Replicate Response: Pray Earnestly

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Prayer is our direct communication to God! I am still amazed at the reality that God grants me direct access to Him through prayer. It is truly amazing! Those of us who are His children and have given our lives to Him, have unlimited availability to talk to God. In our Western culture, we often take this for granted because life can be so busy and overwhelming. We also have so much at our fingertips and become easily distracted. The truth is, prayer should not just be something that we do when life is not going well or when tragedy hits. Prayer should be constant and consistent in our lives, no matter the circumstance we find ourselves in. In James 5, we read about “The Prayer of Faith.” The one who prays consistently, through praise and faith, will grow in their relationship with God and be closer to Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  No matter what you are going through in your life, God’s will for you is to pray, and to always pray. This means that the daily posture of your heart should be directed to God and your need for Him. 

In Matthew 6:5-13, Jesus teaches on The Lord’s Prayer, which is a prayer model. He warns us to not pray in order to gain attention from others, but rather only to draw closer to God. Jesus emphasizes this so much that he tells us to “Go into our rooms and shut the door” to pray. Prayer is between us and God. He wants us to pour ourselves out to Him for the purpose of drawing closer to His presence and casting our burdens on Him. Of course, we are to pray for and with other people as well, but even that should ultimately point to God and drawing nearer to Him.

At Vintage Church, we like to incorporate four elements into our daily prayer rhythm:

  • Praise: Praise God for who He is and what He has done. 
  • Confession: Confess your sins to Him and your need for his forgiveness and grace. 
  • Intercession: Pray for the needs and requests of others, and for others to come to Him. 
  • Commission: Pray that God would grant you the strength to serve Him and be on mission for Him. 

The great thing about prayer is that you can do it every day. If you struggle with prayer, you can start fresh today! He cares for you and loves to hear from you and each new day is a new opportunity.  

To look at some previous resources that Vintage has shared on prayer, check out: