Prayer

Ask the Lord, because he can make it rain in the desert!
God speaks to human beings through his Holy Word contained in the Holy Bible. Men communicate with God through prayer. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man and we can carry our prayers and petitions directly to the throne of Grace in his name (1 Timothy 2:5, John 14:13-14, 1 Peter 2:5). When men pray for insight and understanding, it should be remembered that God does not lead or inspire a person to do anything that contradicts his Word as contained in the Bible. Throughout history, many people have been led astray and even lost their lives for false prophets that have claimed to have received special revelation from God which has conflicted with what Scripture teaches. Murder and all kinds of evil have been committed by people claiming that God told them to do it. The rule is simple. If anyone claims to have received divine revelation that contradicts the Bible, it is not from God. Since Satan masquerades as an angel of light, he is probably the source of such revelation (2 Cor. 11:14-15). Prayer is a form of worship to God and should be given to none other than God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to Him alone. The Westminster Confession of Faith teaches that prayer should be given according to His will, with thanksgiving, understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance (1 John 5:14). The Bible is full of passages about prayer. Jesus would spend the night praying (Luke 6:12). The angel Gabriel was sent to answer Daniel before he had even finished his prayer (Daniel 9:21-23). We are told to pray continually and to cast all of our anxiety on Him. The most important prayer a person can pray is a prayer for the salvation of his soul through faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. If a person asks God for faith and repentance to receive the gift of eternal life, God has promised that he will be saved (Acts 2:21).