(by pastor Norman)

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7; NJKV). What a wonderful promise! To pray is to bring our requests earnestly to God, prayer was a central commitment for the early church (Acts 2:42). We are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:16; NKJV), constantly (Rom 12:12), remembering also to give thanks to God for answering our prayers (Col 4:2). Our personal prayer needs to be in private, just us and God (Matt 6:6). In the gospel of Matthew Jesus gave us a basic, framework for prayer it includes praise and worship, requesting that God the Father’s will be done on earth, that He would meet our personal needs, protect us from evil, forgive us and enable us to forgive (Matt 6:9-13). We can base our prayers on the Lord’s prayer but Matthew urged us to avoid long repetitious prayers (Matt 6:7). We pray to our Father in Jesus’ name (John 14:13). Our prayers must line up with God’s will (1 John 5:14) which we can find in His word (John 17:17; 8:31,32) then we can be assured that he hears us and will answer our requests (1 John 5:14-15). Finally, we must pray in faith! (Mark 11:24). James, the brother of Jesus, warns us that doubts will negate our prayers (James 1:6-8). Remember we can build up our faith by time in the word! (Rom 10:17). Let’s pray!