Paulette Coleman, Ph.D., Retired General Officer
At a very early age, we learned the bedtime prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take. AMEN
From there, we graduated to the Lord’s Prayer. As we grew and matured in our faith, the importance of prayer in our lives intensified. For many, prayer was a source of solace and comfort. For some, it was a joyful opportunity to celebrate the goodness of an amazing God. For others of us, prayer was rejected and abandoned as useless. With these various attitudes towards prayer, let us briefly examine prayer.
Prayer is talking with God! It is a form of deliberate and authentic communication with our Creator. Prayer is a uniquely human experience; no other being communicates with his/her Creator. Talking with God and spending time in prayer with God draws us closer to God! Communicating with God is a two-way street. A critical element of prayer is talking to and speaking with God. Simultaneously, praying also demands that we listen and actually hear God. According to Andrew Murray, a 19th-century preacher, prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue. God’s voice in response to mine is its most essential part.” Rev. Murray paraphrased this same sentiment when he said, “Answered prayer is the interchange of love between the Father and His child.” Prayer is essential to the life of a Christian.
The word prayer in various forms appears some 700 times in the King James Version of the Bible. Following are some selected scriptures reminding us why we pray and how we pray.
PRAY BELIEVING GOD WILL ANSWER
Mark 11:24
So, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
PRAY WITH ASSURANCE ABOUT EVERYTHING
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
PRAY FOR RESULTS
James 5:14-16 (NIV)
14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
PERSEVERE IN PRAYER
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Grow and increase your prayer life, as we get ready for April 13, 2022—the African Methodist Episcopal Church Connectional Day of Prayer!
