As mortals, we are not always able to fend for ourselves. Predicated on our insufficiency, we need external support. God therefore said in Psalms 50: 15, Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. We depend on the grace of God to provide for our inadequacy. Paul quoted what Jesus told him in 2Corinthians 12: 9, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. This promise goes for everyone who truly accepts God from the heart. The question then is, when can we call God and under what circumstances?
When we are ready to vacate sin
Although Joel 2: 32 says everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved, there are ways to make our call on God more effective. Proverbs 15: 29 says The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. James 5: 16 says the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. We must therefore strive to attain righteousness to effectuate our prayers to God. Isaiah 59: 1-2 say See, the LORD’s hand is not too short to save, or his ear too dull to hear. Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God; and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. Let not sin be a barrier to our call on God.
When we are ready to thank God
An effective prayer is also conditioned upon supplication and thanksgiving to God. Philippians 4: 6 says Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. Prayer must not be an instruction to God but a humble petition to the Most High God. No one can instruct God. Isaiah 40: 13 says Who has directed the spirit of the LORD, or as his counselor has instructed him? We must always give thanks in prayer, whether sweet or bitter, good or bad. God made it so for his purpose and for his glory. The fact of knowing God through Christ Jesus should make us pray with thanks unconditionally.
When we acknowledge the Spirit
We must pray in the spirit and by the Holy Spirit. Rather, we pride in empty words devoid of the Holy Spirit. Jude 1: 20 says but you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote in Romans 8: 26-27 for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that the very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Words of mortals are not adequate for prayers. The Holy Spirit is the spiritual vehicle for our effective prayers.
When we have faith in God
We must call on God in faith for our prayers to be fruitful. Hebrews 11: 6 says and without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Answers to our prayers are usually predicated on our faith and belief. We also read from James 2: 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. With a little faith as a mustard seed, we can move mountains, Matthew 17: 20; Luke 17: 6. Faith is pivotal to our calls on God. James 1: 7 says for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Do we have faith in God?
When we are humble in the Lord
The Lord hears the prayers of the humble in the heart. Arrogance does not sit well with God. Philippians 2: 6 says although he (Jesus) was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited. God said in 2Chronicles 7: 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. God demands humility from us. He said in Psalms 101: 5 A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate. David said in Psalms 51: 17 a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. The Lord revives the spirit of the humble, and the heart of the contrite, Isaiah 57: 15. Are we humble and revived in heart before God?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, mercifully make us effective in prayer. Graciously remove every obstacle to our prayer and hear us when we call on you. Prepare our hearts to be in tune with your Holy Spirit in accordance with your purpose for our lives. May our calls to you be your delight, we humbly beseech you in prayer. We pray in your holy name, Amen!!
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