Prayer XIX

In the first article, I wrote on definitions on prayer, when prayer starts and some of the components of prayer. While in the second article I finished my brief exegesis on components of prayer. The third article is centered on those who should pray. The fourth is on some of the reasons why talk (pray) to our heavenly father. The fifth article is on places of prayer while the sixth and seventh centered on occasions that move men to pray unto God. The eight article is on period (time) that men can pray. The ninth article focuses on how we should be praying. In the tenth article I write on a type of prayer, which is the prayer of thanksgiving.

While in the eleventh article I talked about three types of prayers which are, prayer of praise, prayer of worship and prayer of dedication (consecration). In the twelfth article I have talked about the following types of prayer: prayer of supplication, prayer of agreement, corporate prayer, prayer of commitment and prayer of imprecation. And in the thirteenth article I talked about prayer of vengeance, prayer of restoration, prayer of forgiveness, prayer of repentance and silent prayer. Article fourteen focuses on prayer of binding and loosing. In article fifteen I write on the prayer of contemplation. In the sixteenth article I start writing on the intercessory prayer and capped this up with some of the essentials of this prayer in article seventeen.

I started talking about prayer of faith in article eighteen, and in this article, I shall finish those points I said we need to take note of while praying prayer of faith.

It is good to know that this kind of prayer is a prayer between a “prayerist”, the person praying and his or her God. It is like a child who is interacting with his father (parents), we all know that outsiders cannot interact with the child’s parent as the child would interact with the father (parents).

Before Arch-Bishop Benson Idahosa (a Nigeria Televangelist) died, he was making an illustration between a father and his children, and he said when an outsider knocks at his door, he would not see them unless he puts on his dress, but for his children, he does not need to put on his clothes when his children knock at his door to see him.

It is an illustration showing that how parents and children interact differ from how parent would interact with the outsider.

Drawing from this illustration, we know that someone who knows that he has a father would talk to the father passionately, heart to heart on issues that is bothering him or her, expecting the father to reply him like his father.

This person talking to God is someone who knows that he has a God, he is the person who is certain of his presence certain that he is alive, but the person who is not certain of the existence of God could not pray this kind of prayer, for before going to this God he has been defeated in his thought and it is sure that he cannot receive anything form God. (Lk. 7:1-10)

Because the person praying knows that there is a God and he believes that this God can do what he wants from him, that is why he has the audacity to go to the God talking to him and expecting things from him. (Gen. 15:1-3; Jdg 16:28; 1 Sam. 1:11ff; Lk. 11:5-13)

It is because we believe in the word of God that we can pray this kind of prayer. This prayer establishes our confidence in the word of God (2 Sam. 12:16ff)

The confidence we have to pray this kind of prayer shows that we are praying in accordance with the word of God, because we know it is by the word that he establishes the heaven, it is when we pray in accordance with his will that he would answer us. (Mk. 9:18-26)

After knowing the will of God for your life and or on those things that you want to talk to God about, then you will be ready to talk to him about those things. You are ready because before you even go to him you have the assurance that he will answer you because it is in tandem with his will what you want to ask for from him.

The person praying this prayer, knows that he would receive answer to those things that he is talking to God about.

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” (1 Joh 5:14)

It is good to know the will of God on what we are praying about, if we do not know his will, we can get to know his will through his word.

In the next article I shall be talking about hindrances to prayer of faith.

People who would pray this kind of prayer are those who know the will of God, not those who are uncertain about what the will of God is. When a child is uncertain of what his father’s will is concerning something, he would not be bold to approach the father to talk to him about the thing. A believer who wants answers to his prayer must know the will of God on what he wants to pray about.