Prayer Altars: Embracing the Priestly Call to PrayerSample

Effective Prayer

God is faithful. This is not a mere statement; it is a spiritual reality that anchors effective prayer. For our prayers to be fruitful, we must remove the clutter of doubt and approach God with assurance. When we pray, we must ask, knowing and believing that He hears us.

“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—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.”– 1 John 5:14–15 (NIV)

This passage gives us a glimpse into the nature and faithfulness of God, He hears. He is not far off. He now lives in us through His Spirit. When we pray according to His will, we don’t need to beg. We simply align, believe, and receive.

“Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you.” – John 16:23 (ESV)

Names carry weight. There is a popular practice in Nigeria where one can gain access to many corridors of opportunity because of the name they bear—or the name given to them to unlock doors. We often say, “Do you know who my father is?”—a declaration that you carry a superior name.

Now pause and think about this: The Creator of the universe has given us His name. When I reflect on Ephesians 3:14-15, which says that every family in heaven and on earth derives its name from Him, I imagine that if God had a last name, I would gladly add it to mine. Even more, He has given us His Spirit and we bear His name.

So when we pray in Jesus' name, we are not just signing off a request. We are invoking authority. We are reminding the heavens and the forces of darkness of who sent us. To neglect prayer is to neglect power.

E.M. Bounds once said, “He who is too busy to pray will be too busy to live a holy life. Satan had rather we let the grass grow on the path to our prayer chamber than anything else.”

In conclusion, prayer was never meant to stay locked in a closet. We must carry the spirit of prayer into every room, every meeting, every errand, and every ordinary moment of life. Prayer is not just what we do. It is who we are, a people continually communing with our God.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Word. I commit to live a life of prayer to build intimacy with you and establish your will on earth. By your Spirit, help me to give myself to a life of consistent and persistent prayer. Let the Spirit of prayer rest upon me and those in my sphere of influence. In Jesus’ name I pray.