IS GOD CALLING YOU TO PRAY?

As the woman began to pray I peeked out of the corner of my eye to watch her.  I was in awe.  I had never heard anyone pray so powerfully.  Her words came smoothly and with confidence.  She didn’t hesitate or stumble as the words flowed from her with heartfelt eloquence.   For the first time I understood the meaning of the word anointed.  Surely her words were soaring directly to Heaven, and God, alert on His throne, must have turned His face toward her and listened intently, determining at that moment to grant all her requests.

This was my first exposure to one of God’s prayer warriors and I determined right then and there that I wanted that same power and anointing in my life.  This became my goal and over the next several years I put into action a plan to become better at praying.  I knew my main challenges would be disciplining myself to spend time with God in prayer on a daily basis, and also gaining the courage to open my mouth and pray in front of others, the thought of which brought great fear and insecurity.

Once I began to perceive His voice and acknowledge my desire to spend more time with Him, God then opened doors of opportunity for me by bringing me in contact with other Christians who had already developed a strong prayer life.  My discovery of learning how to pray by putting specific actions into place taught me that God does not leave us floundering around on our own.  He comes alongside of us to grow and bless us.

In the book of Exodus, chapters 3 and 4, God demonstrates His power and His blessings in Moses.  God had called Moses to deliver the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.  God instructed Moses to go to Egypt and confront the King and command him to let the Israelites go.  However, Moses was fearful and said to the Lord, “Master, please, I don’t talk well. I’ve never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer.”   God said, “And who do you think made the human mouth? And who makes some mute, some deaf, some sighted, some blind? Isn’t it I, God? So, get going. I’ll be right there with you—with your mouth! I’ll be right there to teach you what to say.”  Ex. 4:10-12 (Message version).  We have this same power of God to help us overcome our own fears!

The first time I overcame my fear and prayed in public I was elated.  I had finally done it!  I was obedient.  I had risked my perceived embarrassment.  I stuttered out my words and lost my train of thought, yet I had gotten my simple prayer out, and instead of ridicule, I was filled with unspeakable joy as Jesus filled my heart and whispered, “Well done my child.”

As I became more committed to praying, the impact of consistent prayer in my life and my prayers for others became increasingly powerful.  In Colossians 4:2 God tells us to devote ourselves to prayer, yet many of us struggle to spend even five minutes a day in prayer.

How do you know if God is calling you to pray?   Do you desire to spend more time with God?  Do you desire to know Him better?  Do you find yourself praying more often for others in your quiet times?  Maybe you pray for them in silence, without them knowing, but you long to have the boldness to pray out loud for others who are hurting when you’re with them and not when you’ve left church and are praying in your car by yourself.  Maybe you’re noticing a certain man or woman in your church who is a prayer warrior – their prayers always sound like they’re right from the mouth of God.  They have power, passion, the words flow together perfectly, and you desire to be like them.

If you have the desire, God will grow you and mature you and teach you how to pray.  But you have to take action and take that first step.  Then God will give you the boldness you need to step out in faith that first time and pray out loud for someone.

Learning to pray is a process just like anything else.  It’s like learning a second language, or how to use the new phone system at work, or how to drive a car for the first time.  God is full of grace and love; He’s a gentleman.  He’s not just going to throw you out there and command you to stand up in front of your entire church of 2000 and give the opening prayer.  He will gently guide you and open new doors of opportunity.  He’ll teach you by example, by putting you with other Christians who are prayer warriors.  He’ll lead you to books on prayer to teach you how and when, and what to pray.

Your part is to develop a more intimate relationship with God by spending personal time in daily prayer.  Begin to read His word daily and even pray the Word out loud.  You’ve probably heard the old saying “Practice makes Perfect.”  Practice praying out loud when you’re alone.

There is no right or wrong way to pray.  Your prayers do not need to be formal or fancy or in a particular order.  Just begin a conversation with God, your Father.  Prayer can be simply saying Thank You Lord for this day.  Your faithfulness in praying every day will allow God to reveal greater insight to you about Him and your life.  Remember, when you pray in Jesus’ name – prayer is power!

God has given each of us the power to hear Him speak and see Him work in our life. We need only give of ourselves.  Is God Calling You To Pray?      

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer!”  Romans 12:12.