Prayer is powerful. Being faithful and steadfast in prayer can get you to your goals in life in unimaginable ways. It is powerful because it puts you in direct communication with God Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Building faithfulness in our prayer life helps us get powerful results. And our loving heavenly Father has given us the ability to both pray in the spirit and pray with our understanding. God’s Word tells us to pray in the spirit, which is speaking in tongues, and to pray with our understanding. Both are important; however, we get to choose how we pray and when.
I Corinthians 14:15:
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also….
One type of prayer is speaking in tongues, and it is available for anyone who is born again (Romans 10:9,10). Speaking in tongues is primarily for our private prayer life. When we pray by speaking in tongues, we are worshipping God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). We give thanks well (I Corinthians 14:17). We pray perfectly (Romans 8:26,27). And there are many more benefits.
In the Book of Ephesians, Paul addresses praying in, or by way of, the spirit.
Ephesians 6:18:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in [by way of] the Spirit [the gift of holy spirit in manifestation, which is speaking in tongues], and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
We can be steadfast in our prayers by speaking in tongues. What a blessing and benefit to have this kind of prayer available to us.
Another type of prayer is to pray with our understanding. Praying with our understanding is not whimsically saying something to God and wishing it would come to pass. No, prayer with our understanding is a pouring out to God, having regard to His power, and believing that our prayers will come to pass. Praying faithfully with our understanding helps us to change our focus from the problem to God’s solution.
I Peter 5:7:
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Casting means to commit to in confidence, to give up to God. We are God’s beloved children. He wants us to come to Him. Many times, my prayers are filled with deep thankfulness to God for all He has brought to pass in my life. Other times my prayers are the kind where I have a dig-my-heels-in-and-get-to-the-point conversation with God with full expectation that I will get results. And He hears. He always hears. What I am saying is that prayer time with God is personal. Make it count.
Now let’s look at building faithfulness to pray. For the past thirty years I have woken up before the others in my home and gone to a certain chair to pray. The chair doesn’t make me faithful. It’s the action I take going to the chair that makes me faithful.
Building faithfulness is not determined by circumstances, but by making a decision. An easy way to start is to build prayer into your routine, something you know you’re going to do daily. For example, you could put a list of things you want to pray for on your bathroom mirror and pray while you wash your face, brush your teeth, or comb your hair. As you get answers to prayer, update the list and change the position on your mirror. Remember, you are building faithfulness.
You could decide to pray while driving or riding public transit to and from work or while walking from one class to another or one office to another. Another way to build faithfulness is to associate prayer with certain pictures or sounds. For me, a key reminder to pray is when I see a sunrise, a sun on a billboard, or a sunflower. When I hear birds singing, I pray. Choose something that will be your key to pray. This may sound simple, but building faithfulness starts with one day at a time, one thought at a time. As you recognize that you’re getting answers to prayer, you’ll be encouraged to pray more, and your faithfulness will continue.
Colossians 4:2:
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.
One great benefit to being faithful in our prayer life is that it builds believing to receive answers. We will be watching and expecting a response from God—and God is not limited to how He answers. The expectation of getting results promised by God should keep us faithful to pray!
Building faithfulness in our prayer life helps us get powerful results. And our loving heavenly Father has given us the ability to both pray in the spirit and pray with our understanding. The benefits are ours to claim. So pray faithfully, for prayer is powerful.