Philippians 4:6
Do no be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Mark 11:24
Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
John 16:23
I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.
James 5:15-16
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Throughout the Bible, we’ve seen the power of prayer. We see that Moses desired to set his people free from the Egyptians and God proved himself faithful (Exodus 6-14). We see that Hannah prayed for a child and God proved himself faithful (1 Samuel 1-2). We see that Esther wanted freedom for her people and God proved himself faithful (Esther 2-8). I could go on and on. Because God answers us through prayer, there’s importance in praying boldly. We must pray with conviction and expectation that God will show up. One of the biggest examples of praying boldly is in the book of Daniel. Because of his faith in God, Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions. Could you imagine being in a pit of hungry lions and have no way out? I would have freaked out. So what did Daniel do? He prayed boldly (Daniel 6-9). Talk about faith in the Lord! He prayed boldly, knowing that God would bring him out of the pit. And God did!
So, why don’t we pray boldly? Maybe we’re afraid it won’t be answered. Maybe we don’t know what to pray for. I encourage you to examine your prayer life and see how you’re praying and what you’re praying for. I’ve found that as I’ve been learning to pray with conviction, I see God show up more. I see him answer requests with clarity and promise. It’s been such an excitement to be in a prayerful relationship with Christ like I haven’t before. Commit to praying intentionally and with expectation that God will do what he says he will do.
Author: Nicole Presley