Prayer can seem so tedious and just another religious ritual. However all around us are people who want an authentic relationship with God.

This only happens when we pray. In John 15.15 Jesus says, ’I no longer call you servants – because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you.’

A revelation of this friendship will keep our prayer life alive. We become true friends of God if we take time o talk to him. We also need to develop a partnership with the Holy Spirit.

In Romans 8.26 we read about this partnership. It says ‘Likewise the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words”.

We need to develop a healthy two-way communication with God. We need to understand that prayer is more than a place to ask for help with our most recent crisis but also a place of exchange and conversation with God.

Someone once said “Prayer is not about seeking an answer but about seeking the One who had all the power to answer”, We need to expect to hear God speaking with us too. Prayer is about knowing that as we draw near to the heart of God, God is going to touch our lives.

Good friendships take time. If we are prepared to invest quality time into a relationship with God then we will be rewarded with a more intimate knowledge and understanding of Him.

There are many areas where the church needs fresh insights and wisdom, but those revelations will not be given to us unless we spend time talking to God. The disciples were captivated by Jesus and His relationship with God, His father, and said to Jesus, “Teach us to pray”. As Christ’s followers this should be our cry.

As we pursue God and establish our prayer relationship, like Jesus we need to inspire others.

Anyone who has travelled on the London Underground will be familiar with the voice reminding people ‘Mind the Gap, please Mind the Gap’ as the doors open and people get on and off the train.

In the same way, God is calling us to stand and ‘mind the gap’ for others. We are being challenged to pray beyond ourselves and embrace the needs of others.

As we pray, with one hand we are laying hold of heaven’s desire and with the other hand earth’s reality and we cry “Lord let your Kingdom come now to this place at this time.

Everything can shout “Don’t bother – give up – your prayers will make no difference. But it says in Galatians 6:9. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Remember, now is not a good time to give up.

Our prayer lives are probably far more effective than we realise. So don’t stop now. The enemy (the devil) would love us to believe that the delay to the answers to our prayers is because we are not good enough at it and that our prayers are powerless. We just need to be persistent – we are doing good – so let us not get weary. Every prayer we pray is like laying another piece of tarmac on that highway of freedom.

It is by our prayers and intercessions that we bridge the gap. Even when we cannot discern any change in the earthly situation, our prayers are having effect in the spiritual realms.

Praying time is never wasted time. Each time we pray, something is happening. One day our mission will be accomplished. So let us remember “Never give up” and see what happens because we prayed a prayer of generosity for others.

We need to stand in the gap for our families, our neighbours, our cities, our towns our villages and our nation.

Prayer is vital because it gives God’s solutions to our daily living and strengthens our faith in God. Prayer is our communication with God and it opens our spirit to the possibilities of God. The liberty of our families, communities and nations depends on us standing in the gap as soldiers in the battlefield against the onslaught of darkness. That is why prayer is important and why we will keep on praying.

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