What Difference Does Prayer Make?

After closely looking at the Bible we find that prayer in the Bible is intimately linked with the gospel—God’s promised and provided solution to the problem of human rebellion against him and its consequences.

The gospel shape of prayer is evident from the opening pages of the Bible—and in particular from the first mention of prayer in Genesis 4:26, when people first begin to ‘call on the name of Yahweh’—right through to the end, when the church prays, ‘Come, Lord Jesus!’ (see Rev. 22:20).

We can define prayer as ‘calling on the name of the Lord’.

Prayer is an important biblical-theological ‘thread’ running through the Scriptures, but it is one that is easily missed in the tangle of other material.

‘Calling on the name of Yahweh’, or prayer that asks God to deliver on his covenantal promises, is the foundation for all that the Old Testament says about prayer.

On moving to the New Testament it becomes apparent how calling on the name of Yahweh is redefined by Jesus himself, and how, after his death and resurrection, the apostles understood praying in the name of Jesus to be the new covenant expression of calling on the name of Yahweh.

Prayer throughout the Bible, is to be primarily understood as asking God to come through on what he has already promised; as Calvin expressed it, ‘through the Gospel our hearts are trained to call on God’s name’.

PROBLEMS WITH PRAYER

Of all the things God has commanded us to do, prayer may be the most difficult to obey.

When we go to pray, the universe seems to turn against us.

Our phone starts dinging with texts that we must check.

We look up and notice the ceiling fan is really dusty and we have to clean it right then.

We’re so easily distracted. You try to focus on loving the King of the Universe for 3 minutes and find out how weak you are.

There are countless problems why we have difficulty and just decide not to pray.

Can you relate with any of these statements?

• It’s awkward.

• It feels overwhelming and hard to be still.

• It’s hard to stay focused; my mind keeps wandering.

• It feels futile. I speak to Him, but I don’t think He’s really going to answer.

• I don’t see the point, He knows everything already, and I don’t want to bother Him.

• It feels like I’m trying to talk with God, but He doesn’t want to talk with me.

How is it we can be completely convinced we ought to pray, even earnestly desire to, but still not pray?

We just may not understand the benefits of prayer even though we know we should prayer.

Benefits Of Prayer

Prayer Releases Anxiety

Jesus called the weak and weary to come to him for rest.

When the prophet Jeremiah felt overwhelmed by his task at hand he turned to the Lord for renewal.

It was through prayer that the prophet lamented, grieved, and found strength to continue his ministry.

Likewise, prayer is an avenue by which we may share our heart to God and fully process everything that weighs down our spirit.

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Prayer Solves Problems

Got a problem?

Don’t know the answer or solution?

Pray about it.

Prayer is, therefore, the highest path to real problem solving.

God understands every situation and can provide real answers, specific answers.

There is no need to go through life confused about anything.

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

Prayer Builds Your Confidence

Many of us think that we could handle life’s challenges better if we only had self confidence.

While self confidence helps, it is limited to only what we can do by ourselves.

When you make prayer a habit, God’s presence in you grows stronger and stronger and so does your confidence.

Because prayer helps you to see your situation through the eyes of faith, it builds up your boldness.

“ I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Prayer Brings Peace Of Mind

God wants us to have peace of mind through Him, and to know that everything will work out fine if we rely on Him.

We find that peace when we focus on His ability and willingness to deliver us from evil, instead of focusing on the problem at hand.

“You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.” Isaiah 26:3

Prayer Helps You Understand God’s Will

God has a plan for every one of us.

Many people go through life without ever thinking about it, but that doesn’t change the fact that God put you here for a purpose.

You aren’t here by accident; you’re here because God put you here.

And He put you here for a reason—so you could come to know Him in a personal way, and then live the way He wants you to live.

Prayer brings the heart and will of God into clear focus.

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143:10

Prayer Brings Us Towards Forgiveness

Not only is confession good for the soul, but it is necessary to receive forgiveness for wrongdoing from God.

When we confess our sins to God through prayer, He forgives us of our sins and our relationship with Him is restored.

When we turn our heart towards God in prayer, we are able to not only repent and receive forgiveness, but offer forgiveness to others in return.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Some Practical Helps for Prayer

A. Plan to Pray

Cultivate a habit of prayer

Set aside time to pray

It is better to pray often with brevity than rarely but at length

Redeem the time (while walking, driving, on the bus/metro, etc.)

B. Find Ways to Maintain Concentration

Vocalize your prayers

Pray through Scripture (eg. the Lord’s Prayer, Paul’s prayers, the Psalms, etc.)

Pray over what we read in Scripture

Praying through the hymns of praise

Journaling and praying

C. Develop a System for Prayer

Pray through the membership directory each week

Pray for the missionaries listed in the worship folder

Make a list (Carson: “All of us would be wiser if we would resolve never to put people down, except on our prayer lists.”)

Organize prayer categories around the days of the week

Church members - Monday

Church ministry - Tuesday

Lost - Wednesday

Extended family - Thursday

Wisdom - Friday

Missionaries - Saturday

Worship Service - Sunday

Commit to praying daily

Prayer

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