The Necessity for Christians to Know and Understand the Overwhelming Importance of Prayer in Their Lives!

01 Mar 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jeremiah 29:12.         Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you (listen to you).

Oh my fellow believers, another Sunday has come around, this first day of March, another bright and sunshiny but chilly day, and are we ever glad to be above ground! So, let’s get together at the Lord’s sanctuary and give thanks and praise for life and LOVE, amongst the many other good things that our wonderful God has so generously provided! 

And to get us started today, we have a beautiful and popular modern-day Christian song from the R&B/Hip Hop Artist, Da Flame, titled ‘God Answers Prayer.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth! Once it’s in His will, God will certainly answer our prayers. We may not like His answer, but we won’t be able to say He never answered. (smile) So, let’s get down to business, offering up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, mid-tempo version of this most encouraging and energizing song.

Singing: ‘If you’re ever feeling down and like you have nowhere to go. If you’re feeling like and outcast as your problems overflow, just remember there is someone, and all it takes is for you to know, is that God is the answer, and God answers prayer. (Chorus: He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. I get down on my knees, and I say Saviour help me please. Because one thing is for certain, is my God answers prayer.)

You may be broken and feel battered, but your strength will sure come, in the midst of all your heartache. Your battles are already won. Just remember in the hard times, don’t give up, don’t say you’re done, because God is the answer, and God answers prayer. (Chorus: He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. I get down on my knees, and I say Saviour help me please. Because one thing is for certain, is my God answers prayer. Oh, He sees every weakness, every trial, every mountain and sea, and He sees every tear drop, and He wipes them for me. So, let’s get down on our knees, and say, Saviour, help us please. Because one thing is for certain… our God answers prayer.’

That was wonderful friends! All who heard us know that we were singing from our hearts, because we do know that God answers sincere and heartfelt prayers that are within His will. And one important thing to note from the words of the song is that whatever our problem, we ALWAYS have an option to go to God in prayer, for He’s ALWAYS there ready to listen. 

However, we should also point out that we are not only to go to God in prayer when we have problems. No sir! When our lives are rolling along in peaceful prosperity it’s also necessary to go to God in prayer, but this time thanking Him for His goodness and mercy. Unfortunately though, many of us only remember prayer when we have serious problems, and not when the living is good. The truth is, that prayer should be made to God, regardless of our situations.

Now, let’s talk about a few scriptural references to prayer. And there are so many, that I had a hard time choosing a few to highlight how important prayer is in the life of a believer. But we’ll begin with this scripture from the prophet Jeremiah to the exiled Israelites in Babylon. The Lord Himself, after saying He has good thoughts of hope and peace and not calamity for them, (Jer. 29:11) urges them, and subsequently us to pray. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you (listen to you). And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer, 29:12-13)

Right there my brethren, we see the importance of seeking God with all our hearts, with the utmost sincerity. It doesn’t matter so much how we couch the prayer, once it’s not filled with pride and arrogance like the example Jesus gave in Luke 18:9-14 of a proud Pharisee and a repentant tax collector praying in the Temple. The Pharisee boasts of his righteousness and fasting, while the tax collector humbly beats his breast, asking for mercy. Jesus declares the tax collector, not the Pharisee, goes home justified, teaching that humility earns God’s grace.

Next, comes this wise and welcome advice from Jesus: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) That means we must be diligent in asking, seeking and knocking. 

Then there’s more wise advice from Jesus to the disciples, when they asked about the withered fig tree He had cursed the day before for not bearing fruit in season. (Mark 11:11-14)The Bible says: “Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought (anything) against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ (Mark 11:22-26) There friends, we learn the importance of strong faith and also of forgiveness in prayer.

Then we have this awesome scripture from the gospel of John, where he declares: ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him (Jesus), that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 514-15) Oh my people, even more confirmation of the power of prayer in our lives!

