Taking a Hard Look at My Prayer Life

It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard; wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left. 2 Kings 19:4

Does prayer really make a difference? Look at this verse and see the challenge that lies before us to lift up our prayers on behalf of others! I compare this verse to Ezekiel 22:30 & 31 where God says He looked for someone to intercede in prayer on behalf of His nation so He would not destroy them but He found no one. The result was destruction instead of deliverance. How different the story would have been had someone stood in that gap and lifted up their prayers for God’s mercy.

Hezekiah took the challenge and the results were incredible! He went to God with acknowledgement of who God is and what He had done, acknowledgement of who his enemy was and what he had done, and then got very specific as to what he wanted God to do on their behalf. The result was that God sent an angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and thwarted their plans to attack His people! Did prayer make a difference? You bet it did!

My own prayer life is being challenged this morning. I am asking myself some questions that are uncomfortable but necessary to answer. Do I pray for myself and others believing it will make a difference? Does the idea that God is sovereign cause me to think it is useless to pray because God is going to do what He wants anyway? Do I come to God with expectancy, boldness, and confidence? Do I take the challenge to pray seriously? Do I spend more time thinking about the need to pray instead of actually praying? Has my prayer life been reduced to such general phrases that are so hazy that I am not only unsure of what it is I really want God to do but can’t begin to know how they have been answered?

None of these questions are coming to my mind as condemnation but rather as a realization that God wants me to have an effective prayer life. He wants me to interact with Him and see how my prayers can move Him to act in mighty ways on behalf of myself and others. It is time for a change!

Father, my prayer life needs a radical over haul! I see the problem and I turn to You for help in this area of my life. Amen.