Prayerful Dependence was the fourth key value we looked at in our Cross & Crown Values sermon series. As a church, we seek to prayerfully rely on our Sovereign God and not our own wisdom. Prayerful Dependence means placing our confidence in our Heavenly Father for all things, expressed through prayer. We first considered some reasons why Christians may struggle to depend on the Father through prayer. Looking back at the fall in Genesis 3, we were reminded of humanity’s tendency toward self-reliance and how prayerlessness is a sin problem at its core. Yet through the Gospel, believers receive the privilege of being children of God and being heard by our Heavenly Father. We also saw that the biblical perspective on prayer encourages us to pray according to God’s overarching will and purposes as revealed in Scripture, with the assurance that He hears us and accomplishes His purposes for His glory. We can cherish Prayerful Dependence by trusting in our Father’s loving sovereignty, relying on Him for all things, and being constant in prayer, for our Heavenly Father welcomes our prayers.
