Pray Continually! 1Thess 5:17

I was blessed to travel to Israel in October of 2015. What an amazing experience I had.

I traveled with other Christians and we prayed, sang and praised God while walking in the footsteps of Jesus. One stop on our Journey was to the Western Wall. The Western wall is the outer wall of the Temple Mount, where Jesus taught and prayed in the Temple. Today you can write your prayers on a piece of paper and stuff it in a crevice of the wall. I still remember the prayers I wrote and placed at the wall. I am believing in God’s faithfulness. I believe he hears our prayers. We don’t have to be at the Western Wall or in Church to pray. There is no right time to pray. He hears us whenever and wherever we pray.

I pray because I know God hears my prayers. Confirmed by the Word of God in 1 John 5: 13-15, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us -whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him. There is so much comfort in knowing God hears my prayers! And if I pray and ask according to his will I know I receive what I have asked.

I pray to seek the will of God. As we just read in the above scripture “ask anything according to his will”. For me, this sometimes is the difficult part. As I mentioned, I still remember the prayers I placed at the Western Wall. And during these 2 years I am still praying for some of those same prayers. Loved ones that need healing or relief from financial burdens, new life seasons.

I pray for my strength comes from God. Ephesians 3:16-19 confirms this, I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit. Sometimes we need God’s strength to accept his will as our answer to prayers. Sometimes God’s will is No or sometimes it is Wait. I can’t tell you how often I have struggled with a No or Wait. It is through continuing to pray that I learn to see that God’s plan is always best. And God’s timing is always perfect.

The Lord tells us to Pray Continually 1 Thess 5:17. Prayer is a part of who I am in Christ. Many years ago, I joined our church’s prayer team. I experienced first hand the power of prayer. I have seen many answers to prayers, both big prayers and small or seemingly insignificant prayers. Those moments when you just know, oh Wow, that was God. What a blessing to see his heart. I have used my prayer time to lean on and trust God for his strength to face the No and the Wait.

Our God loves us. He desires us to talk with him. Give him thanks and go to him in prayer. He hears you, he will strengthen you, and he will patiently teach you his will.

Friends, Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12