I want to use this moment to apologise for my absence, I’ve been very occupied with my final exams. But Thanks be to God they are all over now. I have many exciting projects and plans for the summer and the rest of the year, which I can’t wait to share with you all. Firstly, I would start with a series which are centered around prayers in the bible. I just completed a bible plan which went through fifty major prayers in the bible.  And I have decided to share my favourite ones with you.

WATER PUMP

So, it has been said that Prayer can be compared to an old and worn out water pump. Now why is that?  The water level in a pump that is used frequently is very high, therefore the water pours out instantly. However if the pump has not been used regularly, the water level gets low and a person must pump for a long time before the water finally trickles out. So how do we relate this to our prayers? If we neglect and don’t cultivate a strong prayer  pattern, it would be difficult to recapture the sense of God’s presence. However if we maintain a good habit of daily devotions, there will be an increase in the awareness of God’s presence in our lives. Remember the words of the song we must have sang during our childhood; “Read your bible, pray everyday, pray everyday, pray everyday, read your bible pray everyday, you will grow, grow, grow”. We may not have understood the great message behind this song then, but now I hope you can  tell that digging into God’s word daily and being in constant communication, through prayer, is the key to having a good and Christ-centered life.

Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:8, “in every place of worship, I want men (& women) to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy”. From this we can tell that Paul believed that prayer should be important for a believer. He was aware that from the platform of prayer come the godly actions of witnessing and living right, because he knew that the power of prayer can change people. Therefore Paul said: I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercession and giving of thanks be made for all men. (1 Timothy 2:1) 

UMBRELLA

Genesis 15:1-6 holds the account of the very first prayer, recorded in the bible. As readers we catch a glimpse of Abraham’s faith from this prayer.

Genesis 15:1-6
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. ” But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (‭Genesis‬ ‭15‬:‭1-6‬ NIV)

In the bible plan a story was used to illustrate the involvement of faith in prayer. During a very hot summer, some farmers went to church to pray to God for rain. The dry weather threatened their livelihood. After the service, a little girl asked her father if the farmers really expected it to rain, the father replied saying “Of Course, otherwise we wouldn’t be here”. Then the little girl protested, “But Daddy, how come no one came with an umbrella?”

The sort of faith Abraham had is one that goes beyond human understanding. Abraham was a very old man and he complained to God about not having a heir. Therefore God promised Abraham that he will be blessed with a son, despite his old age Abraham believed. From then on, Abraham was very expectant of the son that God will give him. In essence this is Abraham carrying the umbrella of faith in this first prayer.

Of course there were sometimes when Abraham doubted, nevertheless he lived a life full of faith. What seemed impossible to Abraham became a reality because he believed God. What is that impossible thing that you are praying about? If you want it to become a reality and be possible, you have got to believe in God and pick up your umbrella of faith. One thing we can all take from the life of Abraham is that God ALWAYS honours the faith of his followers. James reminds us: let him ask in faith, with no doubting ( James 1:6) . When we marry our pleas and petitions with faith we will surely give birth to answered prayers. 

The scriptures tell us that:  “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬ NLT) Will God count you as righteous because of your faith? When you pray, you have to believe as well.

As I share with you what I learned from the bible plan I completed, we will discover which prayers God answered and why and hopefully we will discover ways to improve our own prayers and develop a habit of constant prayer. As Christians it is not always easy to pray, reasons range from being occupied with other things to not feeling worthy to talk to God, however prayer is a necessary component in the life of every believer. So I pray that you will be able to gain something valuable from this series. ( A Walk-through the Major Prayers of the bible). Be sure to check my blog regularly so that you don’t miss the posts. Subscribe via email as well so that you can receive an email whenever there is addition to the series.

Stay Blessed,

Dara x

P.S- feel free to send me your prayer requests through this link, No matter how small or big they may seem. 😊