How to Pray
There has been much written on how to pray. If you are unsure how to approach God in prayer, look at the great men of prayer, such as Daniel or Paul. Both men relied on prayer as the source of their strength and on doing the will of God.
Prayer in public is good, but it is when we are alone with God that prayer can take us even closer to the Almighty. At this time, prayer should not be a one-sided conversation; it should also be a time for quiet communion, meditation, listening to the Spirit, and praising God. It is a time of looking to God, the source of our help and strength. Let the Holy Spirit lead you.
I fear that too often we only come before God when we want something. In The Lord’s Prayer: A Practical Meditation, Newman Hall said, “Man’s worship, apart from revelation, has been uniformly characterized by selfishness. We come to God either to thank Him for benefits received, or to implore still further benefits.” Such worship that is all about self predominates the majority of the prayers of most confessed Christians. “We seem to go toward God, but, indeed, reflect upon ourselves, and this may be the reason why many times our prayers are sent forth, like a raven out of Noah’s ark, and never return. But when we make the glory of God the chief end of our devotions, they go forth like the dove, and return to us again with an olive branch.”
I feel there are times when I come before the Lord with a shopping list of requests. There are so many people in need of God’s help and healing. However, I don’t believe we should limit ourselves on intercessory prayer. Praying for others is never wrong.
God said to ask and it will be given. “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9).
The condition of our hearts toward God is much more important than how or when we pray. It is important to exalt God and to be thankful for His many blessings. But this should be a condition of our heart and being, that is constant, not just when we pray.
“This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:19-22).
Sometimes we are not in a physical or mental state where we feel like praying or can even pray. That is okay because God knows our hearts and our desires. I remember one time when I was ill, I was so physically and mentally exhausted, I prayed: “Lord, I can’t even think to pray, but God, you know what’s on my heart. Thank you, Jesus, amen.”
Once you have come close to the point of despair, God’s message is not, “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6), for he knows that your strength and courage have run away. Instead, he says sweetly, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
James Hudson Taylor, the great British protestant missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission. Taylor spent fifty-one years in China. He was so weak and feeble in the last few months of his life that he told a friend, “I am so weak I cannot write. I cannot read my Bible. I cannot even pray. All I can do is lie still in the arms of God as a little child, trusting him.” This wonderful man of God, who had great spiritual power, came to the point of physical suffering and weakness where all he could do was lie still and trust.
Praying is communion with God; words are not always necessary
Books by Jerry, many of which you may read for free on Prime: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jerry-Blount/author/B06XK4GJT1
- Things You Probably Didn’t Learn in Church
- Basic Christianity: Living a Joy-Filled Life and Making a Difference
- The End Times: Signs and Prophecy
- Noah and the Great Flood: Proof and Effects
- Following Jesus and Fishing Along the Way: Stories of God’s Great Outdoors
- The Rapture: Coming Soon
- Delighting in the Lord: Enjoying a Close Walk with Jesus
Sharing Jesus 