Encouragements for Prayer

The gracious King invites you to pray. He offers to hear your requests, to draw near to you as you worship him, and to give you access to his throne if you are in Christ. As Christians, we know this – but often fail to take advantage of it. If you feel that your prayer life needs some improvement, here are some powerful encouragements to prayer.

The Whole Trinity Helps Your Prayers

God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – are all involved in your prayers, and aid you in the process of prayer. Just look at what the Bible says:

“In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God” (John 16:26-27). According to Jesus, prayer is heard by God not merely because of Christ’s intercession, but because the Father himself loves us! In other words, the Father loves you and is willing to hear your prayers!

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). The Son is right now making intercession for you!

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). Even though you do know how to pray as you should, the Spirit is helping your prayers, interceding for you!

Everything is Worthy of Prayer

Some time ago, reading John Bunyan’s allegory The Holy War, I came across this fascinating interchange. Emmanuel and Diabolus are negotiating about the fate of Mansoul, and Diabolus has sent his ambassador, Mr. Loth-to-Stoop. Mr. Loth-to-Stoop recommends different situations in which Diabolus would be willing to hand over the city, provided that he has some rights in the city – but Emmanuel refuses to grant him any rights. It must be an unconditional surrender. Finally, Mr. Loth-to-Stoop recommends one other situation in which Diabolus might surrender Mansoul:

“Suppose that, when my master is gone from Mansoul, any that shall yet live in the town should have such business of high concerns to do, that if they be neglected the party shall be undone; and suppose, sir, that nobody can help in that case so well as my master and lord, may not now my master be sent for upon so urgent an occasion as this?”

But the answer that Emmanuel gives to this has stuck with me ever since. This is what God intends for his people, through all of life:

“There can be no case, or thing, or matter fall out in Mansoul, when thy master shall be gone, that may not be solved by my Father; besides, it will be a great disparagement to my Father’s wisdom and skill to admit any from Mansoul to go out to Diabolus for advice, when they are bid before, in everything, by prayer and supplication to let their requests be made known to my Father.”

Just reading that makes me want to pray!

Your Greatest Needs Require Prayer

As a further encouragement to prayer, I recommend that you take a sheet of paper and write, at the top, this question: “What prayers, if answered, would overwhelm me with gratitude?” Then, make a list of your petitions.

When you read through that list, you will recognize how dependent you are on God – and how God is the one who is able to work in your situation. Keeping a list like this is a powerful motivator for prayer.

Finally, Paul’s reminder to the Galatians should be remembered by every Christian who undertakes to pray: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).