Leading The Way - Devotional for April 24
April 24, 2026
Guiding Our Prayer Lives
By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.
Have you ever noticed that when you are ready to pray, the phone rings or somebody knocks on your door? How often is your prayer time disturbed by things on your to-do list, with daydreams, or with sleepiness?
Prayer is the most important thing we can do as believers. Through prayer, we communicate with our heavenly Father. We also learn more about Him when we pray. We grow in our faith through prayer. When we pray, we find the encouragement, the strength, and the power we need to face life. In fact, Jesus made it clear that we either pray or we will spiritually faint. In the midst of the confusion and chaos of the world, even in the end times, Jesus calls us to always pray and not give up praying (see Luke 18:1).
Satan, however, seeks to interfere with the sacred intimacy of prayer. He did not want Adam and Eve to communicate with God in the Garden of Eden, nor does Satan want us to communicate with God. Rather, he seeks to find ways of making us spiritually weak. He knows that prayer is our vital source of power and strength.
When you receive good news or something wonderful happens in your life, do you immediately thank the Lord? Many of us pray only when we are facing a problem. We cry out to the Lord in our pain, but we often fail to praise Him in times of joy. This is when we realize that we have not made prayer part of our daily lives.
Prayer is not to inform, to persuade, to manipulate, or to cajole God. It is the evidence of our love, surrender, obedience, and sincerity before God. He wants to commune with us. When you understand prayer is joyous, intimate fellowship with the Lord, you will want to make prayer a consistent part of your life.
Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for neglecting prayer and time with You. Thank You for blessing me with an intimate relationship with You. Help me never to neglect my time with You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon series Call on Me: LISTEN NOW
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