The Holy Bible is real clear about the power and potency of prayer. It is our line of communication to God — the old cliché says, “Prayer is the key to the kingdom and faith unlocks the door.”
Jesus said that men should always pray and not faint. James reminds us in the New Testament that the prayers of the righteous availeth much. Prayer is foundational and fundamental in the life of the Christian.
Our prayer life, or lack of it, demonstrates our faith in God. Hebrews 11:6 states that “he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
Regardless of the obvious importance of prayer, it is easy to abandon it, especially when prayer seems fruitless and unrewarding. Prayerlessness is often a sign of hopelessness. To make prayer fruitful, we must go back to the simple principles that Jesus taught us in what modern Christians refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. It begins in Matthew 6:9.
This pattern prayer is full of principles for prevailing victorious prayer. Here are a few prayer principles we need to highlight and implement:
1. Recognize God as your heavenly loving father. The prayer starts out by saying “Our Father.”
2. Understand that praying for God’s Kingdom to come in the earth is top priority. Thy Kingdom come. Jesus has promised us that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, our temporal needs would be supplied.
3. Pray that the will of God will be done in the earth. Most of society’s ills would be remedied if the will of God would come to pass in the earth. Most of our prayers revolved around our wills and not the will of God.
4. And finally, Jesus said “give us this day.” After we have exalted God and made His kingdom and His will our No. 1 priority, then we can ask God to “give me.” Too often our prayers start with “give me,” rather than putting God’s agenda as top priority.
Try these simple prayer principles and see if your prayer time becomes more fruitful and fulfilling. God will hear and answer prayer when it is done according to his pattern, purpose and plan.
The Rev. Anthony Lawson is pastor of Jumping Run Church in La Grange. Reach him at jumprun@embarqmail.com.