Psalm 4:1-8 (Darby)
1 When I call, answer me, O God of my righteousness: in pressure thou hast enlarged me; be gracious unto me, and hear my prayer.
2 Ye sons of men, till when is my glory [to be put] to shame? [How long] will ye love vanity, will ye seek after a lie? Selah.
3 But know that Jehovah hath set apart the pious [man] for himself: Jehovah will hear when I call unto him.
4 Be moved with anger, and sin not; meditate in your own hearts upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer sacrifices of righteousness, and confide in Jehovah.
6 Many say, Who shall cause us to see good? Lift up upon us the light of thy countenance, O Jehovah.
7 Thou hast put joy in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their new wine was in abundance.
8 In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; for thou, Jehovah, alone makest me to dwell in safety.
Prayer is a mandatory and powerful tool of warfare for the Christian faith, but a lot of people don’t have a powerful prayer life because they either don’t understand the principle of prayer or are just confused about how prayer works.
In a general sense, prayer is the act of asking for a favour, particularly with earnestness.
Prayer as a form of worship is a solemn address to God Almighty, consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God’s glorious perfections, the confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings for ourselves and others, thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for his mercies and benefits. We pray to the Lord who listens and heeds us when we call on Him.
In prayer, we bring our anxieties to an all-wise, all-loving and all sovereign God, confessing and repenting of wrongs and sin according to Psalm 66:17-18.
The psalmist didn’t tell us that the fervency of our prayer means our distress disappears, not necessarily, most times, people stop praying because the expected answer is not what they got.
Jesus commands us all to pray using Matthew 7:7-11 as a springboard on how and why we must pray, there are three requirements to prayer; Ask, Seek and Knock (ASK).
These three words are in the present tense which indicates a continuous action-keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking.
All three commands are accompanied by a response from God: when you ask, you will receive; you will find when you seek, and the doors will be opened only to those who knock. And if we do all these prayerfully by faith, God answers.
Every Christians should learn to get on their knees before they can get on their feet, as great and powerful as God, He cannot answer prayers that have not been prayed, so, pray. God is waiting for you to pray and prevail with the authority in the name of Jesus says John 14:14.
Prayer is not you sending God to go do your will but you doing God’s will. Praying with power can open and close doors, heal the sick, prayers can move heaven and earth and restore life, for God answers prayers because He alone is God according to Deuteronomy 6:4.
Anointed and spiritual warfare Prayer made with power raises us above the need level to faith and trust level; it is when we pray faithfully to see God’s hand and will be done, rather than pray only because we want something from the Lord.
We must go into prayer with expectation as seen in Proverbs 10:28, 23:28 and by faith in Mark 11:22-24 to ask for anything, big or small says John 14:13.
Your prayer must according to God’s will declare 1 John 5:14-15, God’s word and His will are almost like using a nuclear bomb to detonate the enemy, a powerful weapon.
We could be like the blind man in Mark 10:51 and pray specifically and particularly without ambiguity.
You have the power and authority in the word of God, the Blood of Jesus, and the authority in His name as both natural and supernatural weapons. Pray with power with what God has given you.
Shalom