And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matthew 21:22 KJV)
What is Prayer?
Prayer is the form of communication used between believers and the Lord. We can find various derivatives of the word prayer in the Holy Bible.
I called on you, O God, for you will hear me; incline your ear to me, and hear my speech. (Psalm 17:6 KJV) Calling upon God.
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:26 KJV) Calling upon the name of the Lord.
I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. (Psalm 3:4 KJV) Crying out to the Lord.
Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. (Psalm 25:1 KJV) Lifting our soul to the Lord.
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6 KJV) Seeking the Lord.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 KJV) Approaching the throne of grace with confidence.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22 KJV) Drawing near to God.
Perhaps many do not know, but the Bible teaches us that there are reasons to engage in prayer. One of the main reasons why we pray is because prayer is a commandment from God. That is, God commands the Christian to live in prayer.
Prayer as a Commandment from God
The first commandment from God is for the believer to pray. The command to pray can be found in the Scriptures.
Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. (1 Chronicles 16:11 KJV) We must constantly seek God and ask for strength to face any and every difficulty we may encounter in the Christian walk. The Christian must continually be in the presence of God, for prayer is the communication between the believer and God.
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. (Isaiah 55:6 KJV)
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41 KJV) The Lord Jesus Himself teaches this.
The Lord God communicates with the Christian through prayer, for only through prayer do we maintain our relationship with God. Blessings, as well as the fulfillment of God’s promises, will be poured out only on the life of those who seek God in prayer.
When Jesus promised the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, He taught that for it to happen, everyone needed to be in constant prayer in the upper room until the Holy Spirit was poured out with power on the day of Pentecost.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4 KJV)
We must be in constant prayer, knowing that not always will we immediately receive what we seek. For it is extremely necessary to persist in prayer so that God can answer our request.
Every Christian who perseveres in prayer receives, for the Word of God says in the parable of the importunate friend and the promise to ask, seek, and knock.
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Luke 11:5-13 KJV)
The apostle Paul often asked for prayer on his own behalf, knowing that his ministry would not prosper without the prayers of his brothers in Christ.
Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. (Romans 15:30 KJV)
We can understand here that for the growth of the kingdom and for God’s purposes to come into existence on earth, it is necessary for the Christian to live a life of constant prayer, interceding with God for the manifestation of God’s power on Earth.
We must constantly pray to God, asking that His purposes be fulfilled in this world. We must be in constant prayer for those in the field preaching the gospel and for the churches that are open announcing the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
James teaches us that we can receive healing through prayer made with faith in the name of the Lord Jesus. God still heals today, but we must understand that there is our degree of faith and believe that God will heal us, linked to God’s will to perform such a miracle.
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:15 KJV)
And even if we pray for physical healing and do not receive it immediately, we must persevere in prayer, believing that in due time, God will intervene, granting the desire of our heart.
Requirements for Effective Prayer
The first requirement for effective prayer is faith, for as we well know, our prayers will never be answered without faith in our hearts. The Lord Jesus Himself openly declared:
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:24 KJV)
Jesus is saying that when we believe we have already received what we are still asking for, anything we ask in prayer will be granted to us. The secret is to trust first and ask God with the certainty that He is ready to answer the prayer that will be made.
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. (Mark 9:23 KJV)
We must draw near to God with a true heart, a heart that has full certainty and conviction of faith, for without faith it is impossible to please and receive anything from God.
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22 KJV)
Every prayer must be made in the name of Jesus.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14 KJV)
Here we understand that every prayer must be made in harmony with the person, character, and will of the Lord Jesus.
Prayer can only be effective if done according to the good, perfect, and pleasing will of God. For this reason, we have the model prayer left by our Lord Jesus, the Lord’s Prayer, which confirms this: “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 KJV).
We must pray according to the will of God, and we must be within the will of God, so that prayer may be heard and answered by God.
Biblical Principles and Methods for Effective Prayer
For us to pray effectively, we must first praise and worship God sincerely. A sincere confession of known sins is vital to the prayer of faith. We must ask according to our needs. We must intercede heartily for one another with intercessory prayer.
We can pray in various ways: in silence, aloud, or crying out, using our own words or even direct words from the Bible. We can pray mentally, and we can also pray through the Spirit. It is also possible to pray through groanings without using any human words, and finally, we can pray through songs to the Lord.
What is the Appropriate Body Position for Prayer?
There are various ways to position ourselves for prayer. In the Holy Bible, we see that countless people prayed in different positions: standing, sitting, on their knees, lying down, bowed to the ground, prostrate on the ground, and with hands stretched out to heaven. In other words, what matters is entering into the presence of God through prayer. Nothing prevents us from praying except ourselves.
And we can summarize that the church depends on each one’s prayer, and each of us depends on one another’s prayer. We must constantly intercede with God for ourselves and for the growth of the kingdom of God. Prayer generates intimacy with God. It is the only key we have to make the invisible visible. Prayer is the only way we have to dialogue with God and, in the same way, hear Him speak to us.
