At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 NLT
1. Prayer is done out of love, not an obligation.
Loving success and relationships more than God hardens our hearts and impairs our sense of purpose on earth, ironically making us less effective in fulfilling our dreams.
True health is spiritual, not physical!
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? Matthew 16:26 NLT
2. Prayer is to know God better
And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. John 17:3 NLT
This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord , have spoken! Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT
“What makes life worthwhile is having a big enough objective, something which catches our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance; and this the Christian has in a way that no other person has. For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?” -J.I. Packer
Be still, and know that I am God! Psalms 46:10 NLT
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Ephesians 3:16-18
Without a powerful sense of God’s presence, good circumstances can lead to overconfidence and bad circumstances can lead to despair.
3. Prayer brings out the real you
Deserts are hard places in which to live, physically or spiritually.
Deserts are dry.
But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” John 4:14-15 NLT
Deserts teach us about dependence.
Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11 NIV
Deserts provide a place to think, plan, and prepare.
To know God is a matter of personal involvement- mind, will, and emotions.
Mind- Reading, Hearing, Listening, and Receiving God’s Word.
Will- We are people of discipline and self-control, not slothfulness and instability.
Emotions- We lead our feelings they do not lead us.
"Feelings are important in many areas but completely unreliable in matters of faith" Eugene Peterson
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 NLT
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 NLT