Nothing needs consistency in life more than prayer. Your commitment level to your prayer sessions, the frequency, and sincerity of your prayers has a big impact on your prayer outcome. Humans are spiritually weak and faith is one way of testing your commitment to your course.
Prayer is associated with belief and religion. Graham, an American evangelist, once said that prayer is among the greatest honors accorded to God’s children (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 2019). Therefore, believers should always pray and never cease even when they feel that God is not answering them. As opposed to human beings, God answers all prayers in his own accorded time.
Prayer is the key channel that enables Christians to communicate with God. For this reason, a true prayer should be born of the spirit rather than scripture quotation or repetition of articulate words from prayer books. Besides, a true prayer surpasses the human mind because it originates from a sincere heart. Many Christians desire to experience the power of effective prayer. To pray well, one needs to understand and practice the concepts of forgiveness, faith, reading of scriptures, and fasting.
Forgiveness
Before praying, Christians should forgive those who have offended them. According to the bible, our hearts need to be right with each other and with God for our prayers to be effective (James 5:16).
The Lord’s Prayer is one prayer Jesus taught his disciples to adhere to when asking the Lord to forgive them for their shortcomings as they also forgive those who are indebted to them. In contrast, in the current society, most people choose to ignore the significance of the Lord’s Prayer and only use it as part of the liturgy. Interceding for those who have betrayed our confidence or hurt us not only clears our hearts of hate but it also brings us closer to God.
Pray Expectantly and Specifically
Having faith in prayer is an orientation that is pleasing to God. In the New Testament, St. Matthew tells believers to ask what their hearts desire and in faith, they shall receive (Matthew 21:22).
When praying, trust the Almighty to fulfill the desires of your heart and thank Him for hearing, and answering you. In addition to having faith, Christians should be specific in their prayer intent (Desiring God, 2017). A prayer offered with vagueness or little care will not amount to much. When we are fervent and disciplined in prayer, the Lord is pleased and he brings changes to our lives as per our desired petitions.
Reading and Understanding the Scriptures
It is always advisable to pray and ask for God’s guidance when reading the scriptures. For an individual to be in alignment with the will of God, they need to understand the scriptures. Hence, whenever you do not understand a verse in the bible, stop, and ask God for a revelation that the truth may be revealed to your heart.
The word of God is a great spiritual tool as it helps us to understand the nature of God. To pray well, incorporate Bible study into your daily routine to enhance your knowledge of the one you are praying to. After you get God’s perspective on different matters, have faith in him, and thank him for the revelation and guidance.
Prayer and Fasting
Ideally, most Christians dream of overcoming spiritual weakness and developing a powerful prayer life. Largely, Intimacy with our Creator has a great significance on the effectiveness of our prayers. One way to achieve this intimacy is through fasting.
During fasting, we deny our body physical needs, and thus our focus shifts from our bodies to a spiritual realm. Also, fasting highlights our deep desire when asking God for something. God gives favor when he sees that we are willing to let go of our privileges to praise, worship, and adore him in prayer. The time spent fasting, through God’s grace and the Holy Spirit, prepares our hearts to accept his answer in our prayers.
The Rules of Establishing a Prayer Pattern
Our lives are full of routines – work, eating, attending the gym, sleeping. Prayer needs a routine as well. Include it in your day, do it when it matters the most, and accord it the discipline and perseverance it deserves. You have to train your mind to hold your prayer sessions repeatedly and not when things get desperate in your life. Prayers have intent. Making it a habit to repeatedly insist on it gives it strength before God. But your prayer item must not be selfish or biased.
We live in a world where we are preoccupied with several things that we cannot stay focused long enough to accomplish simple tasks. Prayer needs withdrawal from all kinds of distractions. A moment with God is a privilege in itself, no matter where you chose to establish that connection. Seek solitude while at it and pray for as long as you can rather than rush through a prayer simply to fulfill your time spent before God.
Focus is key when establishing a prayer connection with God. Find a consistent posture every time you pray. Your soul follows a focused body and aligns your needs with the impending prayer. No matter how quiet or loud your prayer is, your tone should be just right enough to stop your mind from wandering away amidst prayer.
Prayer needs no formula but the message should be clear. You should exercise caution to avoid carelessness when praying so that it doesn’t lose meaning when you are done.
Conclusion
Any prayer directed to God is of significance. As a Christian, you should strive to lead a prayerful life. For your prayers to be effective, you need to learn to forgive and let go of those who have wronged you before indulging in a prayer session. God loves to answer a clean heart. Moreover, we should have faith and pray specifically, vagueness in prayer can make our petitions ineffective. Understanding God’s word through reading the scriptures, fasting, and praying helps us to be more submissive to His will. Praying not only brings spiritual fulfillment but it also brings divine energy as well as the Holy Spirit.
