The Struggle for Prayer

”The Struggle for Prayer”

Ephesians 6:12-19

Third in the Series on Prayer—Oswald Chambers

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”

            Do you struggle with praying every day and what to say when you pray? Maybe we need to understand what prayer is. It is the redemption of God, the suffering of Jesus what makes our salvation so easy and prayer so simple. It is the ability of sharing our thoughts and emotions, our concerns for others and for ourselves with God, knowing that He hears and answers. The cost of prayer to us is nothing but to God it is priceless—Jesus died and rose again so that we can be in right relationship with God—if we so choose!

But we struggle with prayer and what to do and say or even with why we do it. We pray because we need to be strengthened in our ministry as we reach out to others in Jesus’ name. We pray because we need to know that we are not alone in whatever it is we face. We pray because we are renewed in the knowledge that what we face Someone else faced it first ad we follow his example to pray..

Paul in writing to the Christians at Ephesus described the need for prayer in one’s life by readying a soldier for battle. Although we do not face battles and wars in this time the illustration Paul describes helps us to ready and renew ourselves as we prepare to do what God wants us to do. And if we struggle in prayer it is because the evil one is gaining ground on us and others who do not draw close to Christ.

 But if we stand ready and equipped to move forward and share our prayers for others and for ourselves we will be able to share with God our whole lives.

Paul describes the Armour of God:

-girded your waist with Truth- active sensible work; -breastplate of Righteousness- being in right relationship with other people and their interests; - shield of Faith- unbreakable confidence in the personality of God; - sword of the Spirit- know God’s words and follow it on daily basis.

If you are struggling and do not know what to do about praying to God… Ready yourselves—ask for God’s help—to have truth, live rightly, have faith and read and learn God’s Word for us now. God will enable you to overcome these struggles and God will call you to a new way of living—first and foremost for Christ Jesus and in the loving way he taught.

            Are you struggling with prayer? Put on the armour of God and ready yourself through faith and talk openly and freely to God. He will answer

Quotes from  Oswald Chambers “If You Will Ask: ch 3 The Struggle for Prayer”

PRAYER

O God to praise you aright is a great desire of mine, created and fostered by your Spirit and grace. Today O God I praise you for all the past  so wayward on my part, so wonderful and gracious and long-suffering and forgiving and tender and inspiring on yours. I humbly pray to you. Amen.

 BLOG QUESTION:

Does the image of the armour of God help or hinder you as you ready yourself and develop a deeper prayer life? Paul’s audience in Ephesus knew that one needed to prepare for battle in order to survive and so they could relate to battleground armour. How do you ready yourself? Some people might light a candle, have a journal and pen ready, put on low volume music, read a scripture passage,  read the headlines of the newspaper and then stop and focus on God and then pray whatever comes to heart and mind.

What do you do to ready yourself to come before God in prayer?