If I were to be asked this question: “Do you believe in prayer?”, my answer would be a definite “yes”. I believe in prayer because of the One who delights to hear the utterances of my prayer. Someone encouraged me by sending a What’sApp with this wonderful message: “Pastor George, may our loving Heavenly Father always delight in listening to your voice!” That is very comforting! I have never thought of my Heavenly Father taking pleasures in my prayers! It is so interesting to think about this. God delights in hearing and answering my prayers. He is pleased with my prayers because I have asked according to His will. It has to do with my daily relationship with Him. Prayer is and has become a crucial part of my life. I commune with God because I yearn to know and love Him more.

Prayer is vital in every Christian life. We have the knowledge but lack the application. Though we know that prayer is a necessity and not a luxury, yet we fail to pray! We fail to give attention to prayer! We fail to discipline ourselves in faithful, fervent prayer! We fail to give time for prayer! Is it because we do not believe in prayer or in the power of prayer? Even for myself, I feel that I have slackened in prayer! I have lacked the discipline to commune with God on a regular basis! We all need to get back on track in our relationship with God. Prayer, in itself, is a relationship. Through this powerful means, our relationship with God can be deepened and enhanced. It also has to do with our level of understanding of what prayer is all about. Believing in prayer is believing in the One who has initiated prayer. Jesus Christ our Lord often communes with His Heavenly Father. He has set a wonderful example for all of us to follow. Let us imitate Christ!

Do we believe in prayer and its power? If we believe that all things are possible with God, then we would not hesitate to bring our requests to Him (see Genesis 18:14; Isaiah 46:8-11; Jeremiah 32:27; Mark 9:23, 10:27). Our faith in God through prayer also governs our discipline in prayer. When we believe that God is great and good, our fears and anxieties will diminish as we commit our situations to our loving Heavenly Father in prayer. In this sense, prayer is also a responsibility. We respond to the greatness of God in our deliberate, determined prayer. We ask because we are confident that we will receive. We receive because we believe in the goodness of God.

So, let us discipline ourselves in prayer. Let us decide in our heart to yearn to commune with God regularly through prayer. Let us believe in prayer from now onwards, not hesitating to talk with God! Let us enjoy communing with God, knowing that He delights to hear your sweet prayer. Let us yearn to know, love and obey God more by setting aside time for prayer. May the Lord our God be pleased with our prayers! Amen.