I am so glad you have chosen to read our blog post today. Our post, “Faithful Prayer” has been written by my son, Stephen. Stephen presents with clarity and excellence the mode and necessity of prayer that a believer should involve himself with constantly. Pray that as you read today, the Lord will speak clearly to you concerning what changes you might need to make in your daily prayer life to enable you to be walking more fully according to His will for your life. Eric

Prayer, at its core, is communication with God. This spiritual practice involves speaking and listening, which are equally important in any form of two-way communication. Sometimes when we pray, we speak out loud to God. Praying out loud is important in private, but it is especially important when praying with other believers. When we pray together as the church, the practice is enhanced when we all pray together with one person leading and the others agreeing. This is one way that we act as and strengthen the unified body of Christ.

Other times, our prayers can be silent. As believers, our spirits reside in our bodies and God’s Spirit lives in us, too. Our spirits can speak to God’s Spirit even when our voices are silent. Silent prayer can happen while we are in private, while we are in a public situation where vocalized prayer would be inappropriate, and when we are agreeing with other believers who are leading a group prayer.

Prayer is an essential and necessary part of any Christian’s life. The importance of prayer in developing and maintaining a good relationship with God can’t be overstated. A relationship where one person tries to talk but the other person refuses to listen or respond is a very poor relationship. It can happen in different ways at different times, but the Bible gives us a set of guidelines that help us understand how to pray in an effective way.

In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus taught His disciples some principles about prayer. This is known as “the Lord’s Prayer” and is one of the Bible’s better-known passages. The prayer isn’t specifically intended to be prayed word for word, though it can be. It is designed as a model that shows us principles that we should follow when we pray. The most basic principles of this prayer can be broken down this way:

“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy”

We should recognize that God, our heavenly Father, is the one we pray to and that He hears our prayers. Not only should we acknowledge that He is above all creation on His throne in heaven, but His holiness and sovereignty deserve recognition and reverence.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Our desire should be for God’s kingdom, to see it grow as more people embrace the gospel of Jesus and to do the will of the King. Our prayers should reflect this as we ask for God’s guidance and to know His will better.

“Give us this day our daily bread”

Our prayers should include the request for the daily provision we need to live: food, shelter, and clothing. Also, we should pray as we read scripture that God’s Spirit would reveal His truth and feed us with His word.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”

We should pray that as God’s nature grows in us, we would be able to forgive others the same way that He forgives us.

“lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”

It is good that we follow God in obedience well enough that we can avoid situations that bring unnecessary temptation. Also, it is good to pray that God will act on our behalf to defend us from the evil that exists in the world, both spiritual and physical.

Many people mistakenly believe that prayer is a mechanism for getting the things we want. In this misunderstanding, God is the vending machine that holds the money, cars, jobs, etc., that will make us happy and prayers are the coins we insert to get those things. It’s true that God lovingly provides for our daily needs and often He blesses us with abundance but praying with our hearts set on our own pleasure or other selfish desires makes our prayers ineffective.

“Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” – James 4:2-3

That doesn’t mean that it’s improper to request good things that we would like to have or to see. It’s good to pray that God would heal people who are sick. It’s good to pray that we and others are comforted when there is fear or mourning. It’s even a good thing to pray that God would provide money to pay the bills if funds haven’t been available. Effective prayers aren’t said with selfish motivation but are said with the motivation of seeing God exalted and honored through His answer to those prayers.

We can come to God with our requests in prayer as we would approach a loving father who is interested in listening and blessing His children. When we need something, instead of being afraid we will be left to fend for ourselves, we should ask God for those things. While asking God to do something we would like Him to do is a part of prayer, we should also thank Him for the things He has already done for us.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

In our modern culture there is a strong focus on self, but prayer should be focused less on self and more on others. We should pray for the people around us. Especially our Christian brothers and sisters. We should pray for other Christians who we may not have direct contact with but are in need or under persecution. We should pray for government leaders that they would seek Godly wisdom when making decisions and that they would choose to seek the welfare of those they govern. One of the hardest prayers the Bible instructs us to pray is to pray for our enemies. We should pray that they come to seek and find salvation through Jesus and that they would join us in peace as brothers and sisters.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” – Ephesians 6:18

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-2

When we do pray with ourselves in mind, we should pray that God would give us wisdom. That way, we will learn to do what is wise in our own lives and in helping others. We should pray that God would show us more of His nature and help it to grow in us. It’s important to pray that we would learn to hear God’s voice more clearly and then spend time listening for it.

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.” – Colossians 1:9-11

When we pray honestly with our hearts set on God and those around us, our prayers are more effective. However, God resists those whose hearts have not repented from sin. The way we choose to behave and the attitude of our heart affects the way God hears and responds to prayer. When someone prays in a way instructed by scripture, but also chooses to continue living a life that is sinful and full of selfish desire, God may choose to ignore the request even if it’s made earnestly and is a prayer that would honor God if expressed correctly.

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” - 1 Peter 3:10-12

How often should we pray? The Bible says that we should always be praying. This can inspire thoughts of never leaving our bedside kneeling with our hands folded and eyes closed. There are times to kneel at our bedside with hands folded and eyes closed, but in truth, prayer is communicating with God and He is always with us. Always praying means that we should always be listening for God’s Spirit to speak and that we should talk with Him just as we would with anyone who is with us, wherever we go and whatever we are doing.

“Never stop praying.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17

This is not to say that we should pray flippantly or disrespectfully, but we should have the confidence to approach God as the loving father that He is. Let us all strive to live faithfully and pray more effectively.