how to effectively pray
Have you ever been frustrated with your prayer life?
You know…you wonder if God hears you. He doesn’t seem to answer any of your prayers. You’re worried that you are doing something wrong and not in good standing with God.
If you want information on how to effectively pray, I present 5 steps to implement in your prayers that ensure you are following A Scriptural pattern.
But first, it’s important to realize that just because you may not see an answer to prayer does not mean you are praying the wrong way. We may not always understand what God is doing. Often, unanswered prayer is a timing issue.
One of the Bible messages I heard growing up that stood out to me outlined three of God’s responses to our prayers...
⦁ Yes
⦁ No
⦁ Wait
Another sermon I heard includes these four points:
⦁ No
⦁ Slow
⦁ Grow
⦁ Go
Similar to those above sermon points, www.suffolknewsherald.com, explains more about these answers from God:
“If ‘No’ is the response I receive, it could mean the thing I asked for is not good for me. “Slow” may mean what I’m praying for is good, but not right now. Hearing the word “Grow” may indicate I need to mature in certain areas of my life. And “Go” could mean it’s time to pursue my desired blessings.”
No, slow, grow or go - The Suffolk News-Herald
www.suffolknewsherald.com/2017/02/08/no-slow-grow-or-go/
In terms of why you may feel like your prayers aren’t effective, the following is an outline of a process during prayer time that you can follow to evaluate yourself spiritually and to make sure you have the right approach in your prayers.
You can use the information as a Scripture-based checklist. The acronym ACTOR should help you remember the points outlined below on how to effectively pray.
How to Effectively pray as outlined in the bible
1. acknowledgement of who god is
Nehemiah starts out his prayer like this…
Nehemiah 1:5 Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments.”
Hannah in 1 Samuel says in her prayer “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
Jeremiah’s prayer in Jeremiah chapter 32 starts out with: “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”
Acknowledging who God is keeps us in the mindset of worship and reverence, and also faith.
2. COnfession of Your sins
It’s important to include this part so you have clear lines of communication with Him.
Clearly, you find passages of Scripture that show that sin blocks prayers.
Among those passages is Psalm 66:17, which says “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”
In terms of how to effectively pray, it's a good idea to take some time to confess your sins before offering up petitions. Then, believe and receive God's gracious gift of forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ.
3. Thanksgiving in our prayers
Philippians 4:6 instructs us to offer up our petitions with thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to give thanks “in everything,” for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.
Practicing gratitude in our prayers helps us avoid getting into a pattern of grumbling and complaining like the Israelites did, which did not make God very happy.
Thank God first and foremost for what Christ has done at the cross and the gift of salvation.
4. Offering of petitions in the context of abiding in Christ
Philippians 4 also includes the instruction to offer up our petitions (with thanksgiving).
John 15:7 makes clear that abiding in Christ and letting His Words abide in you will lead to an effective prayer life (ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you). Note, however, that in the context of that passage, when we offer up petitions to God, His answers have to do with bearing fruit for His Kingdom and not promoting the satisfaction of selfish desires.
5. recitation of his promises in faith
Without faith it’s impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
In James chapter 1, we read that those who doubt are like waves of the sea tossed about by the wind. They are double-minded and unstable.
Some may struggle with going by feelings or what they see. The Christian journey is about faith. Keep on praying, even when you don’t see things happen right away. Such faith pleases God, as we read in the accounts of the Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-37) and the faith of the centurion (Luke 7:1-10).
I remember reciting Phil. 4:4-7 when I was feeling anxious. When I faced the situation and said those verses out loud, I was able to get through that period of time in peace.
Learn how to pray effectively with books by Pastor Kenneth scott
When you talk about the subject of how to effectively pray, it's hard for me not to think of a volume of books by Pastor Kenneth Scott, which are packed with prayers. One of the distinct aspects of Pastor Scott’s Christian, Bible-focused books is that they list numerous prayers which are taken directly from a wide range of Bible verses. At the end of the prayer sections in his books, he lists those verses. If you want to know how to pray effectively, it’s wise to pray the exact words of Scripture, which is divinely inspired.
Here is the volume of books by Pastor Scott and an outline of the Scripture-based prayers divided into categories...
1. The Weapons of our Warfare Volume
- Daily Prayers of Worship and Exaltation
- Prayers for Your Family and Marriage
- Prayers for Safety, Protection, and Rest
- Prayers for Healing and Physical Strength
- Prayers for Finances, Prosperity, and Needs
- Prayers for Directions—also for Help in Troubles
2. The Weapons of our Warfare Volume 2
- Prayers for Your Church and the Body of Christ
- Prayers for Your City, Nation, and Those in Authority
- Prayers for Other Individuals
- Prayers for the Salvation of Others
- Personal Prayers
- Prayers for Single Christians
- Prayers for Your Job, Your Business, or Meetings
3. The Weapons of our Warfare Volume 3
- Section 1—About Confessions
- Section 2—About Spiritual Authority
- Section 3---Confessions---using a list of verses/passages
4. The Weapons of our Warfare Volume 4--for Teens
- Prayers of Thanksgiving and Daily Prayers
- Prayers for Your Parents, Church, School, and the Nation
- Prayers for Needs and Special Requests
- Prayers for Salvation, Spiritual Growth, and Strength
- Prayers for Physical and Emotional Healing
- Prayers for Safety and Directions
- Prayers for Spiritual Help, Deliverance, and Forgiveness
He wrote several other books as well, including The Warfare of Fasting, The Warfare of Worship, Too Blessed to be Cursed, among others.
https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Our-Warfare-1/dp/1523286601
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When you pray, it's important to bear in mind that God has made a number of promises in His Word, albeit many are conditional (such as, we need to take steps to turn to Him, for example). For more on the broad categories of God's promises that you can confess in your prayers, go to:
https://www.encouragementscriptures.com/a-list-of-Gods-promises.html
For ways that God speaks--Hearing His voice--go to:
https://www.encouragementscriptures.com/hearing-the-voice-of-God-Scripture.html
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