I may be only just beginning to understand the confidence I need in prayer. I have known the Lord Jesus now for almost forty years and prayer has always been a constant in my life. But what does it mean to pray with confidence and believe The Lord will do what we ask?
The starting point for me in prayer is actually praise. In most instances of prayer for me, I always begin with adoration to my Heavenly Father. I just begin to thank Him for His mercy, His unending love, and His immeasurable grace. I could not walk this path of life without any of these significant characteristics of Him. I thank Him for the death He suffered on the cross…for me…for you! I lift my hands to Him and thank Him for always standing at my side, being my best friend, and blessing me and my family. He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, mighty, majestic, a radiant light in my life…and I tell Him ALL these things and more before I ask for one thing in my time of prayer.
“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 us—whatever we ask—
we know that we have what we asked of him.”
I John 5:14-15
And then…I ask him… usually for others needs first and then my own. I ask without hesitation with full belief at the time of asking that He WILL DO what I have asked. In addition, I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me with a good measure of confidence, without question, to know God hears my prayers and will answer.
I end my prayer the same way as I began…with praise and adoration to a good, good Father. I thank Him for his open ear to listen to me. I thank Him in advance for answered prayer petitioned before Him. I praise Him for being ALL powerful, ALL knowing God who never leaves nor forsakes us. You can never go wrong with praise unto The Lord.
The hardest part seems to come after the “Amen” is spoken. The doubt creeps in like gloomy clouds before the storm. You begin to question if what you asked for is possible or could it really happen. Sometimes we even question our own boldness to make such a request to our sovereign Lord. Each time these Satan provoked thoughts of uncertainty come to mind, we must take them captive through, once again, the power of praise!
“We demolish arguments and every pretension
that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,
and we take captive every thought
to make it obedient to Christ.”
II Corinthians 10:5
When those thoughts of doubt begin to swarm my brain like bees on honey, I put my smoke screen up with the power of praise! Just as the bees calm themselves with the presence of smoke, so too does the negativity dissipate from my mind and His presence takes hold once again! Praise equals power!
