Prayer First
In my walk with Christ, I have learned that prayer should always come before action. Christians too often come up with great ideas, but they are not what God is genuinely wanting from them. We get caught up in the doing of God’s work and forget to ask Him first what He would have us do. I am guilty of this and have learned that if I want God’s blessing in His work, it must be in His will.
In Scripture, we can read verse after verse which directs us to prayer. Although we can’t list them all here, I want to take a moment and focus on just a few.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).
This is possibly the most well-known verse regarding prayer. It specifically tells us when to pray and what to pray about. It is a simple request by God. We are to pray about everything! There is nothing off-limits to God. This includes the injustice of our world.
“He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea” (Psalm 102:17).
Throughout the Psalms, we are reminded that God is in control and our faith should never falter. This specific verse speaks of how prayers will be heard from all peoples. God will not turn his back on His people. He will also welcome new members into His kingdom regardless of the time. God has a perfect response to all our prayers.
“Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).
Jesus is speaking to Peter in this verse. His words are a promise that whatever we ask in prayer, it will be given.
These three verses are important in our discussion because they tell us that prayer is the direct line of communication with God. They speak to us of the promise that if we pray and lay our cares before the throne, they will be taken care of. God will speak through the Holy Spirit and answer our prayers.
It is important to pray before we do anything. As we focus on the injustice of our world, we must remember the direction God gave us regarding our actions and words. We are to be slow to anger and to speak. That is why we should pray first. Getting on our knees before we take action is crucial to the effectiveness of our efforts. Without His blessing, we cannot do anything to grow His kingdom or show His love.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Ben White