Today's promise: Our prayers bring us
into God's presence
How can I make my
prayers effective?
I urge you, first of
all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy
upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in
authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and
dignity.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT
Praying effectively
Paul urges Timothy to
lift up requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving.
A request is a need, a deep desire for something we don't have — something only God can supply.
A prayer is a word of praise and adoration. A more accurate translation of this word from the original Greek might be to "worship in earnest."
Intercession is praying on behalf of others. Our prayers should regularly reflect this kind of selfless lifestyle.
Thanksgiving involved remembering those past prayers that have already been answered, acknowledging that we not only trust God's supremacy and involvement in our life but also how his hand has moved and guided us in the past.
When we pray effectively, we do more than communicate with God — we commune with him. We become one in mind and spirit and purpose. Today, let the focus of your prayer time be to connect with God in a very real and personal way, not as a slave would petition his master, but as a son would enjoy the company of a loving and gracious father.
Adapted from a devotional by Frank M. Martin in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 36
Content is derived
from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale
Publishing House
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