PRAYER

“more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”

The most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.

Prayer is the primary way for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with
God and to fellowship with God.Prayer is the channel of communication between our souls and
God.That God is willing and ready to hear and to respond to our heartfelt prayers under all
circumstances is profoundly reassuring.

God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children.... Why should the
sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock
heaven’s storehouse where are treasured the boundless resources of omnipotence?” (Steps to Christ,
94, 95). Pr 1.7

All prayer must be offered in faith (James 1:6), in the name of the Lord Jesus (John 16:23), and in the
power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). Prayer is described in the Bible as:

Seeking God’s favor (Exodus 32:11)

Pouring out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15),

Crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles 32:20),

Drawing near to God (Psalm 73:28, KJV), and

Kneeling before the Father (Ephesians 3:14).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).

We can pray under any and all circumstances. “Pray without ceasing.”(1Thes5:17).

Prayer is not seeking our own will but seeking to align ourselves with the will of God more fully (1 John
5:14–15; James 4:3).

God’s house is to be a house of prayer (Mark 11),and God’s people are to be people of prayer:Dear
friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves
in God’s love” (Jude 1:20–21).

There is no time or place in which it is inappropriate to offer up a petition to God. There is nothing that
can prevent us from lifting up our hearts in the spirit of earnest prayer.(Nehemiah).
Every sincere prayer is heard in heaven. It may not be fluently expressed; but if the heart is in it, it will
ascend to the sanctuary where Jesus ministers, and He will present it to the Father without one
awkward, stammering word, beautiful and fragrant with the incense of His own perfection. Pr 13.3

Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. The eye of faith will discern God very near, and
the suppliant may obtain precious evidence of the divine love and care for him.—(Gospel Workers, 34,
35.)

Religion must begin with emptying and purifying the heart, and must be nurtured by daily prayer.—
(Testimonies for the Church 4:535

Prayer is the life of the soul, the foundation of spiritual growth.Day by day, morning and evening, the
humble heart needs to offer up prayers to which will be returned answers of grace and peace and joy.
True prayer takes hold upon Omnipotence and gives us the victory. Upon his knees the Christian obtains
strength to resist temptation.—(Testimonies for the Church 4:615, 616.) Pr 21.4

Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, “Take me,
O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and
let all my work be wrought in Thee.”

Now the day of God is nearer than when we first believed, and we should be more earnest, more
zealous, and fervent than in those early days. Our perils are greater now than then. Souls are more
hardened.We should go to Jesus and tell Him all our needs. We may bring Him our little cares and
perplexities as well as our greater troubles. Whatever arises to disturb or distress us, we should take it
to the Lord in prayer. Fidelity, and serenity of mind, can only be retained by watchfulness and prayer.—
(Messages to Young People, 80.) Pray, yes, pray as you have never prayed before, that you may not be
deluded by Satan’s devices, that you may not be given up to a heedless, careless, vain spirit, and attend
to religious duties to quiet your own conscience.—(Testimonies for the Church 2:144.) Pr 29.1

Ask for humility, wisdom, courage, increase of faith, that you may see light in God’s light and rejoice in
His love.—(The Ministry of Healing, 513.) Pr 32.4

To every sincere prayer an answer will come. It may not come just as you desire, or at the time you look
for it; but it will come in the way and at the time that will best meet your need.

Even though the Lord knows and hears all, He has given some circumstances in which He will not listen
to our prayers:

1. When we are choosing to hold on to sin, rather than repent and change, God will not hear our
prayers. Isaiah 1:15.

2.When we ask according to our own selfish desires, God will not hear our prayers. James 4:3

3.When what we ask is not in accordance with His will for us. First John 5:14

4. When we do not ask in faith. In Mark 11:24 ,(1 John 5:14–15).

There are conditions to the fulfillment of God’s promises, and prayer can never take the place of duty.
“If ye love Me,” Christ says, “Keep My commandments.Those who bring their petitions to God, claiming
His promise while they do not comply with the conditions, insult Jehovah.

There are two kinds of prayer—the prayer of form and the prayer of faith.The repetition of set,
customary phrases when the heart feels no need of God, is formal prayer.

But the prayer that comes from an earnest heart, when the simple wants of the soul are expressed just
as we would ask an earthly friend for a favor, expecting that it would be granted—this is the prayer of
faith. All my desire is before Thee,” said David, “and my groaning is not hid from Thee.” “My soul
thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” “When I remember
these things, I pour out my soul in me.psalm42:2”—(Testimonies for the Church 4:534, 535.)

Why Does God Want Us to Pray?

1.God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in
him can increase. 3

2.Prayer brings us into deeper fellowship with God, and he loves us and delights in our fellowship with
him.

3. In3 prayer God allows us as creatures to be involved in activities that are eternally important. When
we pray, the work of the kingdom is advanced3

How exactly does prayer work?

1.PRAYER CHANGES THE WAY GOD ACTS.james 4:2Ex 32:9-14.

2. Effective Prayer Is Made Possible by Our Mediator, Jesus Christ. The only prayers that he has
promised to “hear” in the sense of listening with a sympathetic ear and undertaking to answer when
they are made according to his will, are the prayers of Christians offered through the one mediator,
Jesus Christ (cf. John 14:6). 3

3.PRAY IN JESUS NAME!To come in the name of someone means that another person has authorized us
to come on his authority, not on our own.3Acts 3:6),3Acts 4:7.Praying in Jesus’ name is therefore prayer
made on his authorization.The name of Jesus represents all that he is, his entire character. This means
that praying “in Jesus’ name” is not only praying in his authority, but also praying in a way that is
consistent with his characterthat truly represents him and reflects his manner of life and his own holy
will.In this sense, to pray in Jesus’ name comes close to the idea of praying “according to his will” (1 John
5:14–15).43

jhn 2:23,Jhn 1413-14,jhn 15:16,jhn16:23-24,eph 5:20.

5.THE ROLE OF HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR PRAYING. Romans 8:26–27 4The word does not

indicate that the Holy Spirit prays instead of us, but that the Holy Spirit takes part with us and makes our
weak prayers effective.Thus, such sighing or groaning in prayer is best understood to be sighs or groans
which we utter, expressing the desires of our heart and spirit, which the Holy Spirit then makes into
effective prayer.To pray “in the Holy Spirit,” then, is to pray with the conscious awareness of God’s
presence surrounding us and sanctifying both us and our prayers. Eph 6:18,jude 20.4

SOME IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION IN EFFECTIVE PRAYER.

1.Praying according to GOD's will.(1jhn 5:14-15,Mat 6:10,Mat 26:39

We are to seek for perfect obedience to God’s moral will on earth so that God’s will may be done “on
earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). For this reason knowledge of Scripture is a tremendous help in
prayer, enabling us to follow the pattern of the first Christians who quoted Scripture when they prayed
(see Acts 4:25–26). The regular reading and memorization of Scripture, cultivated over many years of a
Christian’s life, will increase the depth, power, and wisdom of his or her prayers. Jesus encourages us to
have his words within us as we pray, for he says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you ask
whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).4

2.PRAYING WITH FAITH.Mark 11:24)4In fact, Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the assurance of things
hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Biblical faith is never a kind of wishful thinking or a vague
hope that does not have any secure foundation to rest upon. It is rather trust in a person, God himself,
based on the fact that we take him at his word and believe what he has said. This trust or dependence
on God, when it has an element of assurance or confidence, is genuine biblical faith.4Mat 21:22,james
1:6.Prayer is never wishful thinking, for it springs from trust in a personal God who wants us to take him
at his word. 4

3.OBEDIENCE:Since prayer is a relationship with God as a person, anything in our lives that displeases
him will be a hindrance to prayer4Ps. 66:18). prov. 15:8),(Prov. 15:29), (Prov. 28:9). (1Peter 3:12). (1
John 3:21–22)4Now this teaching must not be misunderstood. We do not need to be freed from sin
completely before God can be expected to answer our prayers.

When we come before God through hisgrace, we come cleansed by the blood of Christ (Rom. 3:25; 5:9;
Eph. 2:13; Heb. 9:14; 1 Peter 1:2). Yet we must not neglect the biblical emphasis on personal holiness of
life. Prayer and holy living go together. 4

4.CONFESSION OF SINS.Mat 6:12,1jhn 1:9,psa 19:12,jam 5:16.

5.FORGIVING OTHERS:Mat 6:14-15Mar 11:25,

6.HUMILITY:james4:6,1pet 5:5,jam 4:10

forty days before God for the people of Israel (Deut. 9:25–26; 10:10–11), and just as

Jacob said to God, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me” (Gen. 32:26), so we see

in Jesus’ life a pattern of much time given to prayer.luke 5:16,6:1218:1-8,2corint 12:18,mark 14:39,1thes
5::17,Acts 6:4.

8.PRAYING EARNESTLY:Jesus himself, who is our model for prayer, prayed earnestly.

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries

and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly

fear”5 heb 5:7,Dan 9:19,Amos 7:2

9.WAITING ON THE LORD:After crying out to God for help in distress, David says,

“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the

LORD!” (Ps. 27:14). Similarly, he says, “But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O

LORD my God, who will answer” (Ps. 38:15). Ps 130:5-6,psa 40:1.5

10.PRAYING IN PRIVATE:Dan 6:10,luke 5:16,Mat 6:6,

Public Prayer Is Important But Not Sufficient by Itself—

Family or public prayer alone is not sufficient. Secret prayer is veryimportant; in solitude the soul is laid
bare to the inspecting eye of God, and every motive is scrutinized. Secret prayer! How precious! The
soul communing with God! Secret prayer is to be heard only by the prayer-hearing God. No curious ear
is to receive the burden of such petitions.—(Testimonies for the Church 2:189, 190).5

What are some hindrances to a potent prayer life?

The most obvious hindrance to effective prayer is the presence of unconfessed sins in the heart of the
one who is praying. Because our God is holy, there is a barrier that exists between Him and us when we
come to Him with unconfessed sin in our lives. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2). David concurred,
knowing from experience that God is far from those who try to hide their sin: "If I had cherished sin in
my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Psalm 66:18).

The Bible refers to several areas of sin that are hindrances to effective prayer. First, when we are living
according to the flesh, rather than in the Spirit, our desire to pray and our ability to effectively
communicate with God are hindered. Although we receive a new nature when we are born again, that
new nature still resides in our old flesh, and that old "tent" is corrupt and sinful. The flesh can gain
control of our actions, attitudes, and motives unless we are diligent to "put to death the deeds of the
body" (Romans 8:13) and be led by the Spirit in a right relationship with God. Only then will we be able
to pray in close communion with Him.

One way living in the flesh manifests itself is in selfishness, another hindrance to effective prayer. When
our prayers are selfishly motivated, when we ask God for what we want rather than for what He wants,
our motives hinder our prayers. "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask
anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14). Asking according to God's will is the same as
asking in submission to whatever His will may be, whether or not we know what that will is. As in all
things, Jesus is to be our example in prayer. He always prayed in the will of His Father: "Yet not my will,
but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Selfish prayers are always those that are intended to gratify our own
selfish desires, and we should not expect God to respond to such prayers. "When you ask, you do not
receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures"
(James 4:3).

Living according to selfish, fleshly desires will also hinder our prayers because it produces a hardness of
heart toward others. If we are indifferent to the needs of others, we can expect God to be indifferent to
our needs. When we go to God in prayer, our first concern should be His will. The second should be the
needs of others. This stems from the understanding that we are to consider others better than ourselves
and be concerned about their interests over and above our own (Philippians 2:3-4).

A major hindrance to effective prayer is a spirit of unforgiveness toward others. When we refuse to
forgive others, a root of bitterness grows up in our hearts and chokes our prayers. How can we expect
God to pour out His blessings upon us undeserving sinners if we harbor hatred and bitterness toward
others? This principle is beautifully illustrated in the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew
18:23-35. This story teaches that God has forgiven us a debt that is beyond measure (our sin), and He
expects us to forgive others as we have been forgiven. To refuse to do so will hinder our prayers.

Another major hindrance to effective prayer is unbelief and doubt. This does not mean, as some
suggest, that because we come to God convinced that He will grant our requests, He is somehow
obligated to do so. Praying without doubt means praying in the secure belief and understanding of God's
character, nature, and motives. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews
11:6). When we come to God in prayer, doubting His character, purpose, and promises, we insult Him
terribly. Our confidence must be in His ability to grant any request that is in accordance with His will and
purpose for our lives. We must pray with the understanding that whatever He purposes is the best
possible scenario. "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a
wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from
the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does" (James 1:6-7).

Finally, discord in the home is a definite obstacle to prayer. Peter specifically mentions this as a
hindrance to the prayers of a husband whose attitude toward his wife is less than godly. "Husbands, in
the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker
partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers" (1
Peter 3:7). Where there is a serious conflict in family relationships and the head of the household is not
demonstrating the attitudes Peter mentions, the husband's prayer communication with God is hindered.
Likewise, wives are to follow the biblical principles of submission to their husbands" headship if their
own prayers are not to be hindered (Ephesians 5:22-24).

Fortunately, all these prayer hindrances can be dealt with at once by coming to God in prayers of
confession and repentance. We are assured in 1 John 1:9 that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Once we have done that, we
enjoy a clear and open channel of communication with God, and our prayers will not only be heard and
answered, but we will also be filled with a deep sense of joy.