How is your prayer life? Is it impacting your family, community and the local Church? Are you known as a Christian who is in close communion with God? How can our prayers make a difference?

Prayer is not an automatic teller machine in which the Christian punches in his selfish requests, expecting an immediate response from God. Jesus said, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13,14). Prevailing prayer is asking in Christ’s name. This is not just a statement we regularly add at end of our prayers. His “name” refers to the totality of His person. So when the Christian petitions God, he does it on the basis of who Jesus is. In other words, asking “in His name” means to ask as if Christ himself was doing the asking. This should alter 75% of our prayers at Harvest. We ask, “Father, because I know this is what Jesus would want, I make this request.”

Before we approach God with our “grocery list” of concerns, we must learn that prayer is basically asking what we already know God’s will to be. And His will is contained in the revelation of His Word. The life of the Apostle Paul is an example of this principle (Colossians 1:9-14). He did not pray for material possessions or consumable items. His petitions were never selfish or shortsighted. Paul prayed with eternity’s values in view. Too often our prayers are filled with requests for personal comforts, earthly possessions, and our desire for happiness. James 4:3 says, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

“The point of prayer is not in order to get answers from God; prayer is perfect and complete oneness with God. Prayer is not getting things from God. Prayer is getting into perfect communion with God.” -Oswald Chambers

“Prayer is the highest activity of the soul and the ultimate test of a man’s true spiritual condition. There is nothing that tells the truth about us as Christian people so much as our prayer life. A man discovers the real condition of his spiritual life when he examines himself in private; when he is alone with God. . . Somehow, we have less to say to God when we are alone than when we are in the presence of others. It should not be so. It is when we have left the realm of activities and outward dealings with other people, and are alone with God, that we really know where we stand in a spiritual sense.” -Martin Lloyd Jones

The Apostle Paul instructed the Roman Christians to be “continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). What Paul was saying was, if we want to survive spiritually and be successful for God, we must be “devoted to prayer.” The word “instant” here means, “to be strong toward something in a sense of being stedfast and unwavering.” In other words, prayer must be a priority in our lives. We are not devoted to it as we should be. Because of laziness, busyness and selfishness, we end up being devoted to ourselves. Here are some reasons why we should be “continuing instant in prayer”:

• We are commanded to pray “without ceasing ” (I Thessalonians 5:17)

If we are not praying consistently, we’re disobeying Christ. The word “pray” or “prayer” is mentioned at least 164 timesin the Bible.

“Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.” I Chronicles 16:ll

• We are told to pray because the prayers of a righteous person accomplish much for God

  “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16

• We are told to pray so the Word can spread rapidly and be glorified

This is what Paul told the Thessalonian believers (II Thessalonians 3:1). If we want to see the Word have “free course” at Harvest Bible Church, we must be devoted to prayer. It requires hard work and solicits varied responses from God:

1. Sometimes God answers our prayers immediately (Acts 12-Peter)
2. Occasionally God delays in answering our prayers (Habakkuk- 95 years)
3. A few times God does not answer our prayers for a specific reason (II Corinthians 12-Paul’s thorn)

• We are told to pray so we can be watchful and offer thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2)

The old saying is true: “If we’re not praying, we’re probably backsliding.” The apostle told the Colossian Christians to “continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Because our flesh is weak, every believer must be totally dependent on the Lord.

• We are told to pray so we can understand God’s Word (Ephesians 1:18) … “that God would give us wisdom…eyes of understanding be enlightened”…

It has been said, “no Christian should ever look down at the Word without first looking up at the very Source of his understanding.”

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1:18

• We are told to pray by Jesus Himself

  “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Luke 18:1

“Faint” in this passage means to lose heart or lack courage. When God’s people are praying, they are strengthened for daily tasks and responsibilities. This is why is must be regular. Prayer is like breathing! It should be as normal to the Christian as our involuntary breath. Prayer should be the response of the presence of God in our life, as breathing is the response of our body to the atmosphere around us.

Prevailing prayer activates the power of God. Is your prayer life making a difference? Here are specific biblical examples of the power of prayer:

• Nehemiah prayed and the kings heart was softened (Nehemiah 1-2)

• Abraham’s servant prayed and Rebekah appeared (Genesis 24)

• Jacob prayed and wrestled with Christ; Esau was delivered from 20 years of bitterness and revenge (Genesis 32)

• Moses prayed and Amalek was defeated (Genesis 17)

• Mordecai and Esther prayed and the Jews were spared (Esther 4- Haman was hanged)

• Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed and in 12 hours, 185,000 Assyrians were killed (Isaiah 37)

• Asa prayed and the victory was secured (II Chronicles 14)

• Jehoshaphat prayed and God turned away his enemies (II Chronicles 20)

• Hannah prayed and Samuel was born (I Samuel 1)

• Joshua prayed and Achan was discovered (Joshua 7)

• David prayed and Ahithophel hung himself (II Samuel 15)

• Daniel prayed and the lions were muzzled (Daniel 6)

• Elisha prayed and a child was raised from the dead (II Kings 4)

• Ezra prayed at Ahava and God answered (Ezra 8)

  “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” Psalm 145:18