11Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. -II Thessalonians 1:11, 12 (KJV)
I have read about cathedrals in Europe which were designed to allow a speaker to be heard anywhere in the building. Before the days of electricity and amplification the sanctuaries were designed to echo a speaker’s voice back down to the listeners. Have you ever felt this way about your prayers? Have you had the feeling your prayers were reaching no higher than the ceiling and were bouncing back down on you? No doubt we have all experienced the frustration of not being able to concentrate or move our prayers higher than our own heads.
This is why we are challenged in the Scripture to pray, seek the Lord, and never give up on doing so. Prayer is our spiritual power source for moving forward in faith. There will be days when we do not feel like our prayers are getting through; keep praying anyway. The call of God in Christ Jesus is to seek the Lord faithfully. God will bring about the breakthrough, even in those times when we feel our prayers are ineffective. Prayer empowers us to focus our thoughts on God and when we do so consistently over time we discover the power of daily prayer in our personal lives.
Prayer is a spiritual discipline which we may all grow in over time. The results will positively influence every aspect of our lives. The more we pray the more focused on Christ we become. And the more focused on Christ we are the better equipped we are to take on the daily challenges of life. Christ has called us to spiritual victory. He has not called us to timidity and defeat. Pray boldly, yet humbly, and with confidence, for the Lord honors the prayers of His people.
Be prepared, however, for a spiritual battle. The devil is always going to throw distractions at us when we try to pray. He will dangle all sorts of temptations before us even during the sacred period of our morning prayers. Stand firm and resist the devil. Claim the power of God which allows us to bring into captivity every thought and make them obedient to Christ (II Corinthians 10:5). Be willing to embark on a new journey of devotion to God. I have been challenging people these days to take on the 40 day prayer challenge which involves rising earlier than you ever have before over a 40 day period to pray. Jesus set an example we are meant to follow when He dedicated Himself to daily prayer.
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