The following is an excerpt from our daily devotional series “Back to the Basics,” written by IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles.

… All of them were united in prayer, gripped with one passion, interceding night and day (Acts 1:14 TPT).

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The disciples knew that prayer was about more than just making petitions. They saw Jesus’ lifestyle of continual communion with God. Jesus never did deeds of ministry or anything else unless He had first prayed. He would often withdraw to go into sweet solitude with His Father.

Visit your state page to pray.

The disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, and He did. This is a lesson they never forgot. After Christ ascended, they prayed in an upper room while waiting for the promise of His Spirit, and they did receive the promise. Thus, the very first church was birthed through prayer. The book of Acts is loaded with the prayers of the disciples. Before doing anything, they first sought God, as Jesus had taught them, and He responded powerfully.

(Read these verses to learn more about the disciples’ prayers: Acts 4:31; 6:2–6; 9:39–41; 12:5–12; and 16:25–34.)

Prayer has always been about speaking with our Father: We minister to Him when we pray; we stand in His council; we recognize His presence.

But somewhere along the way, something went wrong. We have lost the art of true prayer, and we have become selfish in our praying. Far too often, prayer has become more about fulfilling our own needs, and less about spending time with Him. In doing this, we have begun likening our Father to a genie.

Jesus told His disciples this: “These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (Matt. 6:32–33 NLT).

Sometimes, we are so desperate to see our petition come to pass that we dominate the conversation in prayer, telling God how hard we have it and spelling out what we need — but He already knows. He promises us that when we seek His kingdom first, He will give us what we need. Notice that he does not promise to give us what we want, and this is for our own benefit. We don’t always want what God wants for us, but He always gives us what we need, because He knows what is best for us. What a wonderful Father!

Whenever the disciples prayed before making any decision, they were acknowledging the lordship of Jesus. They were admitting that they could do nothing without Him. They were inviting Him to be ruler of the decisions they made. This is why they were so successful. What if we were to pray like that ourselves? Would our lives be different? Wouldn’t you like to have the Lord involved more directly in your prayers? I know I would.

The disciples understood that prayer is our connection to the Father and the heartbeat of our lives. The early Church Fathers knew this too. They earnestly prayed for revival and they saw it happen, just like in the book of Acts. They saw souls stream in, miraculous healings, deliverance. They did the works of Jesus.

Prayer brings revival. Prayer brings power. Prayer brings results. Prayer brings life. Prayer brings His presence. Prayer brings God front and center.

Reflection: 

In your private time, examine your prayer life. Do you find yourself asking more for your own needs than for the fulfillment of His kingdom? Do you do all of the talking and none of the listening? Has prayer become burdensome to you? Do you fail to enter His presence with gratitude? If you answered yes to any of these, let’s go back to the basics. Prayer is about recognizing the presence of God. Start there and you will find your way back to the delight of prayer.

Prayer:

Father, please forgive me for when I selfishly seek only Your hands, and not Your face. I do want to speak to You face-to-face, as a man speaks with a friend. I want to walk with You like Enoch did. Everything I need is in Your presence. Make me a lover of Your presence above anything else. Restore to me the joy of seeking You in the secret place, and make me a house of prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful (Col. 4:2 NIV).

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly (Acts 4:31 NIV).

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5:16–18 NIV).

How are you praying about this? Share your thoughts and prayers below.

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: Canva.