The Power of Prayer
by Jill Austin
Jeremiah 33:3 - Call unto Me and I will answer You and show You great and mighty things.
Sincere and passionate prayer is the key to unlock our relationship with Almighty God. Many struggle with praying because they feel that their intercession is not much more than empty cries to an invisible God who seems so far off or distant. We think that our prayers shoot only as high as the ceiling and then bounce back unheard and unanswered. But beloved, God loves communing with You! He promises that He will hear us and answer!
In fact, communing with God is the highest purpose for which you were created! “This is eternal life to know Me.” (John 17). Our hunger for God Himself is what fuels our prayer life. When His presence is our passion and our hunger is for His heart, we can approach the throne of God boldly with the confidence that our Daddy loves our prayers, but having this first love is so important. As John Bunyan said, “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”
A key to prayer is listening: Remember, God has more to say to you than you have to say to Him! James 4:8 promises, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.” Drawing near to Him, free from distractions, with a heart to first worship and commune with Him is where we must begin. He holds the answers to all your questions before they are even on your lips. Listen for His voice!
Another key in unlocking the resources of heaven with our intercession is to pray with the Bible! Like Jacob did in Genesis 32, we can remind God about what He said! God’s Word does not return unto Him void, and if we remind God of His promises, we can have confidence that whatever we ask, according to His will, is heard and answered.
A final point of caution is that the ultimate goal in prayer is not to have our prayers answered, but to encounter God Himself. Fellowship and intimacy are not based upon the hours you spend in prayer. Rather, intimacy is the time you spend with God. Prayer cannot just be storming the gates of heaven with a list of requests as an empty exercise of words. Rather, our prayers must be desperate cries for encounter from our heart to His heart! Having the audience of God is not something to take lightly! It is an incredible honor to rest in the knowledge that the omnipotent, ever-powerful God of the universe has one joy above all else – and that is to spend time with YOU!
Prayer: Oh Lord, I want to have a passion for Your presence. Dig deep into my inner soul and help me to not fear the setting apart with you. Oh how I ache to know you more! Teach me to pray the prayers that stir Your heart. I want to minister to you with my prayers. I want my heart to bless your heart and give you the love that You deserve!
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