The Bible could be considered God’s way of speaking to His people. Prayer is how you
can speak to God.
Billions of people pray, but are they doing it the way God wants? The truth is, most pray
in a manner that is ineffective and the concept of prayer is greatly misunderstood.
Some believe prayer can only be done during church services or that they are expected
to pray in public. Others use a “spiritual aid” such as a rosary or crucifix at the
foot of a statue. Grieving relatives pray for the dead. Many insist there is a specific
series of words that must be repeated for God to hear them.
In a world filled with varying opinions, have you ever asked, How Should I Pray?
In the Book of John, Jesus prayed, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I
knew that You hear Me always.” How you pray is infinitely more important than most realize.
If you want your prayers to be heard and answered by God, learning certain principles will greatly
improve the effectiveness of your prayers.
Ask In Faith – The apostle Paul wrote, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for
he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him.” For God to answer your prayers, you must first know He exists
and that He will hear you. This takes faith.
Pray for God’s Will – The apostle John wrote, “This is the confidence that we have
in [God], that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us…” Some pray for
money, success, or a mate, but your requests must be centered on what God desires. God
knows what you need more than you do.
Keep God’s Law – “…whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments,
and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” If you do not obey God, He will
not listen to your prayers. Practicing sin keeps God’s face hidden from you. God seeks
to hear the prayers of those who submit to Him with a humble, repentant attitude.
In Matthew 6, Jesus taught His disciples, “…pray to your Father…in secret…”
and then He added, “…use not vain repetitions…” With this as a foundation, Jesus continued
with a prayer outline, also known as the Lord’s prayer: “After this manner therefore pray…”
The Greek word for “manner” means “in this way.” Contrary to popular belief,
Jesus was not telling them to simply recite this prayer over and over, verbatim. He was
giving them a guideline for meaningful, structured prayer.
Believe this: God wants to hear your prayers! And Prayer is only one of the Five Tools of
Christian Growth which include: Fasting, Meditation, Bible Study, and Exercising God’s Holy Spirit.
Prayer is vital to the spiritual life of a Christian. It is a personal, private conversation
between you and your Creator. These are just a few of the many principles to keep in mind
when you are on your knees before God.
For a deeper examination of prayer, visit rcg.org to read our free article, The Keys
to Dynamic Prayer. Also watch the World to Come broadcast “Dynamic Prayer—Bible Teaching
Made Plain!” to get a more expansive look at the many aspects of effective prayer. Our
website features a wide variety of free literature on many other biblical subjects for your study.
Remember, everything at rcg.org is absolutely free.