Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11(NIV)
Knowing the benefits of praying every day will motivate you to pray even when you feel like quitting.
Praying every day is something that every believer should do. But the truth is there are times when prayer feels hectic.
We struggle to remain disciplined and prefer to do other things.
It’s easy to feel guilty and condemned in such times. You may feel like a failure because you’re not praying enough.
The enemy will also take advantage of such times to condemn you.
He’ll tell you that you are not a true Christian. Or that God will punish you for not praying.
Please don’t fall for his accusations. If you listen to the enemy, you may quit praying altogether.
Focus on the benefits of praying every day. And with help from the Holy Spirit, you will be able to get back on track.
But what are the benefits of praying everyday?
1. Positive Attitude.
Do you know what the world needs right now? People who have a positive outlook on life. But we cannot go looking for these kinds of people elsewhere.
We need to start with ourselves. So let me ask you. Do you look at life positively? Or are you only focused on the negative things?
Prayer helps us have a positive outlook on life. Yes, bad things will happen. Things that will cause you to want to complain and be angry at life.
But Paul tells us to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4). Think that it is impossible to do that?
Well, Paul wasn’t writing at the comfort of his home when he said ‘rejoice always.’
He was in prison, and the prison conditions in those times were terrible. But Paul learned how to rejoice in the Lord irrespective of what was happening to him.
Prayer will help you focus on what you can accomplish in the day because you know God is there with you.
It will help you see possibilities in impossible situations. You’ll have a positive outlook on life.
Why? You know that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
2. Gives us Rest.
Some, if not all, of us, are better off starting our day in a restful manner.
It is easy to make wrong decisions when you are restless. That is why starting your day with prayer is essential.
Prayer helps us to surrender the day to God hence causing us to be restful in our hearts. Okay, this does not mean that everything will go smoothly.
Some days will be challenging, but we will be restful in our hearts because our hope is in the Lord.
See, prayer starts us in the right direction, and it also helps us end our days the right way.
Take time to compare the days you spend time in prayer and those that you don’t. You will notice that you were more restful on the days that you prayed.
Also Related: Why is Prayer Important: 17 Powerful Reasons.
3. Divine Strength.
Life is hard enough. We cannot do it alone.
We need divine strength to get through each day. But we cannot walk in divine power if we are not willing to ask God for help.
That is why we need to pray every day. God says in His word that we should ask, and it will be given to us.
But we need to keep on asking. Why? Jesus told us to do so through the story of the persistent widow. (Luke 18:1-8)
The deeper we go in prayer each day, the closer we draw to God. And when we draw near to God, He draws near to us.
This, in turn, causes us to become strong in our spirits. When our spiritual life is healthy, we end up being full of energy.
This causes us to be very productive in all that we do. So one of the great benefits of praying every day is divine strength.
4. Praying every day helps us to walk in Forgiveness.
People will offend us whether we like it or not. And we will offend other people knowingly or unknowingly.
You may be singing praises to God in your heart as you walk. Or you could be in your car listening to the word of God.
And someone offends you in traffic or along the road.
It is not that you were looking for trouble; it is more like trouble came looking for you. The worst bit is the person may not apologize.
Jesus said that we should forgive seventy times seven (Matthew 8:22). But let’s be honest, this is easier said than done.
Yet, it is not something we are asked to do when we feel like it. We need to forgive others because God has forgiven us.
The best way to deal with forgiveness is to pray. We need to ask God to grant us grace so that we may not offend others.
And ask Him to give us the strength to forgive those that will offend us in the day.
5. Provides Guidance.
God’s word tells us that many are our plans, but it is the plans of God that prevail.
Meaning we are better off when we walk according to the plans of God and not our own.
Not that walking in the plans of God will be easy or will cause you to have a smooth day.
No! But when you know that everything you are doing is for the glory of God, you will be full of contentment.
But how do you know the plans that God has for your life?
How will you be able to understand what God wants you to do each day? By spending time in prayer.
By spending time in God’s presence, we can hear His voice clearly and follow the leading of God.
Make it a daily habit to start your day with God. Ask Him to show you what He wants you to do.
It doesn’t mean that you cannot do other things like taking care of your family. God will reveal to you what to do and how to go about it.
