When continual prayer becomes a part of our everyday lives, good things begin to happen. Here are three rewards to look forward to when you pray:

1. Selflessness. When I talk to people who pray on a regular basis, I hear this again and again. They enjoy praying, they look forward to praying because it takes the focus off of them. It’s a sign of how has God made us to serve others, that when we’re focused on ourselves for too long, we begin to feel a bit dirty. Praying is like washing the stink of self off of us because we intentionally pray for other people. We feel cleaner, we feel lighter, we feel healthier when it’s not all about us. Selflessness is an incredible reward for prayer.

2. Peace. A second reward for prayer is peace. The Bible makes this promise specifically in Philippians 4:6-7,

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When you pray, many times you pray because you’re anxious. You worry. Some of you think that worrying is a spiritual gift, but it’s not. When you pray, and when you pray the right way you experience peace, because you remind yourself that God is on his throne, that God is in charge, that God’s got all this, and you don’t need to worry. The insurance industry generates billions and billions of dollars a year and it all sells one primary thing: peace of mind. The Bible tells us that then we pray, we’ll have not just a peace of mind but a peace from God. That’s an incredible reward.

3. Answered prayer. The last reward is a long-term reward and it’s an incredible one. When we pray, the Sovereign God of the universe answers on our behalf. The more we consume the Word, the more our prayers will become biblical and the more answers we’ll begin to see. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 7.

11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11

God wants to give us good gifts, he wants to answer our prayers, but God can’t answer prayers that you don’t ask for. And remember he’s a good Father. Just like you’re a good parent and you wouldn’t give your kids a stick of dynamite even if they asked for it, God doesn’t just want to give you any gift you ask for, he wants to give you good gifts.

Do you want to know what to pray for and how to pray better? Consume the Word.