Let’s Pray Part 1

Daniel 2:17-18 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
 
THE only way Daniel could know and interpret the king’s dream would be to hear from God. Evil is threatening God’s people in Babylon. It’s time to fervently pray – to plead for God’s mercy.
    Do you trust prayer? Or do you wonder, “Does God hear me? Do I really know how to pray? Why do my prayers seem like a one-way conversation with God?”
    Much has been written about prayer because it is so essential in the Bible. We see it first in Genesis 4:26 At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord. We see prayer in the praises of Revelation 19:5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”
    Jesus taught us a model prayer to know a pattern of prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 "This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Yes, God’s Word reveals prayer is vital in our relationship with him. And there are some essentials to effective prayer. Let’s look at four; the first is below and three are in the next lesson.
    First, you pray faithfully in your heart knowing God is listening. Jesus taught: “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). Jesus does not promise you will always get what you want. His promise is that the Triune God is listening and will answer your prayers in union with God’s desires. This is one reason we pray, “Our Father in heaven.” Effective prayer is to address a personal God, who is listening to you. When you speak to someone who is intently listening to you, you are confident in their response. Trust God hears; trust he will respond in his will.
   
1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually