6 Tips on How to Pray Effectively
There is no perfect way to go to God in prayer. He hears our cries (Psalm 18:6), and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26). Nevertheless, the Bible does give direction and examples of how to pray. This devotional will only give tips on how to pray effective, powerful prayers. If you need more guidance on prayer please consider, Whole: A Guided Workbook of Life. The Workbook not only explains why prayer is necessary, it also breaks prayer down step by step. In addition, it includes activities that not only boosts retainment but also serves as a customized reference. The online course, Prayer, will be launching soon. Now, let’s get into it!
First, we want to hear from you!
How is your prayer life?
I have a great prayer life! I pray every day!
My prayer life is pretty good. I pray sometimes.
Its okay. I pray on occasion.
It could be better...
TIP #1: Read and Study God’s Word.
First and foremost, you must familiarize yourself with the Bible by studying it every day. The Word of God is alive and will ALWAYS be relevant. For example, I can read a well-known scripture that I have read countless times and get something completely new out of it each time! I have read a story in the Bible in the Old Testament and unwittingly received specific guidance on something I have been struggling with. Its real! I know that it seems overwhelming, but just start, even if it is baby steps. Once or twice a week is better than not reading it at all. Plus, there are so many resources out there now that makes the Bible easily attainable. I use the Bible app. It has reading plans for nearly everything you can think of, from parenting, addictions, and divorce to time management, sharing your faith to others, and God’s promises. It even has whole Bible plans where you read the entire Bible in a year. Chronological is one of my favorite plans. With it, I can read the entire Bible in chronological order in a year. I have read the entire Bible each year for 3 years now. I get something different from it each time. Most importantly, The Word of God soaks in my heart and mind and transforms me. We do not have to memorize the whole Bible. If we just read it to get it into our mind, The Holy Spirit will do the rest. I am belaboring the importance of reading The Bible because it is one of the greatest factors of praying effectively. Here is why.
John 1:1 used to confuse me because I always heard that scripture quoted by itself. I just knew that it had something to do with Jesus and God’s Word becoming flesh. Reading through Verse 5 makes the first verse more understandable. Dr. Myles Munroe defines the word “word” as an “expressed idea,” which further clarifies this scripture because an idea is a mental impression or thought. So, it makes sense that God’s thoughts, His mind, is with Him. He thought about everything created and spoke it into existence. He thought of mankind and created us through Adam. Below, I have replaced the Word with “God’s expressed idea.
1 In the beginning was God’s expressed idea, and God’s expressed idea was with God, and God’s expressed idea was God. 2 God’s expressed idea was with God in the beginning. 3 Through God’s expressed idea all things were made; without God’s expressed idea nothing was made that has been made. 4 In God’s expressed idea was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
After reading the scripture and its alteration, can you see how important and how relevant The Word of God is? Can you see that God is the Source of ALL creation, including us? Do you realize how amazing it is that God gave us His expressed ideas as a “manual” to go by to navigate through life? Did you notice that the Word is referred to as “him” in the scripture? That is because The Word is God, it lives…better yet, He lives!
Ok, I’m back now…I get excited and carried away talking about that.
Bottom line is that God gave us His Word that is full of instructions, promises, inspiration, support, and much more. God is not a man that he should lie (Numbers 23:19). Therefore, we can trust whatever God says, but you must know what God says? You must read the Bible for things He has promised. It's all in there! So, you must know the importance of reading God’s Word.
TIP #2: Your Petition should be for God’s namesake, not yours.
Another thing to remember is God is King of kings. Kings show their nature through their glory. God does the same. We, His children (believers), are God’s glory. Its just like a company that produces a product. If the product malfunctions, it negatively reflects that company, the creator of the product. This is why products give consumers warranties. If the product malfunctions, the company repairs or replaces it to protect its brand. God created us through Adam and deemed His creation as “very good” (Genesis 1:31), but sin entered the picture, which negatively affected all mankind. (For more information of how sin affected mankind and God’s solution to this take our free mini course, THE INVITATION.) So, God bridged the wedge between He and us through Jesus, who covered all our sins with His sinless blood. He did this for His namesake. So, while praying, be mindful that the things you are praying for are for God’s namesake, not yours. Humans cannot handle glory. Pride, entitlement, and pettiness will eventually set in.
