Releasing our Prayers: Confidence

A funny thing has happened to me over the last few years as I walk in intercessory prayer, especially on social media. As I try to stay as consistent as possible sometimes the assumption has become that I’m some type of prayer guru. On several occasions, I’ve been sought out by people who feel as if somehow my prayers carry more weight in God’s eyes than their own and that is simply not true.

I believe the way I pray and what I pray has a drawing that explains the workings of the Holy Spirit. What I’ve learned is that God has laid out a blueprint for us to follow when we pray and I try to follow that blueprint. It’s not something I came to know overnight and I’m still constantly learning but I believe if more people shared what they have learned concerning prayer it will help others become more confident in their prayer life. You heard correct, I said confident so let’s start right there. 

Ephesians 3:12 – In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 

Let me give an example for my own life. There was a time when I disliked prayer because I felt God wasn’t listening to what I had to say. That’s where my lack of confidence began because I didn’t know anything about the Lord therefore, I felt He wasn’t listening. I wasn’t abiding in Him so I didn’t have confidence in what I was praying and who I was praying to, my faith was fleeting. I needed to invest the time to learn about “in whom” I was putting my trust or how else could I be confident in what I was praying?

This is a key scripture from Hebrews 12:2, Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. When I look to Jesus and rest in the finished work He has done on behalf of my soul, then my prayers took on new levels of confidence. 

John 15:7  – If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

There’s another area that lacked my confidence and that was knowing God’s will. When I began to learn more about His will, then my prayers automatically steered that way. He answers prayers that line up with His will. Many are led astray into thinking we can ask anything we want and He will give it to us but that is not true, we must line up with His will which is always conveyed in his Word. When I look at a few of my past prayer journals you can see that I was praying about things that were not lining up to His will in any way, shape, or form.

Most of those prayers were very self-centered, selfish prayers. I’m not saying we aren’t supposed to pray about our needs but page after page of my journals were nothing but what was going on in my personal life with no regard to praying for others’ welfare and well-being. A big part of God’s will is praying for the needs of others and I was mainly focused on my own needs. I didn’t realize neglecting to pray for others consistently kept me drowning in worry and not confidence in God’s ability for my life as He moved in other people’s lives. 

1 John 5:14-15  

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Let’s stop there for now because I hope sharing some of my insights will help build more confident prayer lives in all of us.

BY: Rhonie McBerry

Rhonie is a licensed radiation therapist providing care to those battling cancer. She learned to embrace a new normal after being diagnosed with Crohn’s. disease and uses the power of words to encourage others to see past their darkest day to a brighter horizon.

She is the author of Embracing a New Normal, God Has Drawn The Blueprints Vol I & II, Words That Surround Your Soul devotionals, and a host of blog posts on her website www.RhonieSays.com

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