Prayer Works - and the Work of Prayer

In 1 John 5, the writer provides some powerful inspiration for us as we seek to build confidence in our prayer lives:
14Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.15And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

If we are wanting to know the will of God and prayer according to it, I believe these verses allude to the fact that we can know what the will of God is.  I think we can at least head in that direction.   If we want to see into the heart of God and know what pleases Him, we can do that as we immerse ourselves in God's Word - because in those pages are contained the wisdom of the Almighty.  If we want Godly wisdom, we can access it through study of and meditation on God's Word.   And, we always want to make sure that we are properly aligned with Him, desiring His will even when it may not be clear to us.

In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, Jesus is teaching about the topic of prayer, and there are some great principles that we can incorporate into our prayer life to enhance our communication with God:
5"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.7And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.8Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

If there was a plan of action in response to a challenge that over 80% of people found to be at least somewhat effective, you would think there would be a pretty good chance that solution would be put into action.  What's interesting is that a new online survey on prayer from LifeWay Research, in association with popular author Max Lucado, shows that while people generally believe that their prayers are answered most of the time, people do not exercise this incredible option on what I would consider to be a frequent basis.

According to an analysis of the survey, most Americans who pray (83 percent) think at least some of their prayers are answered. That includes one in four who say all their prayers are answered, one in five who say most of their prayers are answered, and more than one in three who say some of their prayers are answered.

But only about half of Americans - 48 percent - say they pray at least every day, while a third (31 percent) say they pray several times a day. Overall, about two-thirds of Americans say they pray at least once a month.

Max Lucado, author of the book Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer, who partnered with LifeWay Research on the prayer survey, says the survey shows that prayer still has widespread appeal in American life. He is quoted as saying, “Prayer is not a privilege just for the pious or an opportunity for a chosen few...Prayer is God’s open invitation to talk: simply, openly and powerfully.”

So what are Americans praying for?  82 percent of those surveyed said that they typically focus on their friends and family, 74 percent say they focus on their own problems. Just over half pray about good things happening in their life, while over a third pray for their future prosperity.

Here's a telling statistic: only about 12 percent of Americans who pray say they pray for government officials, while few (5 percent) pray for celebrities. Among other things people have ever prayed for are parking spots, other people to be fired, or to avoid being caught speeding. Sports teams get prayer cover from just over 1-in-10 of those responding. About one in five Americans who pray say they have prayed to win the lottery.

More than a third of Americans who pray say they have prayed for their enemies, and four in 10 have prayed for people who have mistreated them, which the New Testament instructs people to do. More than a third typically pray for people affected by natural disasters. But only one in five pray for people of other faiths or people of no faith.

So what could this survey indicate for us?   Well, it shows that many believe that they have the ear of heaven, but comparatively few have meaningful communication with the Almighty.   God has granted us access to His throne through Jesus Christ.  And, He invites us to come before Him to present our requests to Him.  This is a powerful practice that seems to be underutilized in our culture today.

Prayer is more than superstition or an act of presumption that God will answer our prayers - He wants us to come before Him in faith, trusting that He will act according to His Word.

More effective prayer comes as we make it a priority in our lives.  Jesus teaches a pattern of prayer in Matthew chapter 6 and He invites us to set aside a place of prayer.  I believe that we can and really should pray "on the run," in the course of our busy lives, but taking time to spend in the presence of the Father and to commune and communicate with Him is an activity with which God is pleased.

And, we pray effectively when the content of our prayers lines up with Biblical instruction.  If we wish to pray according to the will of God, we can look into the Scriptures and find words that indicate what His will is in a situation.  And, if we don't know, I think we can still bring our requests before Him and acknowledge that we are wanting His will in our time of need.  This survey shows that people are praying amiss, like winning the lottery, and not praying according to a Biblical provision, such as interceding for our leaders.  I think that this survey shows that people believe in prayer and have a sense of its power, but for the believer in Christ, prayer - our communication with God - is effective when we in relationship with God the Father and aligned properly with Him, praying in sync with the Holy Spirit, who can direct our prayer lives.