TIP#3: Pray the promises of God.
Praying your requests by speaking God’s Word helps you keep your petitions in alignment with His Will. For example, does praying that your illicit significant other divorce his/her spouse so that he/she can be joined in Holy matrimony to you seem like a viable request? I think not. This request contradicts quite a few scriptures. For instance, one of the 10 commandments declares that we are not to commit adultery. So, this would not align with God’s Will or give Him glory. Also, keep in mind that God may say no to things that do not contradict His Word. For example, I can pray that God blesses me with financial wealth. This petition does not contradict His Word. After all, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God has come so that we have an abundant life (John 10:10). God wants to bless us so well that nonbelievers will hasten to us asking how they can have a relationship with God. However, He will not bless us with things we are not ready for. In my example of praying for wealth, God may reveal habits that need to change or stop, like reckless spending, gambling, or not tithing consistently. He also will not bless us with anything that will cause harm, compromise His Word, or hinder our relationship with Him. God did say that if we ask anything in His name, He will do it. However, in the first part of that statement, the explanation, Jesus says that He will do whatever is asked so that God the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13-14). You may ask, “Why am I limited to praying God’s promises? If it is not a sin, why can’t I ask it?” Don’t worry. I thought this way too. The truth is that we can ask ANYTHING in Jesus’s name. Whether God grants the petition is a different story. Think of it this way. When we are in alignment with God, we are positioned for abundance and overflow. Imagine the soda fountain dispensers found in gas stations and restaurants. When are you able to fill your cup with soda? Is it when you place the cup on the table? In the air? Can the cup be positioned upside down? No. That cup has to be in alignment with the sensors on the soda fountain. Even on the older fountains, the cup has to be aligned with the stream of beverage to be filled. It is the same way with us with God. If we remain in alignment with God and position ourselves according to His Will for our lives, He not only blesses us with our desires, He throws in things we didn’t even think to ask for! So, when you think about it, praying in alignment with God’s Will and promises is not limiting, it frees us! Read the scripture below.
Exodus 32 illustrates praying the promises of God. In this chapter, God's extremely angry with the Israelites because they not only disobeyed Him, but they also disrespected Him by giving God’s glory to something else. The Israelites structured a golden calf as an idol to worship for their deliverance from Egypt. God was so angry that He was going to kill them all until Moses spoke God's words back to Him. Read the scripture below.
Do you see how Moses spoke God’s Word back to Him? He expressed how good God has been by acknowledging what God had done for the Israelites, whom God chose as His people. Another important point to notice is that Moses did not petition for the Israelites or himself, he focused on God’s glory (TIP #2). Essentially, Moses is saying, “God, You have delivered Your chosen people out of bondage with Your power. Your glory was revealed. Remember your promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You have made provisions for them this entire time. Surely, you did not do all of that just to kill them. This would not bring You glory.” It reminds me of lyrics to a song my great grandmother used to sing by James Cleveland, “I Don’t Feel Noways Tired”. In this song, the choir sings, “I don’t believe he brought me this far to leave me.” God could have killed them all anyway and still fulfilled His promise, but He showed favor to Moses by answering His prayer.
Read Exodus 32 in its entirety for the full story, and see how asinine this really is. The Israelites actually gave God's credit and glory to a statue that they made themselves. Obviously, the calf was just created. So, it couldn't have possibly delivered anyone from Egypt. Plus, how could a man-made structure deliver anything? It can’t even move itself from one place to another! Still, they traded The Author of our fate, The Creator of the universe, The Creator of Man, The Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign God for an item that they must carry around. This brings me to the next tip of praying an effective prayer, Remember Who you are praying to.
TIP #4: Remember who you are talking to.
