Prayer and Praise

There is a danger that our prayers will become one sided. Prayer should contain praise, repentance and requests. Praise is often the area of prayer that is forgotten. Yet praise of God is an essential part of our prayer life. God wants us to praise Him and honour Him for Who He is and what He has done. The Apostle Paul, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Do you make your prayers part of your worship of God? We should constantly be thinking of things for which we can thank God. Parents love to hear their children say thank you to them. God loves to hear us say thank you to Him.

No matter what situation you are in, there is something for which you can be thankful. Personal prayer time can be complimented by singing hymns that praise God and making the words part of your prayer.

Praying With A Burden

Another important aspect to prayer is that of having a burden. If we are praying halfheartedly, then our prayers will not be effective. We must pray for that which is important to us. We must pray from a heart that is burdened and desperate for an answer.

We are told that Jacob, "had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto Him: he found Him in Bethel, and there He spake unto us." (Hosea 12:4) Jacob was in great inner turmoil as he went to met his brother. He needed assurance from God that all would be well. The angel of the Lord appeared to Jacob and Jacob wrestled with him all night that he might get a blessing. When morning came, he cried out for that blessing. This is a picture of how our prayers should be.

Really effective prayers come from deep with us. When we recognize our need for God's help. When something becomes a burden that weighs us down. When we are willing to struggle in our prayers for hours and when sleep flees from us, that is when heaven and earth are moved by what we pray.