Prayer is a Christian’s communication with God in spirit and in truth. It is a Christian’s most intimate form of worship of God. We are told in John 4:24 that God is spirit, and therefore we’re to worship (and pray) to Him in spirit and truth.
Many Christians today struggle with prayer. For whatever reason, they feel guilty about not sincerely and regularly praying to God. Consequently, they are uncomfortable and dissatisfied with their Christian life.
Christians struggle with prayer probably because they do not know HOW to pray. The Bible obligates us to pray to God. However, we should be advised not to pray until we are sincere and have the will of God in mind. This article discusses prayer to God from a Christian perspective and is intended to help Christians who are struggling with their prayer lives.
Let me say something before we discuss how to pray. The Bible does not give us a position or posture for praying. Any position is probably okay. But I must emphasize to you that the thing you must show in coming to the Lord is your attitude. It should be an attitude of humility and respect. We wouldn’t think of going before a king today without showing respect for the office. How much more should we show the ruler and creator of everything! So, however you are dressed and in whatever position you are in, show the utmost in humility and respect for your God to whom you pray.
One of the best Places to read prayers written by other Christians is the Bible. For example, Hannah’s song and Mary’s Magnificat and the Book of Psalms, with all the prayers from David and others. Christians can learn how to express themselves before God regarding adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. This will help believers form the appropriate language for their prayer life.
There are over 500 passages in the Bible that discuss prayer, praying, etc. According to the Bible, Christians want to pray, and Bible teachers are expected to teach Christians how to pray (Luke 11:1). But the Bible teaches that unbelievers have no desire to pray (Ps. 10:4).
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:6 to pray alone to our Father. He teaches us how to pray in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:9–13). We are taught to pray to our Father who is located in heaven, and that we should state that His name is holy, venerable, revered, and sacred. We should pray that God’s kingdom and His will be manifested on Earth, just as they are in heaven. In verse eleven, we are told to pray that God will provide us provisions for our physical life here on Earth. We are then told to ask God to forgive us for our transgressions against him, and we confirm that we have forgiven others for transgressions against us. Then Christians are told to ask God not to allow us to be led into temptation by the devil, and we are taught to ask God to deliver us from Satan himself and his actions.
The Lord’s Prayer, which is found in Matthew 6:9-13, and an abbreviated version, which is found in Luke 11:2–4, are not intended to be repeated in church worship services as a prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is Jesus ‘ explanation of how believers should pray. It is not a prayer in and of itself. It is simply Jesus’ way of teaching the disciples and Christians about how to pray.
Some Christians today use the acrostic A.C.T.S., which stands for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. This acrostic roughly adheres to what Jesus taught in The Sermon on the Mount.
In the ACTS acrostic, adoration means exalting God and glorifying him in everything He does. Confession is when we confess our sins and promise God that we have repented of them. Thanksgiving involves Christians telling God that we are very thankful for all the blessings and actions that He has taken on our behalf. And the last part of the acrostic, the supplication, is where we ask God to help us with our needs and the needs of others.
Paul writes in Philippians 4:6, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” This verse includes two of the four points in the acrostic that we have discussed above. Also, an example of adoration in David’s song of praise is located in Psalm 103. And Christians are assured that God will hear their confessions and forgive them of their sins (1 John 1:9).
God will always answer the Christian’s prayers (1 John 5:14). It may not be the answer that we desire, but it will be His answer. His creatures cannot know the depth of His knowledge and wisdom (Rom. 11:33, 34, quoting Is. 40:13), but He will hear all our prayers and take appropriate action if it is required.
The Bible tells Christians to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This means they are always to be in a spirit of prayer. They should always be ready to petition God should the need arise during the day.
Prayer in spirit and in truth is the close and intimate way that Christians have to access God at any second of the day. This was given to believers by Jesus (2 Cor. 5:18, 19). We should take advantage of this opportunity whenever possible. But we still should have regular times during the day to pray to God.
Christians need to remember that when they pray, there is no chance that God will say yes if their prayer is not in accordance with God’s will. Scripture makes this plain when it says, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14). If God doesn’t will it, He will say no to a Christian’s prayer. As the apostle Peter has written, “For 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 3:12). The ‘righteous’ are those believers who follow God’s will. But, as the above verse tells us, the unbeliever’s prayers are not heard.
All believers must realize that until God has answered their prayer or given them an answer, it has not been granted; so they should continue to pray for it fervently (Col. 4:2). And to pray fervently is to pray like we mean it. We ought to have passion and be intense and zealous with our prayers. And the prayers of a Christian should not only be fervent but must also be according to the will of God, which is always righteous.
We are told in James 5:16b that “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” Our prayers to God, when offered in righteousness, are effectual. That does not mean that we will always get a yes. When we pray, it is up to God’s will whether we get a yes or a no. But for certain, we will always get prayers answered.
