5 Biblical Results of an Active Prayer Life

What are five results of having an active prayer life? Can you think of some others?

Staying in Fellowship With God

One thing about an active prayer life is that you stay in fellowship with God. For those who have repented and put their trust in God, they already have a relationship as a child of His (1 John 3:10, Galatians 3:26). But when we abide in daily prayer with God, we connect with Him in an intimate way that is closer than that of best friends. There is joy in knowing that God hears our prayers and that He is interested in having an intimate relationship with us.

We Are Cleansed by God

In 1 John 1:9 it says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we confess our sins to God, we have the assurance that He will cleanse us from all our sins and we will remain in a right standing before God. To confess means that we agree with God about our sins. Since God already knows about our sins anyway, why not confess them and have a clean conscience? There’s something refreshing in knowing that when we’re forgiven, we’re made whiter than snow in God’s sight (Psalm 51:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Life Changes With Prayer

James says that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16b). I have seen direct results to my prayers and have heard dozens and dozens of testimonies of answered prayers that changed lives. Why not tap into the very power of God and pray earnestly for what is on your heart? You might be praying for a lost friend or family member, for a new job, for someone or yourself to have a restoration of health. Life changes when we pray to God, and it is not that we change God’s mind but that God’s mind changes us.

More Biblical Wisdom

Once again James speaks about prayer, but this time he tells us that we ought to pray for godly wisdom, which we all need. James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). Solomon prayed for wisdom, “And God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you’” (1 Kings 3:11-12).

More Laborers for the Harvest

I know this prayer works where Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). It seems there were few, if any, laborers in our church; and for five years I prayed for other laborers to enter into the harvest with me, as I usually had to go by myself. But after a few years, God not only sent a fellow laborer to go with me, He opened a door for a prison ministry where men came to me seeking to go with me out into the streets and door to door to enter into the harvest. Indeed, there are few laborers and there is such a great harvest; so pray for God to send forth more laborers and He will.

Conclusion

God is willing to hear our prayers and wants to answer them to not only change our lives but to change the lives of those around us, if only we would ask (James 4:2). God wants to change our lives and have us see the results of an active prayer life. It is up to us but only if we are willing to seek Him daily.