What is Directing Your Prayers?
Jesus said that believers ought to always pray, not give in to fear or give up. Paul echoed this by saying we should pray without ceasing. Prayer should not be a chore; an obligation that must be accomplished. Prayer really can and should be a dynamic time in the presence of God, a time of sensing God’s heart desires and declaring them into the natural world.
Our prayers can be driven by a revelation of God’s dreams, or driven by lack, or fear, but not both. So, what is driving your prayers right now? Whether it is the threat of illness caused by this virus, or maybe the threat of financial disaster looms in front of you, or possibly isolation is causing you to feel lonely or depressed. All of those things are valid prayer targets, but they are not valid prayer motivations.
Believing prayer should always be the outflow of fellowship with God. When we spend time in God’s presence, it is nearly impossible to feel fearful, hopeless, or isolated. God is not intimidated by natural circumstances. In God, there is always a future and a hope. If we take the time to become aware of God’s heart, we will begin to see the fulfillment of His promises that will shape life beyond whatever challenge we are currently facing. From that vantage point, we can begin to declare God’s will into the present and impact the character of the future – this is believing prayer.
Thanksgiving (calling to remembrance and giving thanks for what we have today), and praise (declaring the goodness and greatness of God in the face of any challenge), are key access points to the presence of God. We can’t expect to gain God’s perspective if our whole prayer life is consumed by a myopic focus on what we are seeing in the natural. Powerful prayer is first God-focused, not problem-focused. Powerful prayer is birthed in hope that is in turn birthed by a fresh revelation of God’s goodness, and his ability and willingness to fulfill his promises on our behalf.
I encourage you to turn off the news, turn off Netflix, silence the voices in your life and in your head that contradict who God is and what God has said. Spend some quality time in the Lord’s presence. You will be changed, and in turn can release the life and hope that he gives you into your world.
Pastor John
