Prayer

 1 John 5:14

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

               

Have you ever prayed? You may have asked God when your loved one is on the bed of illness, before an important exam, or at a major milestone in your life. The Bible's prayer is a dialogue with God revealed by Jesus Christ. God has long been waiting for you since you were born on earth and knows you better than you, from the number of bones to the number of hairs. And God loves you much deeper than you love you.

Jesus Christ took our place and died on the cross carrying our sins. Sin is the source of all evil and bad feelings, not from God. God is love. What deviates from the love in us is sin. This sin cut us off from God, but when Jesus Christ was punished for our sins and resurrected, we could regain our relationship with God. Christ became the bridge between God and us. Therefore, we can pray to God in the name of Jesus Christ.

John 14:13-14

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

 

There are various forms of prayer. Paul said in a letter, "Pray constantly." Prayer is to constantly turn our hearts to God and unite our hearts with God, with or without words, and sometimes without words. There is no rule on its shape. You can pray in silence or in the crowd.Jesus has spoken about prayer many times in the Bible.

 

Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

 

God loves us unconditionally. Because we are children of God. Parents who truly love their children do not give their children conditional affection. Parents love children just because they are children. In addition, parents who love their children give them whatever they really need for their growth and their happiness. Their parents feed children. Parents make the joy of their children a joy. The Bible says that God is our father. God is the source of all the abundance that created this world. He gives us the best because God is a parent who loves us. It is his pleasure to give. God gives the best things at the best time, just as parents who love children do to their children. Therefore, because of your true happiness, sometimes God does not give you what you want. However, more than you want will happen.

 Isaiah 55:8-9

 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

If you are walking with God every day and make God's joy your joy, when you ask God, that wish is the thought that God himself has made. Therefore, your hope will come true.

 

Daniel 10:12

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

 

Philippians 2:13

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

 

If you find it difficult to fulfill your prayers, don't be disappointed and keep praying. In Luke chapter 18, there is the words of Jesus saying, "You should always pray and you should not be disappointed." If your prayers doesn’t fulfill right away, do not stop praying, wait more enthusiastically and patiently for God, and expect answers to your prayers. If you feel uneasy, rather,“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7”

 

There is no prayer task that is too small. Rather, bring everything out before God. Then, you will notice that God answers prayers many times during the day. The time when patience is needed is the time when faith grows. If you give up your expectations of God, your faith will become smaller. If you do not give up and expect, you will get the indescribable joy of your soul after a long period of prayer. Only when you pray, the answer to your prayer will be sweet.

 

Mark 11:24

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

 

Abraham, who appears in the Old Testament, did not doubt God's promise to be given offspring, even when he was old. He waited for the promised time so that his son came from grace.

 

Romans 4:18-25

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.  This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

 

Waiting for the answer of prayer, that is, trusting and expecting God, is the essence of faith.

This step is the step of those who believe in God. When your trust is about to fluctuate, look not at the situation in front of you, but at the Almighty Creator, God who loves you. With a little more prayer, a little more belief, and a little more patience, you'll always get an amazing prayer answer. God's timing is perfect. Everything the Lord does is beautiful. "I will never leave you and never abandon you," God promises us in the Bible.