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C-101 How to Pray

Let's start off with what is prayer

 

  • A solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship
    • - I'll say a prayer for him
    • - a commitment to a life of holiness through prayer and Bible-reading
  • A religious service, esp. a regular one, at which people gather in order to pray together
    • - 500 people were detained as they attended Friday prayers
  • An earnest hope or wish
    • - it is our prayer that the current progress on human rights will be sustained

 

The act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving); "the priest sank to his knees in prayer"

 Watch the video above on How NOT to pray..follow by a wonderful example of what prayer should be.

 

 

So how do I pray effectively?

Yet contrary to what many believe, the Bible doesn’t encourage long prayers. Instead, the effectiveness of one’s prayers is emphasized. An effective prayer life indicates we are praying for the things God wants us to pray for. That means that our prayer life is a reflection of our relationship with God. How effective are your prayers?

Here is a audio sermon on How to Pray Effectively

Why pray?

It was Howard Hendricks who, several years ago in a message at a pastor’s conference, called our attention to the fact that if we were to open our Bibles and read starting with Matthew and were to read through John we would never find an instance where the disciples asked, “Lord teach us how to witness,” or “teach us how to perform miracles,” or “teach us how to teach.” But in this passage, we do find one of the disciples asking, “Lord, teach us to pray . . .” Wow! How significant! More on principles of Prayer

A Greater Prayer

 

Jesus not only warns us how not to pray (long, public prayers to impress others), He also shows us how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer provides some critical elements that should become part of our everyday conversations with God, such as praise, confession, and prayers for sustenance and protection. The prayer was not one that Jesus Himself prayed, and it is not one that we should merely recite as a sort of ritual. Instead, it demonstrates the utter dependence upon the Father that each of us should know. In that way, the Lord’s Prayer becomes our prayer. Audio

 

Is there a suggest way to pray? 

The A.C.T.S. of Prayer

“Pray??” “I don’t know what to say.” “Talk to God?” “I don’t know what to talk about.” If we haven’t said this we surely have felt it. The following is a topical outline for the content of our prayers, whether public or private. Knowing what to talk about can not only help us get started in praying but also can us have the right content and balance in our praying. The order is very important. Don’t miss the message in the order of the points of the outline. “Supplication” or requesting from God is the last thing not the first thing and surely not the only thing in our prayers. God is not a cosmic bell hop to supply our desires. We are to first “adore” Him for Who He is and then “confess” that we are unworthy and then “thank” Him for what He has done, is doing, and has promised to do. Then if we have something that we desire, as we abide in Christ, we ask or “supplicate” our loving and generous God for those things in the will of God. This acrostic is easily remember, even when we are praying with our eyes shut.

Adoration

“Adoration may be defined the homage rendered to God in the immediate view of his majesty, blessedness and glory, filling ;the soul with corresponding emotions of veneration and awe.” Palmer

Ex 15:11-- “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

Ps 104:1,2-- “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. 2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:”

“Oh, the selfishness of the thought which restricts prayer to mere petition! Shall nothing drive us to God but the pressure of want? Shall we think of him only when we are hungry, and forget him when we are full?..Is there nothing attractive in the character of Jehovah Himself to draw us with the power of a magnet?” Palmer

Confession

Confession means “speaking together”-- relating to sin, it means that we agree with God about our sin. To confess our sins is to acknowledge the Sovereignly of God. A true Christian will be grieved when he sees sin in his life and will agree with God that it is sin ;and he will turn from it.

Ps 51:4--“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”

Lk 18:13--“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”

Ja 5:16--“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Ac 19:18--“And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.”

Thanksgiving

To give thanks is to acknowledge benefit received and express gratitude.

Co. 4:2-- “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”

1 Th 5:18-- “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

1 Co 1:4-- “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ..”

2 Co 9:15-- “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”

Ro 1:21-- “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Supplication

Supplication is prayer as the expression of need. Sometimes our need is an indication of what God wants to do us.

Ps 55:1--“Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.”

Ph 4:6-- “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

John 15:7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

 

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