"What is the right way to pray?"
Answer: Is it best to pray standing up, sitting down, kneeling, or bowing down? Should our hands be open, closed, or lifted up to God? Do our eyes need to be closed when we pray? Is it better to pray in a church building or out in nature? Should we pray in the morning when we get up or at night before we go to bed? Are there certain words we need to say in our prayers? How do we begin our prayers? What is the proper way to close a prayer? These questions, and others, are common questions asked about prayer. What is the proper way to pray? Do any of the above things even matter?
Far too often, prayer is viewed as a “magic formula.” Some believe that if we do not say exactly the right things, or pray in the right position, God will not hear and answer our prayer. This is completely unbiblical. God does not answer our prayers based on when we pray, where we are, what position our body is in, or in what order we word our prayers. We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 to have confidence when we come to God in prayer, knowing He hears us and will grant whatever we ask as long as it is in His will. Similarly, John 14:13-14 declares, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” According to these and many other Scriptures, God answers prayer requests based on whether they are asked according to His will and in the name of Jesus (to bring glory to Jesus).
So, what is the proper way to pray? Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to pray without being anxious, to pray about everything, and to pray with thankful hearts. God will answer all such prayers with the gift of His peace in our hearts. The proper way to pray is to pour out our hearts to God, being honest and open with God, as He already knows us better than we know ourselves. We are to present our requests to God, keeping in mind that God knows what is best and will not grant a request that is not His will for us. We are to express our love, gratitude, and worship to God in prayer without worrying about having just the right words to say. God is more interested in the content of our hearts than the eloquence of our words, although reading a book about prayer can help your prayer life.
The closest the Bible comes to giving a “pattern” for prayer is the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Please understand that the Lord’s Prayer is not a prayer we are to memorize and recite to God. It is an example of the things that should go into a prayer—worship, trust in God, requests, confession, and submission. We are to pray for the things the Lord’s Prayer talks about, using our own words and “customizing” it to our own journey with God. The proper way to pray is to express our hearts to God. Sitting, standing, or kneeling; hands open or closed; eyes opened or closed; in a church, at home, or outside; in the morning or at night—these are all side issues, subject to personal preference, conviction, and appropriateness. God’s desire is for prayer to be a real and personal connection between Himself and us.
According to the Bible, the power of prayer is, quite simply, the power of God, who hears and answers prayer.
The power of prayer does not come from us; it is not special words that we say or the way that they are said,
or how many times we repeat ourselves.
Prayer could be compared to talking with a close friend. The more you talk and listen to one another the closer your relationship becomes, That is what prayer with God is like.
Through prayer, Bible reading and daily devotionals. we can learn what God's will is for our lives. Like a Shepherd leading his sheep, through His word and His Spirit, we as Christians are led in a similar way.
You won't believe how many short prayers there are
right in the Bible that you might have never seen before?
Here are just a few of them...
(Click on link below scripture to see entire chapter)
Lord, help me to love others as you loved me.
Lord, help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me.
Lord, help me not to love the world neither the things that are in the world.
Lord, fill me with the fruit of the Spirit such love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
Lord, give me patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.
Lord, help me to grow in your grace and in your knowledge.
Lord, help me to honor you with my body.
Lord, help me to be swift to hear your Word.
Lord, set a watch over my mouth.
Lord, help me to love you with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind,
and with all my strength.
Lord, help me to give thanks in everything.
Lord, help me not to do any evil.
Lord, help me to acknowledge you in all my ways.
Lord, help me to love my wife even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it.
Lord, help me to submit myself unto my husband as unto you.
Lord, help me to obey my parents in you for this is right.
Lord, help me to seek your kingdom and your righteousness first.
Lord, help me not to enter into temptation.
Lord, help me to be merciful.
Lord, help me to be pure in heart.
Lord, help me to be a peacemaker.
Lord, help me to rejoice when I am persecuted for you.
Lord, help me to be as salt and light for this earth.
Lord, help me to shine my light before men, that they may see my good works and glorify your name.
Lord, help me to follow all your commandments.
Lord, help me not to hate my brother but to love him.
Lord, help me to have peace with my brothers.
Lord, help me not to have lust in me.
Lord, let my yes be yes and my no be no.
Lord, help me to love my enemies.
Lord, help me to bless them that curse me.
Lord, help me to do good to them that hate me.
(Matthew 5:7-44)
Lord, help me to serve You and You alone.
Lord, help me not to judge others.
Lord, help me first to cast out the beam out of my own eye before
pointing out my brother.
Lord, make your face to shine upon me.
We can use every Scripture from the Bible as a prayer point and a model for our prayers.
As we pray according to the Word of God, we can grow into the likeness
of Christ and fulfill God’s will in our lives.
Praying according to the Word of God also helps us to increase our time with God,
which strengthens and builds our relationship with God.
We all can pray...
- At any time.
- At any place.
- With others.
- By ourselves.
- For the needs of others.
- To give Thanks & Praise.
- To share our burdens.
- To ask for direction.
- To gain wisdom and understanding.
- For what ever is on your Mind & Heart.
- For direction and purpose in life.
Jesus said that there will be
"...joy in heaven over one sinner who repents..."
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Pastor Jill Briscoe from Elmbrook church talks about prayer.
NeedEncouragement.com
"POWER OF PRAYER"
I leaned that a very good reason we ought to pray is to be able to see things that with our own eyes
we can not see or understand. When we pray to God, we ask God to show us what our own human eyes
and mind can not see or understand.
Allow Billy Graham share a short prayer with you.
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