This two-part series about the power of prayer is written in preparation for Grandparents’ Day of Prayer, held the Sunday after Labor Day.

 In last week’s blog, we talked about:

• the importance of inviting the Holy Spirit to guide our prayers,
• delighting in the Lord, and
• developing a daily habit of confession and repentance.

Today, we are going to discuss three more ways to strengthen our prayer life and thereby discover the power of prayer.

Ask Specifically

Have you ever heard someone say: “I don’t want to bother God with my problems: after all, He is handling much bigger issues.” OR “I’ll pray for others, but I won’t pray for myself.” These statements are not Scriptural; in fact, they are often couched in a false humility. 

God wants us to ask, because He wants us to depend on Him. 

Do you remember the story of Blind Bartimaeus? He is huddled on the side of the road, begging, when he receives word that Jesus is coming. He begins to holler, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,” (Luke 18:38).

Jesus commands the crowd to help the man to his feet. “‘What do you want me to do for you?’” (Luke 18:41a).

“‘Lord, I want to see,’” (Luke 18:41b).

When we look at his interaction with the blind beggar, we learn a great deal about Jesus’ attitude toward our asking. Instead of silencing the beggar, Jesus inquires, “‘What do you want me to do for you?’” (Luke 18:41a).

Our LORD asks us the same question. He isn’t interested in vague generalities. He wants us to talk candidly with him about the things causing us concern or giving us angst. For example, he wants to know if we’re concerned about our grandson’s ADHD or the crowd with whom our granddaughter runs. He wants to wipe away our tears when we cry about our son-in-law’s extra-marital affairs or our daughter’s opioid addiction. He wants to provide for us when we don’t know how we’re going to pay next month’s electric bill, much less raise the four grandchildren who have been entrusted to our care. And he longs to comfort us when the diagnosis isn’t what we expected.

The Lord also wants to share in our wildest hopes and dreams—to discuss our desire to change careers, take a writing course, start a Bible study, retire early, or hike the Appalachian Trail.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Asking is the rule of the kingdom.”

Ask Persistently

Our LORD also wants us to ask persistently. In Luke 11, we notice that after Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord’s Prayer, He tells the parable of the “Friend at Midnight,” which is a lesson about persistent asking. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. Next, he says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9, NIV). 

ASK, SEEK, KNOCK… each of these verbs is a command or imperative sentence. Jesus purposely uses the present imperative. This verb tense means, “Don’t stop. Keep on asking.”

Give Thanks for God’s Answer to Our Prayers (Even When It Hurts)

Many of us have already or will experience hardships and life-changing events that are capable of causing us to doubt God’s goodness and question his sovereignty. We must remember that our Lord isn’t a magic genie. Nor is He a vending machine that spits out our desires if we plug in the right prayer. 

Sometimes God answers yes; sometimes He answers wait; and sometimes He answers no.

Let’s be honest. We tend to celebrate when the Lord answers yes to our requests. We announce our answered prayers in church, write them in our prayer journals, text them on our cell phones, post them on Facebook, tweet them on Twitter, and share them with anyone who will listen…as we should. But what about the times when he doesn’t answer our prayers in the way we hope? Do we pray persistently when He says wait?  Do we share about how He carried us when His no broke our hearts?

If we believe (or if we teach our children and grandchildren to believe) that God is a vending machine by which we receive what we want when we plug in the right prayer, then we are setting ourselves up for a faith crisis. God is sovereign, and He is good. All the time.

Closing

We hope the suggestions in this two-part series about prayer have been a source of blessing and encouragement for you.

For more information about Grandparents’ Day of Prayer, please visit our website at Home – Christian Grandparenting Network

Scripture references are in New International Version (NIV).