Effective Prayer

Prayer

Prayer refers to the multifaceted communication of believers with the Lord God. In addition to such words as "prayer" and "praying," this activity is described as calling upon God (Psalm 17:6), calling upon the name of the lord (Genesis 4:26), crying unto the lord (Psalm 3:4), lifting up one's soul unto God (Psalm 25:1), seeking the lord (Isaiah 55:6), coming boldly unto the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), and drawing near to God (Hebrews 10:22).

Reasons for prayer

The Bible provides some clear reasons why believers ought to pray.

1. First and foremost, believers are commanded by God to pray. The command to pray comes from the lips of psalmists (I Chronicles. 16:11; Psalm 105:4), prophets (Isaiah 55:6; Amos 5:4,6), apostles (Ephesians 6:17-18; Colossians 4:2; I Thessalonians 5:17), and the Lord Jesus Himself (Matthew 26:41; Luke 18:1; John 16:24). God desires our fellowship; by prayer we maintain our relationship with Him.
   
   
2. Prayer is the necessary link to receiving God's blessings and power, and the ful­fillment of His promises. Numerous Bible passages illustrate this principle. Jesus, for example, promised that His followers would receive the Holy Spirit if they persisted in asking, seeking, and knocking at the door of their heavenly Father (Luke 11:5-13). Thus, after Jesus' ascension, His followers continually devoted themselves to prayer in the upper room until with power the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:8; Acts 1:14; Acts 2:1-4).When the apostles gathered together after their arrest and release by the Jewish authorities, they prayed earnestly for the Holy Spirit to give them boldness and influence when speaking His word. "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31). The apostle Paul frequently requested prayers on his behalf, knowing that his work would not be successful unless Christians were praying for him (Romans 15:30-32; II Corinthians 1:11; Ephesians 6:18-20; Philemon 1:19; Colossians 4:3-4). James states explicitly that physical healing can come to the believer in response to "the prayer of faith" (James 5:14-15).
   
   
3. In His plan of salvation for humankind, God has ordained that believers be co-workers with Him in the redemptive process. In some respects God has limited Himself to the holy, believing, persevering prayers of His people. There are many things that will not be accomplished in God's kingdom without the intercessory prayers of believers (Exodus 33:11). For example, God desires to send forth workers into the gospel harvest; Christ teaches that this will only be accomplished to God's full purpose through the prayers of His people: "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:38). In other words, God's power to accomplish many of His purposes is released only through the earnest and effectual prayers of His people on behalf of the progress of His kingdom. If we fail to pray, we may actually be hindering the accomplishment of God's redemptive purpose, both for ourselves as individuals and for the church as a body.

Requirements of effective praying

Several conditions must be met for our prayers to be effective.

1. Our prayers will not be answered unless we have a sincere, true faith. Jesus states explicitly: "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24). To the father of a demon-possessed boy, He spoke these words: "all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23). The author of Hebrews exhorts us to draw near to God "with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22), and James encourages us to ask of God "in faith, nothing wavering" (James 1:6; James 5:15).
   
   
2. Prayer must also be made in Jesus' name. Jesus Himself expressed this principle when He said: "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14). Our prayers should be made in harmony with the person, character, and will of our Lord (John 14:13).
   
   
3. Prayer can only be effective if it is made according to the perfect will of God: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us" (1 John 5:14). One of the petitions in Jesus' model prayer, the Lord's Prayer, confirms this: "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2; note Jesus' own prayer in Gethsemane, Matthew 26:42). In many instances we know God's will because He has revealed it to us in the Scriptures. We can be sure that any prayer that is truly based upon the promises of God in His Word will indeed be effective. Elijah was certain that the Lord God of Israel would answer his prayer with fire and later with rain because the prophetic word of the Lord had come to him (I Kings 18:1), and he was fully confident that none of the heathen gods was greater than or even as powerful as the Lord God of Israel (I Kings 18:21-24). At other times God's will becomes clear only as we earnestly seek to de­termine what it is. Then once we know His will about any given issue, we can pray with confidence and faith that God will answer (I John 5:14).
   
   
4. Not only must we pray according to God's will, but we must be in God's will if we expect Him to hear and answer us. God will give us the things we ask for only if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Mat. 6:33). The apostle John unequivocally states: "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight" (I John 3:22). Obeying God's commandments, loving Him, and pleasing Him are indispensable conditions for receiving answers to prayer. When James wrote that the prayers of the righteous are effectual, he meant both a person who has been made righteous by faith in Christ and one who is living a righteous, God-fearing, and obedient life—such as the prophet Elijah (James 5:16-18; Psalm 34:13-14). Already in the Old Testament this same point is stressed. God made clear that Moses' prayers on behalf of the Israelites were effective because of his obedient relationship with the Lord and his loyalty to Him (Exodus 33:17). Conversely, the psalmist claims that if we cherish sin in our lives, "the Lord will not hear" our prayers (Psalm 66:18; James 4:3). This sort of attitude was the main reason why the Lord turned his ear away from the prayers of the idolatrous and wicked Israelites (Isaiah 1:15). But if God's people repent of their sins and turn from their wicked ways, the Lord promises to again turn His ear toward them, forgive their sins, and heal their land (II Chronicles 7:14; II Chronicles 6:36-39; Luke 18:14). Note that the prayer of the high priest for the forgiveness of the sins of the Israelites on the Day of Atonement would not be heard until his own sinful condition had been cleansed (Exodus 26:33).
   
