MEDITATIONS: PRAYER

ANCHOR VERSE – Luke 9:29

Peace Apata:

The evidence of prayer is that we start to look like God.

Prayer is our means of communicating with God as Christians; it is the channel through which we have access to God. As Christians, prayer should not be a spiritual routine but a lifestyle – something we can’t do without. The Scripture says in Luke 18:1, “Men ought always to pray and not faint.” How to pray all the time and not be weary is when prayer becomes a part of you.

What prayer does to us as Christians is that, prayer draws us closer to God and separates us from the things of the world. Prayer produces spiritual strength, so you’ll have the strength to resist temptation and sin. Prayer produces beauty in our walk with God, it brings the beauty of righteousness into our life and most importantly prayer changes you. The evidence of prayer is that we start to look like God.

It is a well-established fact that when you stay with a person for too long, you start to pick one or two attributes from that person and subconsciously start to act like the person. Similarly, when we fellowship with God and spend time with Him, we start to look and be like Him. The Scriptures say in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “As we behold we are transformed into the image of God from glory to glory.”

When you pray there must be a transformation that occurs in you. When you go to a place of prayer and leave the same it means you haven’t prayed effectively. Because what happens in the place of prayer is that, when we come to God, we begin to shed every weight on us and a bit of excess from God begins to drop in us.

The Bible records “As Jesus prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered.” It is very evident that something changed about Jesus while praying – “His countenance was altered.” This happened because He had reached a depth in prayer, where He had laid aside every weight and set His gaze on God.

It is important to note that Jesus did not stop praying; prayer was his lifestyle. The Bible records, “As he prayed…” So it is only in the place of prayer that things begin to happen in our lives, things begin to shift. You stop things and make things happen in the place of prayer.

Josephine Oluwaga:

Rather than fixating solely on religious rituals, let us prioritize deep communion, connection, and communication with the Father, which will pave the way for a profound and transformative experience.

Deep consecration and genuine communion with God can usher us into dimensions beyond ordinary understanding that men might not comprehend. If we spend sincere time with God, we’ll not only create a closer bond but we’ll be transformed internally to the extent that it reflects in our outward demeanor.

Just as the Bible notes the alteration in Jesus’ countenance during prayer, the truth is that we too, through profound communion, can undergo a transformative experience! This verse highlights not only the divinity of Jesus but underscores our potential for transformation through deep connection with the Father, illustrating the profound power of prayer.

Prayer, when merely surface-level, may not lead to significant spiritual growth. However, if we delve into a more intimate dimension it profoundly alters our countenance. We too can experience transformation beyond ordinary comprehension like the great men of God such as Moses, Ezekiel, Daniel, Enoch and others recorded in the Bible – only if we strive for a closer relationship with the Father and a deeper connection with Christ.

Rather than fixating solely on religious rituals, let us prioritize deep communion, connection, and communication with the Father, which will pave the way for a profound and transformative experience.

Grace Oluwole:

He literally did not have to pray for anything, he could already cast demons, heal the sick, raise the dead and operate in all sorts of supernaturals. Yet, in spite of all this, Jesus never lost His zeal for His Father. He never lost the importance of prayer and communion with God.

This takes us back to the book of Matthew 4, where Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted of the devil after his forty days’ fast. Now the first temptation that was presented by the devil was that Jesus turns stones to bread if He truly was the Son of God. However, Jesus responded thus; “…man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”.

And we can see a testimony of that word in the life of Jesus as represented here in Luke 9. In the preceding verses, we see that Jesus fed the five thousand with an insufficient ration of 5 loaves of bread and two fishes. We can imagine how much public interest this would have stirred. The people were also ready to make him their king.

Also Read: THE GENESIS PROJECT

He literally did not have to pray for anything, he could already cast demons, heal the sick, raise the dead and operate in all sorts of supernaturals. Yet, in spite of all this, Jesus never lost His zeal for His Father. He never lost the importance of prayer and communion with God. The Bible also emphasizes how fervently he prayed, to the extent of birthing physical alterations. Despite all he could do, he never belittled the presence of God and the word of God.

Pelumi Adesiyan:

Unless we come to terms with the spiritual significance of prayer, we will not understand the rationale behind it.  Prayer is merely beyond the mundane definition we are familiar with — “a communication with God.” It is a portal that can usher us into realms beyond mortal comprehension, among many numerous significances.

Biblically, one of the spiritual obligations given to us by God is the duty of prayer. In 1st Thessalonians 5:17, the Lord commands us to pray without ceasing. In Luke 11:2, he gives us a blueprint on the mannerism of prayer. But even after this, a question still hangs in the minds of many believers. Why should we pray?

Unless we come to terms with the spiritual significance of prayer, we will not understand the rationale behind it.  Prayer is merely beyond the mundane definition we are familiar with — “a communication with God.” It is a portal that can usher us into realms beyond mortal comprehension, among many numerous significances.

In Luke 9:29, we see what I like to call the spiritual consequence of prayer—a transformative experience of glory to glory. The Scripture says: “As Jesus prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistening.” Even Jesus, the Son of God understood the spiritual significance of prayer. Remember the popular song that says: “Jesus started with prayer and ended with prayer. Prayer is the master key!”

By prayer, we tap into untapped glories which is the precursor of life-changing encounters! Prayer makes you a changed man; enough to change the world!