Prayer makes a difference.  Colossians 4.2  

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 

Friendship with anyone requires a couple things—desire to know the person, and some way to make that happen.  Friendship with God is no different.  We must get to know him—who he is, and what he is like—and the best we can get to know God is by reading what he wrote to us—what he thinks of us, his plan for our lives and for eternity—all of which we can find in the pages of Scripture.  And … friendship with God requires communication.  We call communication with God ‘prayer’. 

And for you and me, prayer ought become as vital to our existence as is breathing.  Let me give us the benefit of the doubt, and say that, at best, ‘we under-utilize prayer—we under-access it’.

Some people seem to constantly be seeing answers to prayer—have you noticed that?  Do you want to see answers to your prayers?  Well, while there are no formulas, there are a few things to consider: 

1) Pray to God in Jesus’ name—there is power in that name, and it is a privilege to be able to call on it!

2) When you pray, BELIEVE that you will receive. James 1.6-8

3) Consider your conscience and your heart—are they pure before God?

Otherwise, your prayers may be ineffective.  Are you harboring unforgiveness or bitterness in your heart?   The psalmist says it simply, “If I regard sin in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”¹ “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.”² 

4) Finally, we are to pray according to God’s will.  (We can know what is consistent with his will through studying his Word)  When God’s will is unclear, then we let the Holy Spirit pray on our behalf.  ‘The Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.’³ Yeah, prayer makes a difference.  

Pray . . . For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.⁴  Indeed, ‘Seek the Lord and his strength; Seek his face evermore!’⁵

As has been said, ‘prayer changes things’, and besides that, it changes you and it changes me.  ‘…You do not have because you do not ask.^’6 Let’s ask, let’s pray!  It is well worth pushing past our ‘go, go, go’ mentality, ‘must keep going, must keep going’ . . . ‘prayer, me?  Of course I do—I pray at meals, when I need something, for my kids … is that what you mean?’  Well, yes, but do you spend time just communicating with God—in a give and take kind of conversation?  That’s what I think builds friendship with him—yeah, time with him—just you and him.  Mano e mano – one on one.  Prayer makes a difference.

Christine