Just thought I would start a thread on something that is vitally
important to all believers. I will start and lets hope that many
more will contribute to this thread to share experiences and
thoughts on what is effective prayer.
Here we go...
Is not vain repetition or a magic incantation. It is an outpouring
of the soul to Yahveh. It is a one on one personal cry to your
maker. This is characterised by praise, petition and thanksgiving.
Personal prayer should be suffused with expressions of adoration,
praise, celebration and thanksgiving. Prayer is the service of the
heart.
Effective prayer is also not just self centered, it is also
community orientated. Even when you pray alone, you still pray as a
representative of the congregation and petition on their behalf as
well as for your own. We must never forget that we who were
estranged from the God of Israel and not even a people, because of
Jesus we have been brought into fellowship with the family of God
and the community of faith. To have our sins atoned by Christ's
blood is to be reconciled to God as "our Father" and to be adopted
into His family as sons and daughters in good standing. It is to be
joined to community, even as fellow citizens of the commonwealth of
Israel. Our prayers should reflect this corporate awareness and
continually remind us of our collective responsibility.