Have you ever been in a situation where it felt like the world was going to crumble down on you one minute because of its challenges and frustrations?
The love from your family and friends is not enough to solve your problems. I am talking about that feeling of hopelessness when nobody around can help you out in your current predicament.
It is where prayer comes in to bridge your current situation forming a link between you and God.
Prayer is taking off the pain, agony, frustrations, and complaints you have in your life and putting them on Jesus instead of a fellow human like you.
When you pray, you elevate your mind, heart, and soul to the one and true God. Prayer could be gratitude, appreciation, forgiveness, and even requests.
It is a medium of communication with God and the way God speaks to us.
After purchasing an electronic device, the next thing that comes to mind is to unbox the item to set it up and understand the working principles of the device.
Prayer offers the opportunity to understand your purpose in life and gives you answers to every question.
The scripture in Philippians 4: 6 and 2 chronicles 7:14 tells us to resort to prayer than panic when we encounter difficult situations.
Table of contents
Importance of Prayer
The following are the importance of prayer in your daily life;
- Solve all your problems
- Overcome temptations
Solve All Your Problems
God can do all things. He is the creator of the universe and the solution to every problem.
Prayer is the way to get answers to your problems.
The Bible says in Mathew 26:41 that Christians must pray to avoid temptation.
Overcome Temptations
Prayer is an effective tool for Christians to overcome temptations and live in righteousness.
As you know, living in righteousness is necessary as a Christian. It is the only way to live Christ-like.
How to Pray According to the Will of God
Yes, there can be wrong ways to pray. The Bible has the complete guide and answers to questions about prayer.
The scripture is a manual from God to live by the principles of righteousness.
Find a quiet and calm environment to establish a connection with God.
For example, the scripture in Mark 1:35 illustrates how Jesus rose early to pray in a quiet place.
Pray in a Quiet Place
A quiet and calm environment is the best place to talk to your creator.
Prayer is not a one-sided conversation where you do all the talking. You must hear God speak to you during prayer.
God speaks to you about issues in your life through prayer or when you study the scriptures.
Do not pray in a noisy room full of distractions. You will miss the answers to your prayer.
Mental Preparation
Your mental preparation is necessary to establish a connection with God via prayers.
You can achieve this by clearing your mind of all thoughts and distractions. It means that you have nothing else in your mind but God.
Switching off your phones and staying away from people is a helpful strategy to avoid distractions.
You can also get in the mood by reading the scriptures from the Holy Bible too.
I want you to know that God can give you the wisdom to learn how to pray if you ask him according to the scripture in James 1:5.
Steps to Praying According to the Bible
The following are the steps to pray according to the scripture;
- Appreciate God
- Ask for Forgiveness
- Offer your Supplications
- Thank God for Answered Prayers
- Pray with Sincere Heart
- Pray with Faith
Appreciate God
When praying, do not start by asking God for your needs. Praying isn’t reading out loud your shopping lists or wish lists.
At this first stage, you want to invite the presence of the Holy Spirit to where you are and bring down the glory of the Lord to fill your room.
You do this by exalting the name of the Lord, magnifying him, calling him sweet names, and giving him reasons why you love him as a father and a creator.
At this stage, it’s almost like you are ‘exalting’ him. You need to be genuine and ensure that every word that comes out of your mouth is from your heart.
Another thing you do in this stage is saying thank you.
Even if you might be going through the biggest problem in the world, but the opportunity to read this article today, you have a thousand reasons to say thank you.
The instruction in 1 Timothy 2:1 is for Christians to offer thanksgiving prayers.
Appreciate him for your life, families, friends, and even enemies.
Thank him for provision, protection, security, good health, technology, education, and wisdom.
The reflection of your life would reveal countless things God has done for you regularly.
Saying thank you to God portrays you showing contentment. You would not appear greedy person who always asks for more without acknowledging the ones he has done for you.
Thanking God multiplies the little you have. Thank God for what you have and for the things you have achieved.
Prayer of appreciation is access to more blessings. An example is Matthew 32:36 when Jesus thanked God and multiplied a few dishes and bread.
Ask for Forgiveness
Jesus taught us to ask for God’s mercies because we sin.
It could be consciously or unconsciously, intentionally or non-intentionally.
Asking for forgiveness genuinely from your heart makes you clean and whole in God’s sight again.
The prayer of a sinner is an abomination to God. He will not answer the request of a sinner, especially if one is adamant about repentance.
The word of God in Romans 6:23 and 1 John 1:8 says that the soul that death is the consequence of sin.
Offer your Supplications
At this stage, go all out and pour your heart and soul into God regarding your challenges and desires.
Ask him to turn things around in a positive direction for you and your family, you can ask for wisdom, and you can ask God to help you draw closer to him and know him more.
You can ask for anything you want from God, and he will surely answer you.
Thank God for Answered Prayers
This step could be optional.
If you wish, you can go on to thank God for answering all the prayers you just prayed.
I see this as a sign of faith in God by thanking God for what you just asked for a few seconds ago.
You pray this prayer using the present tense as if it has already happened.
If you just prayed for a new car, then you say something like:
Thank you, Lord, for finally giving me this Tesla I’ve been asking you for a long time. I take my car everywhere with me. I love the steering wheel. I love the black colour. Oh, thank you, Jesus.
It could be as simple as that. When you do this, it tells God you believe he can provide your dream car.
God will answer the prayer of man or woman with faith.
Aside from that, saying all of these brings your desires into existence.
Your words are powerful. You proclaim and receive what you want with your mouth. God honours your request.
Pray with Sincere Heart
If it’s something you want, then make sure there’s that seriousness in you. Avoid distractions when praying.
Praying with sincerity of heart means establishing a genuine relationship with God.
Do not pray to show off to people around you.
Pray with Faith
The scripture in 1 John 5:13 admonishes Christians to believe in the name of God. He is capable give you your request when you ask through prayers.
Even if you feel like what you’re asking for is humanly impossible, still ask in faith, with no doubt in mind. James 1:6 instructs why you must never be uncertain in the place of prayers.
According to Mathew 21:22, you will receive whatever you ask with faith via prayer.
Takeaway
I hope this article has given you complete knowledge of how to pray effectively according to the Bible.
As for answers to your prayer, keep the faith up and never stop praying.
Pray without ceasing. Ensure your heart’s desires align with the will of God’s purpose for your life.
