The meaning and importance of prayers should be learned and understood so that we can pray right. when we learn the time and frequency of prayer, how often should pray, and how do we pray so that we will not be doing van repetition? Can prayers be too much? Is there a particular time of the day when prayers can be answered? These and many other questions will be answered in the session.
When Is the Best Time to Pray?
There is no particular time for prayer. God created times and seasons, we can talk to any day. God is Omnipresent: He is everywhere at every time, We are not limited to any time to call upon Him. Any time we pray to Him, He hears us and grants our quest Daniel chose to pray to God three times a day. Although the Jews had their bouts of prayer, nowadays, we can pray at any time. We commune with God through, so we should always pray to maintain our relationship and fellowship with Him. We should pray when we are happy, sad, sick, in need, in trouble, confused, etc. Children should always join adults to pray during prayer meetings in church. Such time is not the time to play, read books, talk with friends, or sleep.
Biblical Motivation for Prayer
We should pray as often as possible. There is no limit to the number of times we can pray.1Tesalonians 5:17 admonishes us to pray without ceasing. This means we should pray without getting tired. We should pray in any situation we find ourselves in, whether good or Prayer will strengthen our trust in God. Below are some instances when we should pray:
- We pray before going to bed at night and in the morning when we wake up to thank God and commit our ways to Him.
- We pray when we are about to eat and after eating -to give thanks to God.
- We pray to intercede for others who need our prayers. It may be family members, relatives, friends, neighbors, or even our community, states, and the country at large.
- We also pray to appreciate God for all He has done.
- We pray when we are sad, to pour out our hearts to God for divine intervention.
- We pray when we are happy to show our hearts of gratitude to God.
- We pray to tell God how much we love Him.
- We also pray when we are confused and we need His guidance.
- We pray to receive strength from God.
We should pray as often as possible. If we are not tired of talking with our friends and parents, we should not be tired of talking to God through prayer. We should not only pray to make our requests known; we should see prayer as a means of fellowshipping with our Heavenly Father.
Characters of prayers in the bible
Prayer is powerful. It is an effective way to exercise control over all situations and circumstances. The power of prayer cannot be overemphasized. Jesus admonished His disciples to pray until their joy was full. It shows that prayer has the power to meet our needs until our joy is full. An adage also says, ‘A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian’, which also shows that there is power in prayer. Many instances in the Bible show the power of prayer. Prayer works wonders and does what only God can do. Some examples are:
Esther, Mordecai and the Jews(Esther 4:15-17): One of the king’s officials in Persiakingdom named Haman was angry with Mordecai, a Jew because he did not bow to him, as he went in and out of the king’s palace. He felt that killing only Mordecai was not enough, so he decided to wipe out his entire lineage. He deceived the king into issuing a decree to kill a particular tribe that was disobedient to the king and the laws of the land. Ignorantly, the king agreed and used his ring to seal the proclamation that all Jews, throughout the kingdom should be killed on the 13th day of the month of Adar (the twelfth month). Mordecai heard the king’s proclamation, then he tore his clothes and dressed in sackcloth as a sign of mourning. He sent a message to Esther, the queen of the land, asking her to speak to the king on behalf of the Jews because she was also a Jew.
Esther agreed to go to the king, even though it was against the law of the land to go before the king without being invited. She asked one of her servants to tell Mordecai and all the Jews in the land to fast and pray for three days. And she will then go in to see the king, as against the law of the land. Their prayer brought about a miracle, as God turned the situation around. Haman who wanted to hang Mordecai and kill all the Jews was killed in the same gallow he prepared for Mordecai. God changed the decree and all the enemies of the Jews died in their stead. Prayer is powerful enough to turn the situation of things around in this nation, as God did in Persia.
Elijah (1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17-18): Elijah the Tishbite was a prophet in Israel, during the reign of King Ahab. Because the king and his wife, Jezebel did evil in the sight of God, Elijah pronounced that there would not be dew or rain for a few years, according to his word. James 5:17-18 affirmed that Elijah prayed that it might not rain and it did not rain for three and half years. He prayed again and it rained. Elijah prayed to shut the heavens and prayed again for the heavens to be open, and it was so. A prayer is a powerful tool that moves the hand of God to do what seems impossible in the sight of humankind. If a man could pray and the prayer had an effect on a whole country, it means that if we pray, as children, our prayers can affect our country and turn our situation around.
The Disciples(Acts 12:1-10): King Herod arrested some Christians and persecuted them. He killed James, the brother of John and when he discovered that the Jews were happy because of the evil he did, he also arrested Peter. The church prayed fervently for Peter’s release so that he would not be killed the way James was killed. God answered their prayers by sending an angel to open the gate of the prison at midnight so that Peter could escape. The angel also led Peter out of the prison to the town. Prayer is powerful enough to set anyone in bondage free. It can heal the sick, raise the dead, tum impossible and difficult situations around.
Conclusion
Prayer should not be limited to a particular time, it should be a regular habit. We should pray without ceasing. We do not need to wait until we need something before we pray. As child disciples, we must not allow the devil to take advantage of us by stopping us from praying. Prayer is important and powerful to accomplish great things and to make possible what seems impossible for humankind to do. You must always pray, according to the will of God and with faith. God hears when you pray.
