Vital Signs: Saturday, March 29, 2025

The Vital Power of Prayer

"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity."—1 Timothy 2:1–2 (NLT)

Prayer is a profound concept, and until we reach heaven, we won’t fully understand everything about it. However, we can discover its essential purpose by turning to Scripture, which paints a true picture of prayer. From Genesis to Revelation, we see God establishing His relationship with us through prayer. Above all else, God wants us to come to Him with our thoughts, feelings, worries, and needs.

In 1 Timothy, Paul wrote to Timothy, the pastor of the church at Ephesus, and instructed him that before doing anything else, he needed to pray. Timothy was like a son to Paul, and Paul wanted him to understand that prayer forms the foundation of the Christian life. He encouraged Timothy to live a life of prayer and then teach others to do the same. As a believer, the same instruction applies to you because the true source of your strength—and of the Church as a whole—lies in a lifestyle of prayer.

The best example of a prayerful life is seen in Jesus. Many people think of prayer as a set quiet time in the morning with God—and while that can be part of it, it’s not the whole picture. A look through the Gospels shows that Jesus’ prayers were dynamic, honest, and authentic—from the simple structure of the Lord’s Prayer to His anguished plea in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus showed us that, at its core, prayer is about relationship with our heavenly Father. And through this relationship, God accomplished His perfect will in Jesus’ life.

In the same way, God’s will is accomplished in our lives through prayer. From the beginning, God’s desire has been for us to walk in the same kind of relationship with Him as Jesus did every day. He loves us more than we can imagine, and He cares enough to listen and respond to our prayers.

You have the opportunity to live in conversation with Him—sharing your heart and listening to His. Right here, right now, you can experience the greatest relationship imaginable: a relationship with God! Ask Him to open the eyes of your heart so you can live out the same dynamic, vibrant relationship with Him that Jesus modeled.

You’ll never be able to put God first in your life if you don’t put prayer first. The power to prioritize God comes from prayer.