What does it mean to pray?
Prayer is open communication with God.
Praying is having a conversation with God. Prayer is a dialogue.
Prayer consists of not only speaking to God,
but also listening to God for instructions, wisdom, and guidance.
We are instructed to pray without ceasing.
Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV
Some of us struggle with prayer because we feel
that we have to use special or elaborate wording.
We feel that there needs to be some special technique for prayer.
God wants us to come to Him as we are in prayer.
Just in case you are struggling, here is a simple method to get you started.
Jesus provides the perfect example of prayer through the Lord’s Prayer.
P: Praise
We praise God out of reverence and adoration.
Reverence is giving God our deepest respect because
He is sovereign and the most High.
Reverence is giving God the respect He deserves.
God deserves reverence because He is holy.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus, showed us how
to show reverence to God by saying,
This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name Matthew 6:9 NIV
Open your prayer with showing God reverence,
honor, respect, and gratitude.
R: Repent
Repent means to ask for forgiveness with the
intention of not repeating that sin again. During my prayer time when
I pray for forgiveness, I pray for forgiveness from both
known sins and unknown sins. Confess your sins to God so that
you can cleanse your heart and conscience.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus displays how we can ask for forgiveness.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:12 NIV
It is important to note that must we forgive others.
If we do not forgive others, we cannot expect our
Heavenly Father to forgive us.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins,
your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6: 14-15 NIV
A: Ask
Come to the Lord and submit your requests.
While praying, ask for God’s will to be done. I know, I know.
You may have your own agenda and your own plan.
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 NIV
God wants us to come to Him with
boldness and confidence when we pray. One way to
do that is to ask for His will to be done.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven Matthew 6:10 NJKV
When submitting your requests, have faith and believe that
God can and will answer your prayers. Our responsibility is to pray.
God’s responsibility is to answer. God may not always give us
what we want, but He will always give us what we need.
Y: Yield
Take the time to meditate and listen for God’s response.
Don’t just give your list of requests to God and move on.
God reveals His plans for your life to you when
you sit in His presence. Sitting in God’s presence is
how you build an intimate relationship with Him.
God fills you up with what you need when
you spend intimate time with Him.
Prayer invites God into your life.
When you pray God is invited into your most intimate space.
You should always pray.
It is an honor to pray to our Heavenly Father.
The more we pray, the more intimate our relationship becomes with Him.
The more intimate our relationship with God, the more we trust Him.
If you are struggling with how to pray. Use this method,
because when you pray, you will see God’s exceeding power and greatness in your life.
HIS LOVE and MINE,
Shemeca