Christian: God is Love (2015)
Chapter 1: The Power of Prayer
How do I pray to God
Think of it in these terms: Talking to God is like talking to a person one doesn’t know and is meeting for the first time. A person might say hello to God; he can explain he doesn’t know anything about God. He really doesn’t believe that God exists. God will not be offended if a person says these things to Him. The person can ask God to reveal Himself to that person to prove God does exist. He can ask God something like “God if you are really true make it hail on the 4th of July.” This sounds extreme but God is big enough that He can do this for the seeking person. So the 4th of July comes along and it hails. God proved He exists; talking to Him can be very powerful. God really is very easy to talk to; it isn’t hard at all with practice it gets easier. A person can ask God to do many things for him to prove He does exists, after a while the person will know by experience that God exists. You know prayer is talking to God the most powerful being in the universe. It’s simply having conversation with Him like you would with your best friend. God will not disappoint the person who talks to Him with an open heart and He will surprise Him.
How can prayer save my life?
A person who is in a life threatening situation will be pleasantly surprised to know they can call out to God. This simple S.O.S. could save their life. God can turn a life crisis around at the speed of light. People may find themselves in circumstances that are beyond their control and could cost them their lives. For instance, they may be driving in adverse weather conditions in the mountains; suddenly the driver loses control of the car. The car straddles the side of the mountain then swerves toward and over the cliff! The car rolls violently end over end down the side of the mountain like a yo-yo that snapped off its string. Keep in mind none of the people in the car believe in or really acknowledge God. One of them simply cries out, “God I’m too young to die”. Somehow everyone manages to get out of the car suffering only minor injuries. They are all alive after surviving an auto accident that should have killed them. God heard that simple prayer and saved their lives.
I don’t believe prayer works
God cannot lie and if He says He will answer prayer; He will answer prayer. When one prays whether he has a lot of experience praying or He’s approaching prayer for the first time. The bottom line is God cannot be fooled and He already knows what is in a person’s heart. When one comes to God in prayer he doesn’t need to use big religious words. Just come to God with no pretense and tell Him what is in your heart. Something like this: “God this is the first time I’m talking to you. This feels really weird for me and I don’t even know if You exist. So if You do exist show me Yourself in a way I can understand.” Simple and to the point and an honest from the heart request. This is the kind of prayer God is looking for. Prayer works and the bible is full of examples of God answering His people when they prayed.
My prayers are never answered
People pray specifically for something and they don’t see the answer right away. They think God is not answering. This is not true it could mean that God is telling them “no” because it may hurt them more than help them at this point in their lives. God could be saying” Wait I will answer yes to these prayers but on my time.” People can realize that God is always answering their prayers with a “yes, no or wait”. Just because He doesn’t say” yes” all the time. It certainly doesn’t mean that He is not answering their prayers. Let’s take an example of what may appear to be God not answering a prayer. A person wants to get a higher paying job with more responsibility. They start praying and asking God to meet that desire. They interview for a job that fits perfectly with their needs. The interview goes very well but the person doesn’t get hired. The natural conclusion is God didn’t answer their prayer. Two months later they find out the company they interviewed with went bankrupt and went out of business! This is a clear case of God saying “no” to their prayer. He protected them from losing their current job and their source of financial support.
Let’s talk to God
There is an easy way for a person who may not believe in God or doesn’t feel comfortable praying to Him to pray to Him. They can find a Christian they can trust and talk to God with them. This can happen in a non-threatening way and in an environment that they won’t feel vulnerable. The more the person talks to God and sees that He is kind and a generous God. The easier it will be for them to pray to Him. Prayer can be looked at like having an intimate conversation with a wife or husband or trusted friend. Prayer can also be just having a chat with God. There is no mystical element to prayer it is a man, child or woman talking with God. Let’s take the fear and mysticism out of prayer. It is talking to God like you would talk to a friend. But keep in mind that God surely deserves our respect when we talk to Him. We need to also remember that He is God.
Christians prayed and still committed suicide
This issue must be considered with great care. Why would a Christian pray for God’s help and then commit suicide? People who are exploring knowing God or do not believe He exists could have serious reservations about becoming a Christian when they hear things like this happening in Christianity. They may think being a Christian and committing suicide what! I am better off not being a Christian at least I am still alive. But there is more to this issue of a Christian praying for help and then committing suicide. God or Christianity should never be blamed for the Christian praying then taking their life. It could be the person prayed and thought they were a Christian but they really were not. They felt so hopeless about their life circumstance that the only way they saw out was to take their life. God is a life-giving God and will never direct a Christian to take their life. The Christian could be so depressed or feel hopeless that they figure the only escape for them is to commit suicide even after praying. The Christian still may feel so weighed down by their particular problem. They still may end up taking their life because they just have lost all hope of any type of resolution.
What about Christian’s unanswered prayers
People can know that a Christian who really knows God in a personal way, will always know that God answers their prayers. The answer could be “no or wait”. God will answer a Christian’s prayer every time.
“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24
This bible verse from Isaiah’s book tells people that God will always answer Christian’s prayers even before they pray or while they are still praying. The Christian may be praying about things that God is answering “no” to. God could be saying “wait”. This prayer won’t be in your best interest for Me to answer “yes” to at this point in time. Christians who know the love and mercy of God will know that He has answered “no or wait”. They will rest in Him because they know that whatever His answer to their prayers are will always be for their well-being. They also know from experience that God will not always answer “wait or no” but in certain seasons of their lives He will answer “yes.”