If someone asked me what the most crucial part of my Christian life is, I would say prayer.
It is through spending time with God that I am changed, strengthened, and guided each day.
During times in His presence, I am reminded of His unfailing goodness and love.
I cannot help but be humbled by His holiness, cleansed by His forgiveness, and empowered by His Spirit.
Prayer is not just a time of sharing our needs with God, although that is an important part.
But it is also a time of thanking and praising Him for all He has and will do.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God., (Philippians 4, Verse 6 ).
Prayer is for giving and receiving; a sacred time of communicating with God through praising, talking, and listening.
We can learn more about prayer from God’s conversation with Jeremiah in Jeremiah 33, Verse 3, where he said:
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Here again the Lord is saying to call to Him. He wants to hear from us.
In my last article, I ended with the verse, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth,” Psalm 145, Verse 18.
It is important and exciting to know that when we call to the Lord in prayer, He is indeed near to us.
In fact, He wants us to come to Him with our requests: “You do not have, because you do not ask God,”(James 4, Verse 2).
Next, He promises, “I will answer you.”
It is true that God’s answer may not be the one we are wanting at the time, but He will respond with the answer that is best for us (Romans 8:28).
Lastly, the Lord tells Jeremiah that He will tell him “great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
This is when we begin to gain His wisdom and peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4, Verse 7) for whatever may come our way.
Is there something in your life right now for which you have not gone to the Lord in prayer?
Don’t go to the phone or friend first – go to God with your every need, large or small.
You can trust His Word that He will hear and answer you.
Patricia Bryan is the pastor of His Path Christian Centre and the Academy of Prayer.