It’s therefore no wonder then that Bruh David prayed thus in Psalm 55: ‘Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn (wander) in my complaint, and make a noise (moan noisily)… As for me, I will call upon God; and he shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with (against) me… Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:1-2, 16-18, 22) 

Yes my fellow believers, we can see in those words of Bruh David, faith, persistence, assurance and experience with God. So, please let’s follow his example and pray constantly and faithfully to God, for communicating with Almighty God through prayer is one of the greatest privileges we have! Much LOVE!

…whatever the situation…prayer should always be our first response… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 February 2021 Jeremiah 29:12.

01 Feb 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jeremiah 29:12.     ​Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you.

Aye friends, can you believe it, we in February now, January done already! Brother! How come January finish so quick eh? Didn’t we just celebrate New Year’s? But with all the recent confusion, it seems we never noticed January just speeding by like greased lightning! (smile) And if we don’t pay attention, February, and even the whole of 2021 could just speed by and leave us in the same sad and tragic situations that it began with, or even worse ones. Who knows how this world shaping up these days eh? Only our heavenly Father…and He doesn’t seem to be letting on. 

So what are we supposed to do under those uncertain and ofttimes critical circumstances eh? Just keep on doing what we been doing; having faith and trusting in the Lord God Almighty and LOVING each other like there was no tomorrow! If you claim to believe in God, His promises and all that He stands for, then you have no choice but to keep praying, being obedient to His word, giving thanks, helping your fellow man, and looking forward to Christ’s Second Coming. Now that also means being fully prepared for it and not getting caught with yuh pants down below yuh knees. (smile) 

Ah mih people, this world is really something else yes…but please remember that our God is also something else, and He’s bigger, brighter and better than this world. In fact, He created it and all therein, and still controls it, although some of us and the evil powers in it, think that they do. But don’t be fooled people, nothing happens in this universe unless our Lord allows it to happen. He might not cause it, but if it doesn’t suit His purpose, somewhere down the line, then it won’t get anywhere. 

So we need to understand that whatever is happening in our world today is serving some useful purpose in God’s overall plan. And yes, lots of things might seem wrong, unfair and cause us pain, sometimes it’s even our wrong decisions that cause problems. But whatever the reason, it’s still our duty to stand strong and fight the good fight, knowing that in the long run, because of God’s promises, we will come out victorious. 

And I know that many of us are scared of all the controversial stuff that’s happening in our lives right now, but remember that we believers are to be the beacons of light to the unbelieving world, so we have to put on a brave face, raise the level of our faith, and show them that Christ is indeed the ONE TRUE WAY for all mankind to go! His momentous and indisputably true words: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me,’ (John 14:6) ) tells the whole story. 

And to boost our assurance, let’s take a gander at some reassuring scriptures. (smile) And I think this verse is fitting to be the first in our set. Through the prophet Isaiah, the promise of a free offer of mercy to all. ‘So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void (empty), but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’ (Is. 55:11) Yes friends, that’s the first lesson we need to learn; that the Lord’s promises are not empty, whatever He promises He will keep, because he’s a faithful God! 

Consequently, we also need to be faithful, for as Hebrews tells us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) So we can’t get close to God unless we truly believe that He exists and does indeed reward those who diligently seek Him. Thus these promises through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). (Jer. 29:11) 

And how will we reap that promise? ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) Oh my people, there’s that recurring theme that runs throughout the entire Good Book; we need to continually seek God with all our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. That’s a basic part of both the Old and New Covenants He made with us. Sincerely seeking Him is paramount to all that we do. 

That brings us to these last few practical steps from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome that show the awesome LOVE of Christ through the believer’s actions. ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer…Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not…Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth (depends on) you, live peacefully with all men.’ (Rom. 12:12,15,17-18) 

No, living for Christ is not easy, especially in these controversial and turbulent times, but when we remember that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, then we know that it’s all possible in Jesus’ name! Now, let’s participate in that recurring theme above nuh; seeking God sincerely, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, letting Him know all our hopes and fears and desires. 

As one voice now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance, and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

And as God considers the state and motives of our hearts, we must move along and do our part, keep our promises in the partnership. Much LOVE!

…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom. 12:21)