When the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), it was because they truly wanted to learn to pray in a way that pleased him. Likewise, many Christians today would love to be faithful in prayer — but they don’t know how. Because they simply do not grasp the vital purpose of prayer, they do not maintain a meaningful life of prayer.
Unbelief grieves the heart of God more than any other sin. We Christians cry out against the sins of the flesh but God is concerned with the sins of the heart — doubting his Word or questioning his faithfulness. The real issues of life and death have more to do with how a person thinks than what he does.
“Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught” (Proverbs 3:25-26).
Many people today are asking questions that have no definite answer. Will there be a depression soon? Are we facing a great economic storm that many ministers and economists have been warning of?
God gave Moses a frightening directive: “Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ And I will send My Angel before you . . . for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people” (Exodus 33:1-3).
The prophet Daniel foresaw a last-days company that possessed wisdom and discernment in the things of God — a purified, tested remnant that would understand his Word. “Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10).
Prayer is the secret to spiritual growth, but if we go to the throne only for our personal edification and needs, we are being selfish. The Bible shows us that we cannot neglect to pray seriously for the needs of those around us and gives us examples of “helpful prayers” (see 2 Corinthians 1:11).
Every pastor, preacher and evangelist needs helpers in prayer who will intercede for them continually. I have been carried in prayer by faithful servants.
Scripture says that when Peter was bound in jail, "Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church" (Acts 12:5). God delivered Peter with a miracle through helping prayers.
Some Bible teachers claim we are walking in unbelief if we ask God for the same thing over and over. That is heresy! God commands us to ask, seek, knock — to cry out in effectual, earnest supplication (see Matthew 7:7-8). From the very beginning, true servants have turned God's promises into prayers:
In the Psalms, David extols God’s greatness in blessing those who trust him.
"Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues" (Psalm 31:19-20).
The Psalmist David reminds us of God's greatness even in the midst of overwhelming floods. Our current floods may have raised their voices loudly, but God rules over all of nature. He alone is in control.
David voices the pleas of those being overwhelmed by floods in their soul: "Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying: my throat is dry: my eyes fail while I wait for my God" (Psalm 69:1–3).