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Prayer and Worship

Prayer is a foundational aspect of the Christian life and a primary way believers connect with God. Through prayer, Christians express their dependence on God, communicate their needs and desires, and develop a deeper relationship with Him.

The Heart of Prayer

Prayer reveals the true condition of our hearts and our relationship with God. As Pastor JR explains, "Prayer is the greatest indicator of how real and valued and wanted God is to you. We could say and make all kinds of claims but prayer is the greatest indicator of how real God is to you, how valued he is by you and how wanted he is by you" (Prayer, Let's Get Practical, 38:57).

The absence of prayer in a Christian's life should prompt serious self-reflection. "If we don't pray God's not real to us let's just be honest. In fact I would say just like being a Christian means you're a person who prays and if you're here and you claim to be a Christian but you never pray I would really encourage you to challenge yourself and question yourself as to the claim of you being a Christian" (Prayer, Let's Get Practical, 39:15).

What Motivates Prayer

God responds to two key attitudes in His people: hunger and humility. "God comes where he's wanted and he comes where he's desperately needed. In other words God responds to hunger and humility—those are the two things that touch his heart more than anything else" (Prayer, Let's Get Practical, 38:10).

This hunger for God is beautifully expressed in Psalm 63:1-3, which describes the psalmist's earnest seeking: "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

Jesus' Teaching on Prayer

In John 16:20-28, Jesus provides crucial instruction about prayer to His disciples. He promises that their sorrow will turn to joy and makes remarkable statements about prayer:

  • "In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you" (John 16:23)
  • "Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24)
  • "The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God" (John 16:27)

Access to God Through Christ

The gospel provides believers with "unhindered access to God" through Jesus Christ. As the service leader explains, "Through Christ we have been given unhindered access to God and we are able to constantly commune with him. Hebrews 10 reminds us saying we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus" (Prayer, Let's Get Practical, 9:15).

This confidence comes from Hebrews 10:19-20, which declares that believers can approach God boldly through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Practical Prayer Ministry

Church At The Cross demonstrates commitment to prayer through initiatives like their 48 Hours of Prayer weekends. These events include multiple prayer stations:

  • Audio stations for spiritual renewal
  • Request walls for sharing prayer needs
  • Prayers for the lost and prodigals
  • Intercession for ministry partners and missionaries
  • Prayer for the nations

The church views these extended prayer times as expressions of their "desire to be a people among whom God is present and active—that we're not really content just kind of playing church or just striving to be nice. We really want to be a people among whom God is actively present and working" (Prayer, Let's Get Practical, 37:54).

Prayer and Confession

Prayer provides a safe space for confession and receiving God's grace. "Jesus is our confidence as we draw near to God and when we confess the things that grieve us we have nothing to fear because we trust in Christ's work" (Prayer, Let's Get Practical, 9:31).

The church encourages believers to "use this time with the Lord to ask, confess, receive knowing he is good to listen and hear you" (Prayer, Let's Get Practical, 9:47).

Through prayer, believers not only communicate with God but also participate in His work in the world, expressing both their dependence on Him and their hunger for His presence in their lives and community.