3 Prayer Lessons that Will Change How You Talk to God

Posted on Feb 27, 2024 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : James Merritt

Here’s a story you may have encountered before, but can you relate to it? A young reporter in Israel was searching for a human-interest story when she learned about an old man who’d been praying at the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem twice a day, every day, for many years. Sure enough, she found him there, standing as he rocked back and forth with eyes closed, beating his breast, raising his hands to God, passionately praying.

When he stopped, the reporter approached him and asked, “Sir, how many years have you been praying here?”

“Fifty,” he told her.

“What do you pray for?”

“I pray for peace between the Jews and Arabs, for our children to grow up in safety and friendship. I especially pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”

“Do you believe your prayers are effective?”

With apparent sadness, the old man replied, “Not really. I feel like I am talking to a wall.”

I believe I owe it to you to be upfront, candid, and transparent. Praying has always been hard work for me. Not only do I not think of myself as a great prayer warrior, but I’m still learning how to pray both effectively and with certainty that I’m truly connecting with God.

The truth is I’m not sure any Christian graduates from the school of prayer, so I’m guessing that you, too, would benefit from learning more about how to pray.

Here’s the first lesson we all need to learn, coming through what may be the three greatest words about prayer we’ll ever hear:

God hears prayer.

These simple, short, single-syllable words lined up in a sentence tell us why every follower of Jesus can pray not only consistently, constantly, and continuously, but also confidently. They can transform how we think about prayer, believing that our prayers can make an eternal difference in both our lives and the lives of others. But when I say God hears prayer, don’t just take my word for it. Over and over in his Word, God himself tells us he hears when we call:

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears (Psalm34:17).
Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear (Isaiah 65:24).
Call to me and I will answer you (Jeremiah 33:3).

When you pray, you also have the Lord’s full attention. He hangs on every word you say. He doesn’t put you on hold, ask you to wait in line, or require you to make an appointment.

The second lesson we must learn was succinctly stated by English preacher Charles Spurgeon:

God will not hear you unless you believe he will hear you.*

This makes sense, doesn’t it? If you don’t believe another person is listening during a conversation between the two of you, what will happen to your attempt to communicate? But again, his Word makes it clear that God is listening. First Peter 3:12 says, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.”

Now, knowing and believing that God hears our prayers is foundational to our prayer lives, but the third lesson we must learn is that we also need to know how to pray—to the glory of God but also because we want to make the connection with him we so crave. We want to replace the feeling we’re not getting through to God with the knowledge that our prayers are truly soaring to his very throne room.

As you read about the apostle Paul’s telling the churches in Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae what and how he prayed for them, I believe you’ll see that he had a direct “drop line” to God. After all, he knew he wasn’t praying to just any god; he was praying to the God who hears, who listens. These prayers also serve as a divine model for how we can pray not just when we’re in crisis but when we’re not. In fact, the best way to learn how to pray when in a crisis is to pray when not in one.

Imprisoned when he wrote these letters we now call epistles, Paul shared prayers we can pray for others just as he did. But we can also personalize them and pray for ourselves. We can pray for anyone and anywhere, anytime, and under any circumstances.

Max Lucado said, “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it and not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” ** I can assure you that as you learn from these prayers that are as much for us as they were for the churches to whom Paul wrote, your own prayers won’t be awkward, your attempts won’t be feeble, your petitions will make a difference, and you can rest assured they will be heard.

Let’s begin this journey of learning how to pray to the God who hears.

_______

* “54 Life-Changing Prayer Quotes—the Best of the Best!” the Blazing Center, https: The blazingcenter.com/pray-quotes.

**“54 Life-Changing Prayer Quotes—the Best of the Best!” the Blazing Center.