Everyday Step with Jesus

Oftentimes, prayer is a topic that is looked at as a chore and we don’t fully understand the importance and power of prayer. We tend to look at prayer as something that needs to get done, but prayer is so much more than that..it is so much more than just something we check off our to-do list and it is so much more than just asking for something…prayer is actually a beautiful privilege that we have that allows us to go to our God’s throne and lay it all out at His feet. It’s a privilege that allows us to communicate with our Creator, with our Father. A privilege that allows us to see His power and His glory manifested through our answered prayers. 

I must say that when I first began my walk (and sometimes even now) I found it hard to set a regular time to pray. Lack of prayer is dangerous and it affects our spiritual life negatively… when we don’t pray we are not communicating with our Father and this hinders our relationship with Him. Obviously, God knows what we are going through but He wants to hear it from us..just like when we hear His Word through a preaching, it is great and it edifies our spirit…but how great is it when we go to the Word ourselves. When we search and study the Word of God for ourselves, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we learn something new and receive revelation of what God wants to communicate to us. The same is true when we go to Him in prayer and pour it all out in His presence, when we lay it all out at His feet. Keep on reading…

When we go to Him we remove the burden from our shoulders. We do as His Word tells us:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:6-7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Sometimes it feels as if there is no one around to listen to us and hear us out, but sometimes it is necessary for us to get to a point where we have to turn(look) to our true Helper. I know from experience that sometimes it feels like we need someone to hear us out right then and there and answer us right away. Someone to validate what we are saying and the way we are feeling. But in Christ it is even better because He is not going to tell us what we want to hear, but He is going to point us to the truth. 

We have the One that cares about us. He cares about what we are going through; the good, the bad, the in-between. He cares about all of it. God also answers us…sometimes it is not right away and other times it is not what we want or what we are expecting, but rest assured that it is the best thing for your life. When we give Him all our anxieties, He cares, He is listening…He is not distracted as you’re communicating with Him but He is attentive to your voice and your cry for help.

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” ‭‭I Peter‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭NKJV

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.” Psalms 34:15 NKJV

He hears you, and not only is He hearing you but He is listening to you.  

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When we pray we can leave all our anxieties and instead receive His peace. How beautiful is it that we get to communicate with our Father and on top of that, He gives us peace and protects our hearts and minds.

Equally as beautiful is that we get to see our prayers answered before our eyes. This is not to say that we are going to get everything we want, as if we were asking a genie. Our God is more than capable of giving us everything, but rather than just giving something to us, He is a loving Father that sees ahead of what you and I can see. He is a just God that gives us according to His will (His Word). He truly does know what is best for each of us.

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” Psalms 34:4 NLT

“They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayer because they trusted in him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were defeated.” 1 Chronicles 5:20 NLT

Everytime our prayers are answered our faith also increases. Sometimes it is something small that we ask, other times it is a big breakthrough that we are praying for/about. Regardless of what the prayer is, when we see our prayers answered we see His glory manifested before our eyes. Even in the small things, what may seem like mundane prayers, we take joy in knowing that He is attentive to us. Just the other morning I saw how He answered one of my “mundane” prayers. I wanted to wake up early (something I don’t usually do or like to do lol), and before I went to sleep I asked the Lord to help me wake up early. I fell asleep and forgot to set my alarm…well yup, God woke me up at the exact time that I wanted to wake up. This may seem small, but answered prayers such as these show us how God is part of every aspect of our life when we include Him in them, even in the small things that seem insignificant. 

He is present at every stage of our lives. When I applied to transfer to Sacramento State University, I prayed for God’s will to be done. When I applied, I received an email letting me know that my application had been received. In this email, I was told to check my account after March for my admission decision and that I wouldn’t know about the decision until then. I ended up receiving my admission acceptance by the end January! I’ve included screenshots for proof…lol! and because I actually found them in my email. 

Who does that?! God does! I had been praying for an answer and He gave it to me before the time I was even expecting an answer! There have been many other instances where I have seen God’s glory, there have also been times when I’ve had to wait or have received an answer I wasn’t hoping for. But through every different answer (whichever it may be) our relationship and trust towards our Father is developed. 

Whatever is currently going on in your life, lay it all out in His presence. Reflect on your answered prayers and on the things that you need to hand over to Him in prayer. Here are a few tips that have helped me during my prayer time and I hope they help you too! 

Tips

– Put your phone on “Do not disturb” or turn it off

– Constantly communicate with the Lord – incorporate Him in your day. You can pray anywhere and at any time. 

– I was told when I first came to Christ to pray using the acronym P.R.A.Y and I still use this acronym to this day.

Praise – Thank the Lord and give Him praise for all that He has done and who He is

Repent

Ask for others 

Yourself – pray for yourself

– Listen to music while you pray. Here is one of my favorite instrumentals to listen to.  I recently discovered that his music is also on Apple Music!