Robin J Johnson
Religion complicates prayer, it sets up boundaries and implements conditions that the Bible never does. It tries to tell us how we should pray, where we should pray and limits our expectations to chance and not faith.
Prayer is not a religious exercise, though sadly for many it is. Prayer is not something that is full of empty repetitious words and void of hope. It is personal, a cry from the heart to the Living God; He who has promise to hear and answer the prayers of those who believe (1 John 5:13).
Since we have this confidence, we can also have great boldness before him, for if we present any request agreeable to his will, he will hear us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have obtained the requests we ask of him. 1 John 5:14-15 (TPT)
It is not about the place where we go to pray that causes God to turn an ear to our petitions or brings an answer to our prayers.
I look up to the mountains and hills, longing for God’s help. But then I realize that our true help and protection come only from the Lord, our Creator who made the heavens and the earth. Psalms 121:1-2 (TPT)
Answered prayer comes about by our faith in His faithfulness! When we open our mouths and present to Him our requests; whether the simple day by day acknowledgments of His help and grace or a desperate heart cry for a divine intervention into an otherwise hopeless situation, prayer is an intimate interaction with the God, who hears and answers prayer.
God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble—more than enough and always available whenever I need you. Psalms 46:1 (TPT)
And the Psalmist immediately states;
“Therefore we will not fear”
Today, in a world of increasing fear and anxiety we are surrounded by the ‘doomsayers’ prophesying environmental disasters. They promote fear, destabilising a whole generation of young people, filling them with despair and robbing them of a hope for their future. People of all ages are not unaffected either.
Delivered from Fear
In my teenage years, when these predictions of doom and destruction begun to be popularised, I was consumed with fear, a sense of disempowerment and of hopelessness, facing an uncertain and dire future. Thankfully, a few months before turning 20 I surrendered my life to Christ and everything changed. The feared disintegrated as the Prince of peace took over my life; I quickly became aware of God’s Word and the truth that it is, now the source of my hope, both for today and everyday ahead.
Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your word makes my pathway clear. Psalms 119:105 (TPT)
Teach the Children to Pray
One of the most hope-filled things we can do as parents is to teach our children to pray, and encourage them to never stop praying. Point them towards God and His Word and tell them He is a faithful God, He never fails.
Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth. Psalms 46:10 (TPT)
Our God is not about to surrender the earth to the predictions of environmental disasters.
The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. Psalms 24:1
Though there are issues with the earth’s environment, and we do what we can to be responsible citizens, our trust is always in God.
So here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Leave all your cares and anxieties at the feet of the Lord, and measureless grace will strengthen you. Psalms 55:22 (TPT)
The Living Temple
Remember, it is not about where we pray, but to who we pray. We are no longer confined to a geographical location (John 4:21). We do not go to the temple, or the city wall to pray. We are living, walking, talking temples of the living God (1 Corinthians 6:19 2 Corinthians 6:16). It is from this temple we cry out to the God who hears and answers prayer.
Faith-filled prayer, petitions and intercession in Jesus name!
So we will never fear even if every structure of support were to crumble away. We will not fear even when the earth quakes and shakes, moving mountains and casting them into the sea. 3 For the raging roar of stormy winds and crashing waves cannot erode our faith in you. Psalms 46:2-3 (TPT)
We may not know what the future holds, but we do know Who holds the future and it is to Him we look and pray. Jesus said,
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27
He is our hope and the one who sustains us through all of life’s challenges; the victories we rejoice over and the defeats we shed our tears for.
Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (TPT)
Jesus’ instruction and exhortation to pray and not to cease (Luke 18:1) has not changed. And our single point of reference is ever and always the same; it starts with coming to the Father, the glorious and majestic, the One whose name is exalted and glorified above all, the incomparable One.
Pray like this: Our Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn.Matthew 6:9 (TPT)
(TPT) The Passion Translation
