Prayer is one of the blessings from God.
Aim: To learn to pray to God for help. This is because we live in a time when life is becoming complicated, and most human efforts are failing or are not enough. Prayer is a communication between God and His people. Through prayers, we receive help from God and also maintain a good relationship with Him
Text James 5:13-18; Luke 11:1-13;
These readings show the importance of prayer and how to pray effectively.
Essential Prayer points: deep respect for God with awe and adoration, prayer for: your daily bread, God’s kingdom, forgiveness, protection from evil (Matt 6:9-13).
God answers all prayers: 1. Yes, 2. No (Jere Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 1 Tim 5:22; Wait (e.g., Revelation 6:9);
4. God's is sufficient (e.g., Luke 22; 2 Cor 12:7-10).
Examples of effective Prayers (Hannah in 1 Samuel; Neh 1; Daniel 9-10; the church in Acts 5) Some Prayer nuggets.
Consistency and persistency in prayer is very important.
Do not pray to God for things to spend on your pleasure but for His glory (e.g., James 4:1-3)
What you pray for should correspond with your desired lifestyle
Do not doubt when you pray to God, believe that as a Father, He will do it James 1:2-8).
The Sovereignty of God and prayer (Daniel 4:37)
God does what He thinks is good. Therefore, we should not see God through the lens of the outcome of our prayers. Whether God answers our prayers according to our desires or not, God is still the same. Whatever God does is good, and that, all things will work out for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28).