   
5. Finally, for prayer to be effective we must be persistent. This is the main point of the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-7; 18:1). Jesus' instruction to "ask . . . seek . . . knock" (Matthew 7:7-8) teaches perseverance in prayer (Mat. 7:7-8). The apostle Paul also admonishes us to be steadfast in prayer (Colossians 4:2; I Thessalonians. 5:17). Likewise, the Old Testament saints recognized this principle. For example, only as long as Moses persevered in prayer with his hands lifted toward God were the Israelites successful in their battle against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:11). After Elijah received the prophetic word that rain was coming, he still persisted in prayer until the rain came (I Kings 18:41-45). On a previous occasion, this great prophet had persistently and earnestly prayed for God to give life back to the dead son of the widow of Zarephath until the Lord answered his prayer (I Kings 17:17-23).

Scriptural elements and methods of effective praying

What elements constitute effective prayer?

1. To pray effectively, we must praise and adore God (Psalm 150; Acts 2:47; Romans 15:11).
   
   
2. Closely related and equally important is thanksgiving to God (Psalm 100:4; Matthew 11:25-26; Philemon 4:6).
   
   
3. Sincere confession of known sins is essential to the prayer of faith (James 5:15-16; Psalm 51; Luke 18:13; I John 1:9).
   
   
4. God also instructs us to petition Him according to our needs; as James writes, we do not receive the things we want because we do not ask, or we ask with wrong motives (James 4:2-3; Psalm 27:7-12; Matthew 7:7-11; Philemon 4:6).
   
   
5. And we must pray fervently for others (Numbers 14:13-19; Psalm 122:6-9; Luke 22:31-32; 23:34).
   
   

How ought we to pray?

Jesus emphasizes the sincerity of our heart, for we are not heard simply for our empty words (Matthew 6:7). We can pray silently (I Samuel. 1:13) or we can pray out loud (Nehemiah 9:4; Ezekiel 11:13). We can pray in our own words or using the words of the Scriptures. We can pray with the mind or we can pray with the Spirit (i.e., in tongues, I Corinthians 14:14-18). We can even pray by groaning, (not using any human words) (Romans 8:26), knowing that the Spirit will bring those inaudible requests to the Lord. Yet another method of praying is singing to the Lord (Psalm 92:1-2; Ephesians 5:19-20; Colossians 3:16). Earnest prayer to the Lord will at times be accompanied with fasting (Ezra 8:21; Nehemiah 1:4; Daniel.. 9:3-4; Mark 9:29; Luke 2:37; Acts 14:23; Matthew 6:16).

What posture is appropriate for prayer?

The Bible records praying while:

• standing (I Kings 8:22; Nehemiah 9:4-5)
• sitting (I Chronicles 17:16; Luke 10:13)
• kneeling (Ezra 9:5; Daniel 6:10; Acts 20:36)
• lying on a bed (Psalm 63:6)
• bowing down to the ground (Exodus 34:8; Psalm 95:6)
• lying upon the ground (II Sam. 12:16; Matthew 26:39)
• lifting up hands to heaven (Psalm 28:2; Isaiah 1:15; I Timothy 2:8).

Examples of effective praying

The Bible is filled with examples of prayers that were powerful and effective.

1. Moses had numerous intercessory prayers that God answered, even when He had told Moses that He would follow a different course of action.
   
   
2. A repentant Samson prayed for one more opportunity to fulfill his life's task of defeating the Philistines; God answered this prayer by giving him strength to pull down the pillars of the building in which they were celebrating the power of their gods (Judges 16:21-30).
   
   
3. The prophet Elijah had at least four powerful prayers answered, all of which brought glory to the God of Israel (I Kings 17-18; James 5:17-18).
   
   
4. King Hezekiah became sick and was told by Isaiah that he would die (II Kings 20:1; Isaiah 38:1). Feeling his life and work were incomplete, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed intensely for God to give him more time. God sent Isaiah back to Hezekiah, assuring him of healing and fifteen more years of life (II Kings 20:2-6; Isaiah 38:2-6).
   
   
5. Daniel undoubtedly prayed to the Lord in the den of lions, asking for deliverance from their mouths, and the Lord granted his request (Daniel 6:10,16-22).
   
   
6. The early Christians prayed earnestly for Peter's release from prison, and God sent an angel to free him (Acts 12:3-11; Acts 12:5). Such examples should fill us with holy desire and faith to pray effectively according to the principles outlined in the Scriptures.