PRAYER IS THE KEY; THE MASTER KEY TO FULLNESS OF JOY. (Homily for May 7, 2016. Saturday After the Ascension.)


Bible Study: Acts 18, 23 to 28 and John 16, 23 to 28.


Sometimes when I hear Christians talk about prayer, I cannot help but be amazed at our lack of faith in the power of prayer. We are yet to fully understand that prayer is the greatest weapon we have in harsh times. We still consider prayer as something that is equivalent to folding hands and doing nothing. Prayer is not the same thing as doing nothing, to pray is to do something, to pray is to work, to pray is to fight!

Maybe, we do not believe in prayer because we never take it seriously. We just pray according to the way we feel like and we pray spontaneously. At times, our minds are not even fixed on God while we are praying. We are just saying things in our mouths and thinking about our thousands of problems. We even skip prayer altogether at times because we see it as waste of time. Like children, we have had to ask for certain things in the past and because we didn’t see magic, because we didn’t get what we asked for immediately, we felt there was no longer any need to ask.

How often do you pray? What is prayer to you? Is prayer something you do last like the icing of the cake or do you consider it as the flour inside the cake?

Truly, truly, I say to you, IF YOU ASK ANYTHING OF THE FATHER, HE WILL GIVE IT TO YOU IN MY NAME. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full…. In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me . . . John 16, 23 to 27.

Time has come for every Christian in this country to start spending hours in prayer. Come to think of it, there is a certain religion that demands its faithful to pray five times a day. And when it is time for prayer, they leave everything they are doing, and get down on their kneels for prayer. Here we are, we cannot even spend ten minutes in prayer in a whole day. Can’t we start praying six or seven times a day? Can’t we Christians just develop some discipline in prayer and not consider any activity as more important as prayer?   

How come we can afford to spend a whole day pursing an activity intending to bring us money, yet we consider spending one hour before Jesus in prayer as a waste of time? Why do we rise very early to work every day so as to beat traffic on the road and yet find it so difficult to wake up early each day to pray so as to beat the traffic in the spiritual highway?

The key to appreciating prayer is to know that there is nothing that happens in the physical without first settling in the spiritual realm. Nothing can happen in the physical without first happening in the spiritual. If you must win a physical combat, then start in the spirit. Prayer is not magic but prayer is raw power and like anything hard, it requires repetition. That is why Jesus gave us the parable of the woman and the unjust judge. We must need to continuously and consistently knock on heaven’s door.

Know that prayer is more than merely ASKING when we are in need, prayer is more often than not, a RELATIONSHIP. It can never be a once in a while act, you must be a friend of God through constant prayer. God wants your time, your energy and attention, he wants to listen to you talk and he too wants to talk to you. See what Jesus says “. . . FOR THE FATHER HIMSELF LOVES YOU.” God does not love us for nothing, his love is not an official loving that is devoid of any attachment, No. God’s love for you is real.

In prayer we experience joy and peace, our activity itself is sanctified and life makes sense to us while we pray. ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE AND YOUR JOY WILL BE FULL.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit. May my life be full of joy and happiness as I pray to you daily. Amen.


God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy weekend

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