Our Prayers
As we stated earlier, prayer is the connector that releases God’s grace, promises, and power into the physical world. As Oswald Chambers declared prayer is the “greater work” God has given us to do.
Regardless of the type of prayer we engage in—supplication, intercession, or deliverance—we understand the source of our prayers’ power. The power does not come from us but from God. Therefore we can have confidence when we pray.
Confidence builders
Our confidence in God dictates our response to the circumstances in the world and in our lives. More importantly, it shapes our prayers to the Father. We pray with confidence because we…
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- Acknowledge our REALITY. Our view of life looks different than the rest of the world. It is based on the fact that God is sovereign and all-powerful (Ps. 97:1-6).
As citizens of God’s kingdom, we live in the presence of, under the authority of, and to the honor and glory of God. Therefore, we operate according to His Word and under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Our reality generates prayers of trust and hope as we face the uncertainties and pressures of 21st century living.
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- Walk in our IDENTITY. Our identity is based on who we are “in Christ”.
In Christ we have been adopted as children of God and have access to spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3) and exceeding great and precious promises that by these we might be partakers of God’s divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). This includes God’s power within us through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Our identity gives us continuous access to the throne of grace. Therefore, our prayers have priority. We are invited to come boldly to God for whatever we need (Heb. 4:16).
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- Honor God’s PURPOSE. Jesus often reminded others that He came to fulfill the purpose of His heavenly Father (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38). God’s purpose for our lives has been identified from the foundations of the world (2 Tim. 1:9).
It is the believer’s great honor to live out that purpose in both our life and through the circumstances God has placed before us. All things are for God’s glory and our good.
Praying with confidence
As we strive to expand our prayer capacity, it is important that we pray with confidence. This confidence will lead us to greater faith and belief. The result will be more of God’s will realized in our lives and in the world.
We close with the Apostle John’s final words to believers concerned with the challenges to their faith and belief in Jesus Christ. It deals specifically with the certainties of our faith. Whether certainties or confidence, the result is the same–belief that God sees us, hears our cries, and will be with us.
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15
Meditate on these verses and listen as God speaks to your heart. Then pray the verses replacing the nouns with your name. Let God’s Word speak “confidence” into your spirit.