Intimacy 101: Developing Prayer
LOVE THAT GROWS WITHIN
A collection of devotional series for women
BY LUCIA BRACHO
“And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.” 2 Chronicles 30:20 (NIV)
He listens to you
Hezekiah prayed, and the Lord answered. Like him, we too have a direct line with our creator. Everything you say, every thought, feeling–spoken and unspoken–He knows it. Isn’t that amazing? He is THE true superhero with real superpowers that knows what’s in your mind! And you thought professor Xavier from X man was cool [yes, I watch marvel]. But moving onto more relevant topics, Jesus is aware of what’s going on in your life 24/7...even things that you don’t even know.
Before we go any further, I would like to clarify the concept of ‘prayer’: according to the Hebrew word tfilia, it is understood to be a bonding between the creature and the Creator, as a child would bond with his/her father. In other words, praying is nothing more than talking to your Heavenly Dad!
We tend to complicate things and make prayers a ritual when it is as simple as conversing. God LOVES to talk to you—if you let Him. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). I often picture Him all excited, sitting on His throne, looking down at me, leaning with excitement to hear my stories.
How do you picture Him?
God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit...You got the combo!
Jesus said in John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever”. You not only have access 24/7 to the Father; your
Maker, to Jesus your best friend, but to your comforter- the Holy Spirit too! He is with you ALWAYS! Am I the only one excited here? [insert fireworks emoji now.] We have access to all 3, whenever we want, wherever we are—it’s like having a gift card from Sephora that never expires (I wish) ...But seriously, call Him and He will answer! You don’t know what to pray for or how to pray? Ask the Holy Spirit and He would lead you! I was once there too. I didn’t know what to pray for or what petitions to make, until I had the revelation that I could ask Him to lead me.
Your tongue is your lethal weapon
Pastor Kent Munsey, Senior Pastor of City Church Chicago, my pastor, began a series of faith declarations, the 5th teaching was ‘I Will Pray’. In this declaration, he emphasized that prayer is a lifestyle and a priority. He included three prayer declarations that I believe every follower of Jesus should apply: I pray in my pain and suffering; I pray with my Pastors and Leaders; I pray bold prayers.
You can listen to the full sermon HERE
Adding up, let me share a quick story with you; the first time I remember God answering my prayers (a big one) was when I was 16 years old; It was a silly prayer now that I remember it. But nothing is too silly or too little for God. However, back then it was a life changer. You see, mathematics never was my strong suit, in fact still isn't, but like everything in life, if you practice it you’ll get great at it. I was in what you call here in the U.S my senior year, and I got an F in math (the only subject failed, I had flying colors in the rest). I had talked to the teacher, but I thought she hated me back then, so no hopes there. I needed to pass the subject otherwise I would have to do summer school, which meant no vacations - teen struggles were real people!
My only hope was the teacher’s committee meeting to save me. They would meet to discuss the students and special cases like mine. The day of the meeting, I went with my mom outside the classroom - where the meeting was held. She looked at me and told me, “daughter let’s pray for a miracle, the Bible says when two or more agree in prayer it shall be done.” At that moment, all my hopes were in that prayer. My mom and I prayed for the teachers to agree to upgrade my grade. While the meeting was happening, I saw my Spanish language teacher coming out, stopping at what it seemed to be a list of students and where my name was crossed. We found out later that my case was accepted, and I no longer needed to do summer school! Talk about the power of unity and prayer!
You might think your prayer is insignificant or not worthy, but can I encourage you to think the opposite? Your prayer is your giant slayer, your lethal weapon. Did you know that when you pray, heaven opens and the enemy hates that and he sends all sorts of arrows towards you? Prayers changes lives, strengthens your relationship with your creator, and grows you in ways you wouldn't imagine! Be intentional, sow into your time with Jesus- which is the best time! You don’t need to have it all figured out to come to the throne, just come as you are. You are a child of God made righteous in Jesus’ righteousness.
Relevant Points
• God listens to your players. 2 Chronicles 30:20
• Reach out to Him and see how He answers. Jeremiah 33:3
• Pray in your pain; pray with your leaders; pray bold prayers.
• There is power in agreement. Matthew 18:19
• You are righteous in Jesus’ Righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Prayer of the week
Heavenly father, I want to strengthen my relationship with you. To know you more deeply and to be intentionally spending time with you. Thank you, Jesus, for your love. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen!