"Caring for people in such a way that they meet Jesus!"

Why Pray?

 

YOUR FATHER KNOWS!

 

Our Father in Heaven definitely knows what we need before we even ask. So why ask? Why bother praying? This question can be on all of our minds from time to time, especially if we see and pray mostly supplication type prayers. However, prayer is not merely a means of presenting our request to God, but is our means of pursuing a relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is the same way with any relationship we may have on this earth; husband-wife, parent-child, friend-friend, that relationship is cemented on giving and getting, by love and communication. Prayer is our primary way of doing just that with our heavenly Father. A good way of showing our love and communicating with our Father is through the acronym F-A-C-T-S (Faith-Adoration-Confession-Thanksgiving-Supplication). Each Sunday we try to include each of these in our worship service, although they may not be in this order. Let me explain as we look at each one.

 

Faith

 

Prayers of Faith are not in the words we utter, but in coming to know the One to whom we pray. We get to know Him through His Word where He is revealed, and the prayer of faith is always rooted in Scriptures that reveals to us God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we continually build on this faith by saturating ourselves with God’s Word. As Jesus say in John 15:7-8(ESV) “7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  8By this our Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.“ Our Worship Services are full of God’s Word that helps us to know Him and to build a relationship with him so that we can pray those Prayers of faith that bring glory to Him.

 

Adoration

 

Faith in God just naturally leads to our adoration. So prayer without adoration is incomplete and just doesn’t work. Through adoration we express our genuine love and longing for God. This is done through our praise and worship and many of our song and psalms express these thoughts of adoration as we focus on God’s greatness and what He has done for us.

 

Confession

 

Confession needs to be a vital part of our prayer life. Un-confessed sin can break our communion with God. Confession than carries with it the acknowledgement that we stand guilty before God’s justice and it is only through Jesus and what he has done that we have been declare righteous before our God. We can only develop a deep intimacy with the Lord through prayer when we confess our need for forgiveness and seek His pardon. It is summed up by John this way in 1 John 1:8-10(ESV) 8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  10If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Each week we have our confessions somewhere during our Worship Service, and these help us to draw closer to God.