God invites us to come to Him in prayer anytime. So why don’t we pray more often? Consider how much time we spend on social media each day. We claim we’re too busy to pray, but the reality is, we make time for what truly matters to us.
In his message, The Refreshing Power of Prayer, Pastor Greg Laurie says there’s no excuse for not praying. The Bible says in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Align Our Will With God
The objective of prayer is not to get God to do what we want Him to do. It’s to align our will with His will. Jesus says in John 15, If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask for what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
‘We immediately gravitate toward that latter part of the verse,’ says Greg. ‘But we can’t forget the condition. Jesus says we must maintain a living communion with Him and His word.’
When we study and memorise scripture, and truly understand the message of the Bible, our desires will naturally change, leading to changes in our prayers as well.
‘All prayers are effectively answered,’ says Greg. ‘Sometimes God says no. Sometimes God says slow. Sometimes God says go. If the request is wrong, God says no. If the timing is wrong, God says, slow. If you are wrong, God says grow. But if the request is right and the timing is right and you are right, God says, go.’
God Sees the Big Picture
Greg believes if God has said no to our prayer requests recently, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It actually could be a good thing, because God sees the bigger picture.
‘God is never too busy or preoccupied to take time for us,’ says Greg. ‘Never. If it concerns you, it concerns Him.’
Prayer plays such an important part in our lives, in our times of crisis, in our times of loneliness or despair, and in times of sorrow. But prayer is also the way that we come to the Lord for His forgiveness.
‘Isn’t it amazing to think that God cares about us? Our Creator God cares about the things that concern us.’
Listen to Greg’s full message below:
