Leading The Way - Devotional for July 19
July 19, 2026
The Honor of Prayer
By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.
Jesus instructed us in the Lord’s Prayer to call God Father. Do you think of God as your loving, heavenly Father? Many people find this hard to do. The notion of calling God—who is holy and righteous—Father can be overwhelming. But it’s true. We can call Him Father because of the shed blood of Christ.
The Bible tells us that without the sacrificial death of Jesus, there can be no forgiveness. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we are redeemed and restored into right fellowship with God. When we place our faith in Christ, we can call God our Father. Indeed, “[t]he Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15-16).
Biblical repentance means accepting Christ’s free gift of salvation. When we repent, we have the power to overcome. He gives us new life—freedom from our past, strength to change our ways, and the right to come to God in prayer.
Charles Spurgeon explains the honor of prayer this way: “What a privilege is intimate communion with the Father of our spirits! It is a secret hidden from the world, a joy with which even the nearest friend intermeddleth not.”
Have you been crying out to God, feeling that He is not responding? Don’t give up. He hears you and will answer, for by Christ’s atoning blood, we can “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Prayer: Father, thank You for having compassion on me and for the joy of intimate communion with You. In trials, help me not to become discouraged but to find hope and even joy in my standing before you as your adopted, beloved child. I pray I will use the new life You have given me to honor You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon The Prayer That God Answers, Our Heavenly Father: LISTEN NOW
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Watch Dr. Michael Youssef on this week's broadcast of Leading The Way at LightSource.com.
