Praying with Confidence
Have you seen the banners around town and on buses that say “Try Praying”? I applaud the desire to encourage people to seek God but it raises questions for me about what people believe when they see these and think about prayer? Who is it people think they praying to? And why is it that people think God might listen to them and answer as they pray?
It may be because they think they are good people, because their situation is a desperate one - one they don’t deserve to be in, or because they believe there is something God can do about their situation?
As God’s children who have been taught to pray “Our Father”, we have a very different approach to prayer because we know the God to whom we pray. We know he loves to hear us, we know he can answer us, we know he works all things for our good. But where do we get our confidence that God will hear and answer when we pray?
This week when we meet together at Women to Women, we will be looking at where that confidence comes from and how we can draw near to God in our times of need. Why not take a read of the passages we'll be studying before you come…
Heb 4:14-16: “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need.”
Heb 10:19-23: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
See you on Wednesday night, at 7 for 7:30pm…
