PRAY EVERY DAY - Day 1: Confidence in Prayer
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“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.”
1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)
Welcome to “Pray Every Day”! For the next three weeks, we are taking a journey together in prayer that will build our confidence even in the chaos of life. It goes without saying that we live in confusing and uncertain times. The cultural climate is chaos. Economists can’t explain the swings in the market, leaving most people on shaky ground. Stress is at an all-time high, and people don’t know what to do. How do you handle the uncertainties of life? If you’re responding, “not very well,” you’re actually in a better place than you may imagine. It’s at the crossroads of life that we have the opportunity to choose our destination. You can live with a confidence that confounds the wisdom of this world! This is the birthright of every child of God. But how?
Researchers tell us that it takes a minimum of 21 days to develop a new habit. That’s why we are taking the next three weeks to focus on prayer in our new Pray Every Day series. As we become intentional repeating a daily discipline of prayer we will begin to experience the transformational power of the Holy Spirit. Our confidence will shift from ourselves and others to God. The Psalmist said, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” in Psalm 118:8 (NKJV). Do you put your trust in God or in people? People are unpredictable. Life is unpredictable. But God never changes. The Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! In Malachi 3:6 (NLT), it says, “I am the LORD, and I do not change.” What a confidence booster! In Proverbs 25:26 (MSG/CEB), the Bible offers us this encouragement, “No need to panic over alarms or surprises or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner, the LORD will be your confidence; He will guard your feet from being snared.”
So here’s my question for you: Is the Lord your confidence? Have you put your trust in Him? If you want to stand on solid ground in a shaky world, you must develop the habit of a daily time with God – pray every day, plant your feet on the truth of God’s infallible Word! I’ve never met a Christ follower with confidence who doesn’t practice this discipline every day.
Let’s begin today. There’s a powerful prayer promise in 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV) that will help us get started. It says, “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.”
We can have confidence in prayer that God listens. He hears us, and He cares. As we pray every day, we’ll discover that confidence in prayer begins with aligning our will to His. We can approach God with confidence because Jesus Christ gave us access through His death on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sin so that we can enter the presence of God with boldness! In Hebrews 10:19-22 (NLT), the Bible says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. … let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” WOW! God is just waiting for you and me to come! Come with confidence that He is listening. Ask Him to align your will with His. Start praying with confidence!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.