Hitting The Target Series

If a soldier fails to aim correctly at his target and misses it, it’s unwise to conclude that his weapon does not work. Other soldiers can make use of that same weapon and hit the target perfectly well. The weapon needs no revision in its manufacture but the soldier has to be trained on its effective use. Many people have prayed to God (or they think that they have prayed when they have not) a their prayers where not answered in the ways which they expected. Some of them ended up concluding that praying does not work and either downgraded their prayer life or completely stopped praying altogether.

It’s not true that prayer doesn’t work, it’s actually one of the powerful spiritual weapons we have as children of The Most High God. The reason why many think that prayer does not work could be the fact that they didn’t pray correctly. Just like a physical weapon which needs some sort of skill in hitting your target, prayer needs some skill for it to work best. In this chapter we shall learn about some of the ways which can make our prayers effective. The disciples at one occasion asked Jesus to teach them how to pray as John had also taught his disciples (Luke 11:1). To this request Jesus did not say, just pray in whatever way you feel like but He actually took time to teach them how to pray, meaning prayer is something which can be taught or learnt. The points outlined in this chapter are not exhaustive but are meant to cover the major aspects relating to effective prayer.

Relationship with God

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” Matthew 6:9

Jesus as He taught His disciples on how to offer prayers, He taught them to address God as their Father. It’s not just a matter of calling God Our Father but there has to be a Father-Child relationship and it comes about if we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour (John 1:12). Take note, we pray to Our Father in Heaven, not any other father. Even if there is a religious person who gives himself the title ‘father’, we are not to pray to him but to Our Father in heaven.

Christ once asked: “what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).

Earthly fathers, though being evil they give good gifts to their children. What causes them to give these good things is the relationship which exists between them and their children. God, Who is good can do more than that to His children. Accordingly, we need to consider if we are His children, otherwise we will not enjoy the full benefits of the privilege of prayer.

In the name of Jesus

“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:14

Prayers are to be made in the name of Jesus. This doesn’t just mean the simple mention of the name Jesus at the start or end of your prayers, no, it goes beyond that. We must pray in harmony with the character of Christ, in line with what Jesus stands for. You can’t pray for God to protect you so that you don’t get caught when you go out to steal and expect Him to answer that that prayer just because you concluded it with the words ‘in the name of Jesus, amen’. That is presumption, expecting God’s blessing yet going against His word. So the next time you pray, yes mention the name of Jesus in your prayer but the prayer itself must not contradict what Jesus stands for.

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).

Jesus is the ONE AND ONLY mediator who links us to the Father, there is no one else besides Him. John 14:6 tells us that Jesus is the Way (not one of the ways, but the way), we only go to The Father via Jesus. Given those scriptures, we must all the times pray in the name of Jesus, not in the name of people here on earth no matter how powerful they have been used by God. You cannot pray in the name of your pastor, prophet, apostle, no matter how well you might think of him or her. Someone can pray for you, you can also pray for other people but that doesn’t take out Jesus’ role as the Mediator, He remains the only way to the Father. Even Biblical characters cannot mediate between you and God, not even Mary the mother of Jesus, nor Elijah, Abraham or even Angels. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ only not in the name of people or angels.