The most powerful form of prayer is pre-emptive prayer, the sort of prayer we pray ahead of time. Yes, God will show up in a crisis. But how many people treat prayer like a last resort instead of their first point of contact?
Pre-emptive action is always better than remedial action. It’s better not to drink and drive than to be in rehabilitation after a car accident. It’s better to get your diet and exercise sorted out rather than to be on life support in hospital following a heart attack. The same is true about prayer.
Focus on God
On this episode of Christianity Works, Berni Dymet tells us that if we truly want a better life with more peace, power, joy and love, then pre-emptive prayer is what we need. There’s no other way of interpreting what Jesus teaches the disciples.
‘Matthew Chapter 6:6-13,’ says Berni, ‘is a prayer that’s more about God than it is about us. It’s a form of prayer that has the power to change our hearts and transform our lives. To get the focus off us and back on to God. Just stand back from it for a minute and compare that to how you normally pray. It’s a sobering comparison, isn’t it?’
Berni believes that more often than not, prayer is a shopping list of things we want. We might sometimes pray for other people or a country following a natural disaster, but mostly we pray for ourselves. Imagine how different your perspective on life would be if most of your prayer was about God and His will.
The Power of God
‘A person who prays like that,’ says Berni, ‘is the sort of person that can step in at a moments notice and cast that demon out of that boy because they’re filled with the power of God. Their life is surrendered to God, and their heart is aching to see His will down on this earth. Their eyes are open, looking around to see what God is up to and how they can be involved for Him.’
‘Do you see how incredibly different your life can be? God loves you. God loves me. And he wants the best for us. And His very best for us is Jesus.’
Listen to Berni’s full message on Christianity Works below:
