(James 4:3: You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures)

Prayer is one of the most misunderstood subjects but this ought not to be so if we follow God’s prescription for prayer. Our text Scripture in James 4:3 clearly identifies one major reason why some prayers are not answered which is ‘asking wrongly or amiss.’ So, in order to be successful in our prayer life, we need to know what prayer or praying is all about. This is the essence of our lesson today and I pray that your praying life will experience a mighty turn around for the better.
So what is prayer? I will like to share certain things about prayer that will give us a better understanding about praying:

i. Prayer is a means of communicating with God. Thus, prayer is fellowshipping or communing with the Father. This means that prayer is a dialogue and not a monologue. In prayer, you speak, God listens and God speaks and you listen. The word “fellowship” is a very powerful word as it also means partnership, participation, intercourse, contribution, rapport and intimacy. So, prayer is a means of interacting with God. This is how you ought to see prayer if you really want to succeed in your prayer life. It’s not a one-way traffic encounter but a two-way meeting. You need to see prayer as that which grants you access to God and as that which also grants God access into your life (Isaiah 6:7; James 4:8).

ii. You know how to pray by enrolling in the school of prayer. I know people who have come to see me to inquire about how to become a prayer warrior or champion. What I often tell them is to enroll in the school of prayer. You cannot be an expert or authority in something you don’t do often. You don’t know how to pray by wishing or talking about prayer but by actively engaging in the business of prayer. You learn to swim by practice. You learn to drive by practice. The same is also true of prayer. So, it’s time to enroll in the school of prayer. Commit yourself to praying from today and it will amaze you the kind of transformation that God will wrought in your life (Acts 6:4; Matthew 26:36-41).

Major Points for Meditation
-Prayer is a dialogue not a monologue.
-The way to pray is to enroll in the school of prayer.

Other Scriptural References: (Luke 18:1-9; Jeremiah 33:3; Job 22:21; Colossians 4:12; Genesis 3:8-9; Exodus 33:11).

Prayer for Today: Father God, thank you for opening my eyes of understanding as to what prayer is really all about. I embrace this revelation with all my heart and I receive grace to be a practitioner of this truth in Jesus name, amen.

CONFESSION: I commit myself to the business of prayer as I see prayer as a means of interacting with my heavenly Father. I love to pray as I love to commune with my Daddy. As I commit myself to prayer, I break through every barrier and obstacle to developing a virile praying life. My prayer life is changing for the better as I imbibe the truths of God’s Word into my life.

Pastor Yemi Adeoti

Yemi Adeoti is a pastor, teacher, life coach and mentor & also a prolific writer.