Welcome to Part three of the Prayer series for the month of November. Today I want to talk with you about your prayer requests. Who or what are you praying for and how can you be sure that God hears your prayers?
We covered in parts 1 and 2 of this series the need for a repentant heart and how imperative it is that we pray in faith when we come before our heavenly father in prayer. There is something that we as believers can do when we pray to ensure that He hears us when we pray.
So many times when I would actually take time to pray, it was all about me and what I wanted or thought I needed. They were selfish prayers. Prayers were I was the primary focus.
“You ask and do not receive because you ask for wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:3
I will admit that it was not until after the stroke that the focus of my prayers changed to asking God what His will is for my life. It is now my desire to be in the center of His will because I want His blessing, help, and strength to accomplish what He wants for my life.
As believers when we put God first in everything, our desires align with his desires and He hears us. God hears our prayers when they are aligned with His will.
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalms 37:4
Once are hearts are aligned with God; we can use the power of prayer to help and bless others. Just as Jesus Christ intercedes for us with the Heavenly Father, we too can intercede for so many in our prayers.
This accomplishes two things; it helps us get our mind off ourselves and focused on the needs of others. Secondly, we feel so much better in our spirit because we are lifting up someone else in prayer.
“Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16
I absolutely love the last part of this verse especially. There are so much that comes to mind that we as believers need to be praying for. Here are just a few things that come to mind.
Pray for the leadership of our country as we seem to be moving away from “one nation under God” on the federal, state, and local levels.
Pray for our pastors, bible teachers, and missionaries who boldly share the gospel of Christ both here and abroad.
Pray for those who are in need of food, shelter, and clothing, both locally and around the world.
Pray for our family members, friends, and loved ones that need both help and encouragement.
Think about what we can accomplish if we pray these prayers on a consistent basis! What other things come to mind that we can pray for knowing that God hears us? Please share with me in the comments.
Prayer is a privilege. Having the opportunity to communicate with the one who loved us beyond all measure and the creator of the universe is a blessing that cannot be overlooked or taken for granted.
As we head toward the Thanksgiving holiday this week and we bow our heads with our family and friends to pray; let’s thank God for choosing us to be a part of His family and the blessing it is to speak to Him through our prayers.
Horace Williams Jr is the oldest son of a pastor who went to be with Jesus in 2020. He is an award-winning author and amateur chef who loves Jesus Christ. His passion for Christ inspires readers to draw nearer to the God who loves them.
Horace, I love your passion. It is truly inspiring. I am so glad that it all came back to you and you shared.
🙂
Traci
Thank you Traci …me too. It is only by God’s grace. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Yes, what a blessing it is to be able to bring our hearts before the God of the universe. Thanks for this reminder that prayer should be one of the things on our gratitude list!
Amen Michele! In the final part of the prayer series, I will discuss prayers of thanksgiving. Thank you for the visit and your comment too. I pray you have a blessed week!
Love this, Horace: “when we put God first in everything, our desires align with his desires …” He becomes our heart’s desire when we delight ourselves in Him. I also pray for the peace of Israel, that they would know the Price of Peace, Jesus! Thank you, Horace, for sharing your heart at #IntentionalTuesday. : )
Yes; I am striving to align my heart with God every day Crystal! Israel definitely needs our prayers. I will remember them in my prayers more often. Thank you for the reminder how important to remember God’s chosen people in prayer. Blessings to you and yours!
Horace, I felt a small conviction about my prayer life after reading this. My heart felt a tug about some things I need to work on while praying. Thank you for your words, they resonated deep with me this afternoon and will draw me closer to our Father. God Bless 🙂
I completely understand Crystal. Over many years I have come to truly appreciate what a blessing and privilege it is to pray. I am glad you enjoyed the post;it is the reason I write to both help and encourage those you read. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week. Blessings to you as well!
Beautiful encouragement, here, Horace! I especially liked this: “Once our hearts are aligned with God; we can use the power of prayer to help and bless others.” I want my heart aligned with His. How wonderful to remember that prayer accomplishes a lot. Sometimes we feel powerless when we watch the news, but we have a powerful, effective weapon!
Thank you for your visit and your comment Betsy! I am learning as I see God working in my life and those close to me the POWER of prayer. I now pray and talk Him more than any other time in my life. It was not easy but I needed to realize that my heart belongs to Him and when I seek Him in everything, He is pleased. I hope you and family had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have a fabulous holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior! God bless you and yours my friend!
“God hears our prayers when they are aligned with His will.” – Horace, thank you, for that reminder. Also, we may not always get the answer we expect but we can rest easy knowing that God is always listening and ready to give us good things in His time. Wishing you many blessings, this holiday season!
Thank you Marva for visiting and your comment. Yes I know that God hears me when I seek to be in the center of His will. The timing may not be what I hoped for but I am encouraged each day that He hears me when I call out to Him. Blessings to you and yours as well!
This hit me! I find myself praying for things I need instead of focusing on the things of others and just spending time with the Lord. This is something I knew I needed to work on, thanks for the reminder and the encouragement. ** I added the link into the link up for you.** Have a good weekend, Horace!
I am so glad to hear that Lori! Thanks so much for visiting, your comment , and for allowing me to share! I so look forward to corresponding with you on Thankful Thursdays! I am working on the final installation of the prayer series right now. I am hopeful that it will be a blessing to all who read it. Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm…I’m sure it’s getting colder up there! God bless you and yours.
I love this idea, Horace. It’s a great reminder than even in prayer, we should think of others along with ourselves. My grandmother once told me that when she prays, she doesn’t ask God for anything, but instead of thanks Him for what he’s given and will be giving. It always stuck with me–to just be thankful for what we have, and not worry about things we don’t need.
Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful piece with us on #SHINEbloghop. We’re so happy you were able to join us this week.
Thanks for allowing me to share Maria. Yes, your grandmother was correct. We do need to pray with a thankful heart. In fact that is how I will close my series next week. Praying with thankfulness in our hearts. Thanks again for the visit…have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks for linking up at Mondays @ Soul Survival. Blessings!
blessings to you and yours Donna. Have a great weekend!
What a wonderful post on prayer, Horace! I’m going to have to go back and catch up on the rest of this series. Thanks so much for sharing! GOD bless you, my friend! 🙂
Thanks Tai for your visit. Coming from you that means a lot since you include a prayer in every post I’ve read. I have seen the impact of my prayer life and how it has impacted my life for the better. Thanks again for visiting and have a wonderful weekend!
Thank you so much for linking at #overthemoon! I look forward to seeing what you share every week. Please come back for #WonderfulWednesday or #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Don’t forget to comment your link #’s so I can be sure to visit and you get a chance to be featured! Pinned and shared.
THanks Marilyn! I will have to come back and visit on other days and leave my link#. I’m glad you enjoy the posts and I appreciate the opportunity to share. Have a wonderful week and God bless!