Do you speak to your dad or the most highly respected people in your life in the same way as you would speak to a child, a stranger, or even friends? No. You usually would watch what you say and how you say it. Every now and then, my daughter will word something in an informal way with a “familiar” tone. When that happens, I immediately remind her by saying, “Who are you talking to?” She immediately apologizes and rewords her statement in a respectful tone. The same thing goes with God. God is not a fictitious character, a man-made entity, or an insignificant part of our life. HE IS LIFE. We must remember to whom we are praying and reverence His Name. Also, remembering who He is greatly benefits us!
When I am worried about a problem that is beyond my control, it helps to take my mind off that issue and put it on who God is. God is everywhere all the time. This includes knowing our past, present, and future. I had to come to that realization. God is my Father. He Loves me and wants the best for me. So, if God knows what happened in my past, what’s currently going on with me, and what will happen in my future, and He is all-powerful, why am I stressing?
TIP #5: Use the sandwich structure.
The sandwich structure involves the previous tips. Its structure is Acknowledge, Petition, Acknowledge. Begin your prayer with acknowledging and thanking God for who He is to you. If you need help with this you should utilize your Bible or Bible app. Acknowledging Who He is sets the tone for the rest of the prayer. Usually, when you start acknowledging who He is,
praise and thanksgiving comes naturally. If it does not come naturally, don’t worry. The more you pray, the deeper your relationship with Him will be, and the easier it will become. Then, you make your petition to Him by speaking or praying His promises. Again, be sure that your requests align with His Word. Finally, conclude with gratitude, acknowledging Him again. Pray it all in Jesus’s name.
TIP #6: Believe and mean what you say.
This tip is obvious and straightforward but is often missed. Most likely, all of us have been guilty of simply reciting a prayer instead of actively/effectively praying a prayer. I will tell on myself. When I am “starving” and my food is in front of me, I may quickly say, “Thank You for this food. May it nourish and strengthen my body. It is in Jesus’s name I pray. AMEN.” Nothing is wrong with the words of this prayer. The problem is when I mindlessly recite it. I listened to a sermon about prayer by Dr. Tony Evans. He began his sermon with a similar example. Now, I have disciplined myself to slow down and remember who I am about to speak with, what He has done for me, and why He is more than worthy of my time and energy. So, mean it and believe that whatever you have petitioned in His name will be done if it aligns with His Will. And it is okay if you have doubts. Go to God with those doubts and ask that He calms your fears. He already knows you have them anyway! Read the scriptures below.
PRAYER
Lord,
Thank You for Your Love and kindness toward us. We are so grateful to have an open line of communication with You. Even when we fall short or turn away from You, You always accept us back. Nothing is too hard for You because of Your omnipotence and sovereignty. Lord, You never lie, which is why we can have comfort in knowing that even in our darkest moments we are never alone. You are with us. You said to ask anything in Your name for the glory of God and it shall be given to us. So, we ask for wisdom and discernment. Soften our hearts and open our spiritual eyes and ears so that we can be sensitive to what you are saying to us. We want to be Your hands and feet on this earth; use us as you see fit. Bless us, expand our territory, overflow in us for Your namesake and for Your Glory. We thank You for what You have done, for the things You will do for and through us, and for what You are doing in us this very moment. We give You All the glory, honor, and praise. It is in the matchless name of Jesus I pray.
AMEN.
CALL-TO-ACTION
Read or listen to Exodus Chapter 32.
Make every effort to expand your prayer life. Try incorporating some of the tips given in the text.
Try writing out a prayer. This may be easier for you. I used to do this. I would write it out, then read it to God. Oftentimes, I found myself expounding on the things I wrote, which would result in going into a deeper conversation with God.
Remember, God answers groans, mumbles, and laments as well. The length doesn’t matter in prayer because He knows our hearts. He just wants a relationship with you.
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If you haven’t accepted GOD’S INVITATION OF SALVATION and want to do so now, earnestly pray this prayer:
God,
I know You love me. I believe You died and rose from the dead for my sins. Please forgive me for my sins. I give you my heart and soul. Please be my Savior and Lord. Transform me. I desire to align with Your Will. Thank you for Your faithfulness and Your Love.
It is in Jesus’s name I pray.
Amen.
All of heaven rejoices when one person accepts THE INVITATION to salvation.
~ Luke 15:10
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