Prayer – Start It Right!

Have you ever thought of how you started your prayer? I mean with what kind of mood, emotion and feeling? Many of us unknowingly started our prayer feeling condemned because of the sin we committed. We tend to focus more on our shortcoming, weakness, inability and limitation.

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Psalm 100:1-2

With such a frame of mind, no wonder it’s difficult to enjoy praying. Such prayer will not build up faith but defeating spirit! You will become more and more inward looking and fearful. It will be difficult confronting any problem or challenge.

In order to experience the power of prayer, you must start it right! Do not start your prayer feeling guilty, condemned and defeated! Starts with enjoying God, sing praise to God, make a joyful shout to the Lord and acknowledge his power in your life and every circumstance.

It doesn’t mean that there is no place or no need to ask for forgiveness but after that you must move on to praise and worship God.

It also doesn’t mean that you are without sin and shortcoming but your focus should be on Him rather than ‘me’. Your focus should be on His-ability rather than my inability. Your focus should be on His strength rather than my weakness. Your focus should be on His possibility rather than my limitation. Your focus should be on faith rather than fear. I believe with such setup you are going to conquer every situation in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is what happened to King Jehoshaphat when he was attacked by the surrounding nations. He appointed people to sing to the Lord and to praise the beauty of His holiness. He started it right and the Lord set ambushes against his enemies and they were defeated.

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.” Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 2 Chronicles 20:21-23

I strongly believe that when King Jehoshaphat and the entire nation focus on God, faith is release. Miracle starts to happen. The battle belongs to the Lord. Victory is guaranteed and the enemies will be defeated.

You see, the devil wants you to focus on yourself. He knows that the moment you set your mind on yourself you will never walk in victory. What can you and I do to salvage the situation? Nothing other than to start it right! Honestly we have neither strength nor power. We can only sing praises to Him and call upon the Lord.