Continue in Prayer Colossians 4:2

2Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;



The Apostle Paul knew the value of prayer. He knew how important it was to be thankful to God for all that we are and all that we have. Prayer needs to include thanksgiving because when we take the time to thank God for all that He has done in our lives, we come to realize that He is still at work in our lives today. This sets the tone for the whole prayer!

There is nothing that is any more powerful than prayer. Prayer can move mountains! Jesus told His disciples, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17) When it comes to the power in our prayers, it is not the strength of the person praying that has great power, but rather the One to whom the prayers are directed that provides for the power.

God wants us to pray. He wants us to pray constantly and earnestly. Earnest prayers are sincere but they are more than that. To be earnest is to be intent or serious about who were are praying to and what we are praying for. We need to come to God in prayer expecting an answer. When you and I pray, we need to be reminded that God hears our prayer and He answers our prayers. He may not answer our prayers in the way we want Him to and He almost never answers our prayer when we want Him to do so.

We can know that He hears our prayers and He will answer them in His time and in His provisions. We need to learn to get in the habit of "continuously coming to Him in prayer" and leaving the results up to God! He will not disappoint!

One final thought; be thankful at the beginning of your prayer and then be thankful at the end of your prayer! Thanksgiving is a great way to begin a prayer and is certainly the best way to end a prayer! When we are reminded of all that God has done for us, it makes it so much easier to look forward to all that God is going to do for us!

Remembering who God is and what He has promised to do for us is the foundation for our faith. When we take the time to be thankful, we are in effect strengthening our faith, which is the essential ingredient in our prayer life in the first place! So prayer strengthens our faith which strengthens our prayers!

Amazing!