Article written by: Sister Rose Bryant, Grandmothers of Hope Society, Inc.
There are many verses that tell us that our prayers are very necessary in our spiritual walk with God. Also verses that tells us when prayers go up, blessings come down. Prayer is our conversation with God and how we can develop a personal relationship with God who loves us. Knowing that He loves us, how much more that he will answer our prayers.
Through prayer, God can bring your life into alignment with his vision and plans. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Firstly, what does it mean to pray without ceasing? It means pray continually. To me, this is like breathing. We must breathe continually in order sustain our physical life. Most often we have certain times to pray and most often we pray in the morning and or at night. Even in the church there are scheduled prayer time during the service. This has to do with religion or the way we learned for others rather than the way God’s word says to pray. Praying continually means praying all day for and about everything. Like breathing we need continual prayer to sustain our spiritual life. Secondly, in our continual prayer we should give God thanks and praise for what He has done, what He is doing, and what you trust He will do in your life.
As we pray for everything and about everything, we need to remember to pray that it’s God’s will for you; this way you know you can have confidence that God hears you and your prayers will be answered. In 1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. In these verses God reminds us that the promise of answered prayer is dependent on the phrase “according to His will.” After we have prayed let us have confident faith that by maintaining an unshakable trust in the Word of God, and by standing on His promises, which provide all we need according to His riches in glory. Trust that God knows what’s best for your life.
God has good plans for our lives. In Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) it tells us For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. This verse is especially needed when we are facing difficult situations. We can take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 knowing that it is not a promise to immediately rescue us from hardship or suffering, but rather a promise that God has a plan for our lives and regardless of our current situation, He can work through it to prosper us and give us a hope for the future. Furthermore, in the word says, Jeremiah 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you God proclaims through Jeremiah that when we “call on Him and come and pray to Him, He will listen to us. So, when life’s trials hit us and we feel anxiety, doubt, worry, and stress come upon us, we just breathe. Remember all the times in the past God saw you through a dark time, pray and pray continually. We tell God what has us worried and ask Him to take over the situation, and then we let go. We should give him all our concerns and no longer worry about them and be assured that when prayers go up, blessing will come down.
Article written by Sister Rose Bryant
Grandmothers of Hope Society Ministry
Board Member