6. Helps us to Walk in Obedience.
God does not expect us to pray when we feel like it. He wants us to pray every day irrespective of how we are feeling.
We can see this when Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. He doesn’t tell them when you feel like praying. Instead, He says, ‘and when you pray’ (Matthew 6:5).
The word ‘when’ shows us that God expects us to pray. Prayer is not something we should think about doing.
It is something we should always do. So we can say that when we pray every day, we are actually walking in obedience.
But how does obedience fit in the benefits of praying every day, you may ask?
When we walk in obedience to God, He opens the floodgates of heaven and blesses us.
7. Helps us to Pour our Hearts out to God.
Have you ever felt misunderstood? It is like no one understands you.
They don’t know what you are going through or what you want. Well, the truth is some people may not understand you the way you want them to.
But there is one that understands what you are going through. One that is ready to listen to you without judging you.
He’s willing and ready to help you in whatever difficult situation that you are in right now. But He is waiting for you to turn and pour your heart to Him (Psalm 62:8).
See, daily prayer enables us to cast our burdens on God. It helps us tell Him our fears, limitations, shame, and hidden sins.
When we pour our hearts to God, He frees us from fear, guilt, and shame.
8. Praying Every day Enables us to walk in Power.
The early church used to walk in power. Peter’s shadow would heal people. Paul was able to heal people through handkerchiefs.
Philip was translated, and Stephen was not afraid to die because of his faith in Jesus?
But how were they able to walk in that kind of power, yet we serve the same God? It is because they dedicated their time to the word of God and prayer.
The good news is we can also walk in the power of God and do great exploits. We can do that by spending time in God’s presence.
Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, most of us don’t do it, and that is why the church is the way it is today.
Very few people walk in power because most of us have allowed the things of this world to distract us.
Let us stop looking at prayer as a chore. Let us look at it as a great way to spend time in the presence of God.
A time to enjoy His presence. When we look at it that way, we will be filled up with power. And do great things for the kingdom of God.
9. It is through Prayer that we Rebuke Evil.
The word of God tells us that we have an enemy.
An enemy that hates us because we are children of God. And he is keen on destroying our faith so that he can win our souls.
The moment you decided to become a child of God, you became the target of the enemy.
But thankfully, Jesus already won the battle at the cross. Much as the enemy is after you, remember that he is a defeated foe.
He cannot harm you unless you allow Him to. But, here is another vital thing to note. You need Jesus for you to walk in victory.
See, you cannot defeat Satan apart from Jesus. You need to commune with Jesus every day.
That way, He can show you how to walk in the victory He has already given you.
The enemy uses different strategies to attack us. It’s only through prayer that we can know the various strategies and how to counter them.
10. Praying Everyday Enables us to Build Intimacy with God.
Have a deep desire to become close to God?The truth is the best relationship that you can ever have is with God.
Not that it is bad to build intimacy with other people. But people will disappoint you, knowingly or unknowingly.
Your heavenly Father, on the other hand, will never disappoint you. He loves and cares for you so much and has your best interests at heart.
Praying every day will cause you to build a deep intimacy with God.
The more you spend time in God’s presence, the closer you become to Him. And when you are close to God, He will reveal His deep secrets to you.
God says in Jeremiah 33:3 that He will tell us great and marvelous things. But there is a condition attached to that promise.
That is, we need to call upon Him.
11. Invites God’s Favor in Your Life.
We live in a world where the wicked prospers, and the righteous are treated unjustly. We need God’s favor to accomplish His purposes on earth.
Praying every day enables us to ask God to surround us with His favor.
Praying every day will help you to find favor with God and man. Like Queen Esther, you will find favor to stand before the right people.
God will help you overcome challenges by granting you favor with people who can help you.
In truth:
There are times when we struggle to pray. It’s very easy to give up on prayer in such times and start looking for solutions elsewhere.
Understanding the benefits of praying every day in such times is essential.
The benefits will help you know that prayer works, and great things will happen when you pray every day.
You’ll not only get close to God, but you will also be able to walk in power.
Through prayer, you’ll be able to rebuke the devil, walk-in obedience, and divine strength.
It takes the help of God for us to forgive and walk in alignment with God’s will. That is why we need to pray without ceasing.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself enjoying prayer time instead of dreading it.
Don’t know how to pray? Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to do it.