Prayer

The simplest way to describe prayer is that it is talking to God and letting Him talk to us. Make time every day to pray. The best time is first thing in the morning before you get involved with other activities.

What to pray about: This is one of the problems you will meet. You think of your family, friends and your associates, your own needs and in five minutes you have run out of subject matter. One way to solve this problem is to channel your prayer into certain directions, a different direction each day.

Kinds of prayer: Another solution to the problem of what to pray about is to recognise that there are several kinds of prayer. Basically, prayer is simply talking to God.

  1. Petition prayer: This type of prayer means asking God to meet certain needs. Though some people never progress beyond the ‘give me’ stage, always asking God for something, there is nothing wrong with asking the Lord for His help. In fact, He encourages us to come to Him with our needs.

  2. Thanksgiving prayer: Remember this type of prayer is a two-way street. Don’t forget to thank God for what He has already done for you.

  3. Praise: This is something like thanksgiving but deals with what God is, instead of what He has done. Sometimes you can use one of the Psalms, reading it aloud to express how you feel.

  4. Worship: This is very close to praise, but is almost an attitude. There will be times when words cannot fully express your feeling and you can only say praise words like ‘Glory’ or ‘Hallelujah’. You may even become silent as you kneel or sit, overwhelmed at the sense of how great God is.

  5. Intercession: You may become gripped with the need of someone else, until you feel burdened to keep on praying until you have the assurance that God has answered your prayer, for in it you are thinking of others. We need more of this kind of prayer.

In brief, prayer should be a lifeline of our spiritual life. In our private times, make this a conversation with God. Think WHAT WE NEED TO PRAY FOR:

    1. We should pray for things from God’s perspective according to His purpose.

    2. We should pray that His gospel goes through the earth.

    3. That ecclesias become and stay spiritual.

    4. For God’s people and the Jews (Romans 10:1)

    5. We should pray if we are in trouble (James 5:13)

    6. We should pray for what is important, eg the sick or sinners (James 5:15)

    7. We should not pray for things which are not helpful or right spiritually.

    8. We should pray about most things (Philippians 4:6)

WHEN PRAYER IS NOT ANSWERED, it may be:

  1. It is not according to His purpose.

  2. We wish to greedily consume it on our lusts (James 4:3)

  3. We are not prepared to wait for God’s answer in His own time.

  4. Our life is not right with God.

  5. We are not repentant of our sins.

NB Prayer is like incense (Rev 5:8; Psalm 141:2), it smells right to God. Prayer is an essential part of all that we do. It is a sign that we are serious Christians.

Regular meeting attendance: If you take a live coal from the fire-place and put it by itself; it will soon go out. In the same way, Christians need the encouragement of other Christians. Hearing the word of God, praying with others, singing together, making Christian friendships: these will help us go grow spiritually.

Understand the Bible: There is nothing mysterious about the Bible. Just think of it as God’s way of talking to us. However, this outline may help us understand any part of the Bible, long or short:

  1. Points: What does this passage or verse say? What are the various parts? What are the subjects it speaks of?

  2. Problems: What does this verse or passage say that we don’t understand? Write down the problems and find the answer later by our own study or by asking an older brother or sister.

  3. Parallels: What similar thoughts can we find elsewhere in the Bible? The more we study, the more help we will find.

  4. Promises: What blessings and helps are stated or implied?

  5. Perils: What warning do we find?

  6. Precepts: What commands are stated or implied for us to obey?

BE A STRONG CHRISTIAN. As a Christian we need strength for two reasons: firstly to live an overcoming life and secondly, to serve the Lord.

We may feel inadequate. Good! We must feel our need before God will help us.

Bro Sammuel Mukisa (Bugiri, Uganda)

previous chapter previous page table of contents next page