It goes without saying that if you are a Christian a good part of your life consists of prayer. Prayer can be brief, such as “God please help me.” Or it can be lengthy. God never set limits on the length of prayer. However we see through His son Jesus Christ that Prayer had a model that could be followed preceded by some important instructions given on the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:5

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have in our life. It is a spiritual connection that puts us in God’s presence on a spiritual level. When done with the instructions given by Jesus it becomes the basis for a direct and intimate relationship with the Father much like the one He had with Him.

Many people feel they need to be seen with prayer, or that the louder or more intent they are in public or around others the more they will likely be answered.

In the same issue in places like the United Kingdom They banned prayer in certain locations such as abortion clinics to limit free speech and expression. People are arrested when they violate these laws even when they have pure motives.

Understand that private prayer is not only an intimate relationship but by Jesus’s word it is a commanded way to do it. He also follows it with the most intimate statement that He knows our needs before we even ask. This shows us that He is already in that relationship and is just waiting for us to hold up our end of it.

So when we pray, especially for others and especially in spontaneous prayer remember that you can be a thousand miles away from the problem but as long as you follow biblical obedience the best you can you know that God will hear them and act on them according to His will.

In Christ always,    

Steve Koenig

Lakeshore Fellowship