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Transcript:
Hello, welcome to Walking in Step with God. I am Steve McDonald. Today we explore the topic “Pray” as we kick off a brand new series “Grow Deeper in Faith”. In this series, we will explore many opportunities we have to grow in our faith. We will learn how faith can transform our lives. We will learn how faith helps us to create a foundation of trust with our Creator. We will discover how faith can be at the forefront of our minds and our hearts, instead of being an afterthought.
As the first step of our journey, let us explore 3 ways that we can use prayer to grow deeper in faith. Prayer plays such an important role in our lives and our walk with God. Prayer is not just an opportunity to speak with God, it is an opportunity for us to demonstrate to ourselves and others our trust in God. There are many ways that prayer can be integrated into our lives. We can pray when we are awake or just before we go to sleep. We can pray before we eat. We can pray before we travel or ahead of some major event in our lives. We can pray many times throughout the day to stay in constant contact with God.
Most of us take time to intentionally pray while kneeling in a posture of reverence and honoring God, clasping our hands together and closing our eyes as we speak aloud or just in our minds. Let us remember, however, that we can pray at any time and any place. We can pray as we are walking down the street, riding a bike, or driving our car by simply speaking to God in our minds even as our eyes and ears are engaged and alert to our surroundings. We can pray as we work or pray as we study. We can even pray as we rest. God hears your prayers whenever and however you choose, so let us keep prayer in the forefront of our minds as the way we stay connected to our heavenly Father.
Now that we have established all of the situations and circumstances in which we can pray, let us turn to the ways that prayer can be used to strengthen and grow deeper in our faith.
Before we start, why don’t we take a quick break? I will be right back.
Welcome back. Let’s continue discussing 3 ways that prayer can be used to grow deeper in our faith.
#1 Pray to give thanks
I want to start today with one of the most important reasons I believe we should pray. Giving thanks to God is one of the most important aspects of our faith. We are communicating to God our gratitude for all that He provides. Prayer to give thanks strengthens our faith because giving thanks helps to ensure our relationship with God is not just asking to receive but is also one of giving.
As we walk through the world and find ourselves in awe of nature and creation, let us pray and give thanks. As we reflect on our current circumstances, let us give thanks for all of the ways He provides.
Has God protected you and kept you safe? Has He provided you with signs? Has God provided you with what you need to have food and shelter? These are just a handful of the reasons why we should pray to give thanks to God every day.
Even if you are someone who feels there are elements of your life that are filled with struggle or suffering, there is still a reason to give thanks to God. Even in the midst of suffering, God hears your prayers and is with you. Thank God for providing you with what you need and ask for His leading through your situation. Stay encouraged, God knows your circumstances.
Let us all find the time and space to pray to give thanks to God each day.
#2 Pray for your petitions before God
The most popular type of prayer is one for your petitions before God. God truly seeks the desires of our hearts. He seeks to know our needs as well as our wants. He seeks to know our hopes and our dreams. He seeks to know our desires for the present as well as those for the future.
Prayers for our petitions strengthen our faith because we can know in our hearts that we can trust God with the desires of our hearts. We can have faith and trust in God, knowing that He knows what we have brought to His attention and why.
Prayers for our petitions should be anything that is on our hearts and minds, however, I always say that our prayers should be done while -also- seeking out His will, which leads us to our last point in this message.
#3 Pray for guidance
Praying for guidance, I believe, is a fundamental prayer we should have in our day-to-day communication with God. I truly believe that God’s will is something that we should all seek in our lives.
If we agree that God knows so much more than we possibly could about our lives, our circumstances, and the desires of our hearts, then we should be willing to yield to what God knows is best.
If I have to make a decision that will have lasting effects over days, months, or even years, I know that God knows the outcomes or consequences of each decision. I have learned over the years to trust God to be a light to my path as I walk through life. No longer do I make decisions without bringing choices for a decision before God in prayer.
For me, praying for guidance means preparing my best to pursue an idea or making a decision, but walking forward with the expectation for God to course-correct me on my path to what He knows is best. Notice I said walking -forward with expectation- for God to make adjustments in my path, versus being still and waiting for God to light up a path.
I believe God desires us to trust in Him in every aspect of our lives and being still when making a decision is based on fear. Fear of making the wrong choice. Fear of failing. We need not fear when we walk with God. Of course, God expects us to use wisdom and discernment, so we should do our homework before making a decision. Praying for guidance, and expecting that guidance as we move forward strengthens our faith because it demonstrates to God our reliance upon Him and our trust in Him with every step we take.
Wrap Up
In today’s message, we discussed 3 ways that prayer can strengthen and deepen our faith. We learned the importance of giving thanks to God. Giving thanks to God strengthens our faith and our relationship with Him by ensuring we are giving and not just asking to receive. We discussed the idea of praying to God for the desires of our hearts while keeping in mind the importance of seeking out His will amid our requests. Lastly, we learned the importance of praying for guidance. God does desire for us to use wisdom and discernment and make decisions, however, it is also important to ask for His guidance as we walk forward in our plans. Let us learn how to move forward in our plans with the expectation of His intervention to keep us aligned with the plans He knows are best.
Are you interested in discovering more about the guidance offered in this message? Learn more in the companion article Going Deeper with the Word: Pray
