Prayer: the fruit of faith

Prayer is a fruit of faith.  It is a response to an understanding that the spiritual realm is greater than the physical.  When describing faith, Hebrews 11:2 tells us, "By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that which is seen was not made out of things that are visible."  (vs. 11:2)

Prayerlessness is a result of unbelief or an anemic faith.  It results in seeing the world primarily as physical, not spiritual.  We may acknowledge God, but He may be far from our hearts and minds.  We are placing our trust in that which we see, touch, taste, hear, and smell.  According to the Bible we then are living according to the "flesh," not the "Spirit."  (Galatians 5:16-25)

Prayer and faith understand that the unseen things, that is God and His kingdom, are the things that will last, while the seen things are temporary and are fading away.  The Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 4:18 challenges us this way, "look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

We are invited in James 4:14 to ask, "What is your life?," then reminded that we are, "a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."   Jesus warned us this way, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...  but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths do not eat away or thieves break in and steal."  (Matt 6:18)

When we pray we are acknowledging that God who is Spirit is the primary reality behind all of life.  Prayer is our access point, in the name of Jesus, to the spiritual realm, where our eyes our opened to that which is true and real.  Prayer is a fruit of our relationship with God, which we enter into by faith.

So let us pray and trust that God will fill us and be present with us.  Let us pray knowing that whatever we invest related to the things of God will last forever.  Than we will be able to join King David in part of His wonderful song which we find in Psalm 16:11, "Lord, You make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy, at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Amen