HOW SHOULD I PRAY?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts
is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”
(James 1:6)

MEDITATION:
Being able to communicate with the Lord is a special privilege that we
have as believers. We can worship and sing praises to Him, and we can
also speak to Him in prayer. Prayer is a time when we thank God for
our many blessings and express our love for Him. We can also share
our concerns regarding our relationship with Him;
things like:
    our failure to obey His commands, discovering our
    spiritual gift, determining how and where we should
    serve Him, the characteristics of Jesus that are missing
    in our lives, etc.

It is also a time when we ask Him for help in some specific areas
(pending decisions, health issues, concern for someone who needs
salvation, concern for someone who is struggling through a difficult
time with their health, a loved one’s health, a wayward child, financial
problems, etc.).

Praying with faith is an area where many believers struggle. Few
doubt that the Lord CAN answer their prayers, but the question
that plagues many is, “WILL He answer my prayers?” If we’re not
careful, this type of thinking can cause us to start questioning our
own faith. We can have thoughts like,
    “Why don’t I believe God will answer my prayers?
      Does that mean I’m not part of His family?”

Satan loves it whenever he can cause confusion, or encourage us to
start questioning our faith? But what does God’s Word tell us about
our salvation?
    And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with
    whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
    (Ephesians 4:30)

    I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
    no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father,
    who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one
    can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
    (John 10:28-29)

The scriptures give us some ‘checks and balances’ for confirming
that we belong to the Lord:
    If we confess our sins, freely admit that we are followers
    of Jesus, and turn away from our sins, then God’s Word
    tells us that the Lord “knows us”.
        Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm,
        sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those
        who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name
        of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
        (2 Timothy 2:19)

When His Spirit lives in us, we can better understand God’s Word.
    The person without the Spirit does not accept the things
    that come from the Spirit of God but considers them
    foolishness, and cannot understand them because they
    are discerned only through the Spirit.
    (1 Corinthians 2:14)

If we choose ‘hate’ over ‘love’, then we should have concerns
about our relationship with the Lord. God wants us to love
others in the same way He loves us. God doesn’t show us His
love through lecturing, or brute force, does He? He is gentle
and encouraging, and that’s the way we should love others.
    Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother
    or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their
    brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot
    love God, whom they have not seen.
    (1 John 4:20)

If we are living a lifestyle that is controlled by sin, then we
should have serious concerns about our relationship with
the Lord. He tells us bluntly that those who belong to Him
will not continue with a sinful lifestyle. We may stumble at
times, but we will not allow sin to dominate our lives, because
God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us overcome our sins
and experience a freedom that we never knew before.
    I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and
    blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does
    the perishable inherit the imperishable.
    (1 Corinthians 15:50)

    No one who is born of God will continue to sin,
    because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot
    go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
    (1 John 3:9)

    We know that anyone born of God does not continue
    to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe,
    and the evil one cannot harm them.
    (1 John 5:18)

So, how do we pray with a believing heart? Prayers have certain
protocols that we should consider. At the top of the list is, our
relationship with God. Our friendship with God can be nourished
in the same way as our friendship with others. The more we are
around others, and the more we communicate with them, the more
we understand and have confidence in what they can, and will do.

With that line of thinking, we need to realize that for us to develop
more confidence in God, we need to pray often (not once a week, or
once a day, but always). If we fail to worship, pray, and spend time 
in His Word, we can’t expect to develop a close relationship with Him.

James gives us advice regarding prayer:
    Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.
    Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
    Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders
    of the church to pray over them and anoint them
    with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer
    offered in faith will make the sick person well;
    the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned,
    they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins
    to each other and pray for each other so that you
    may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person
    is powerful and effective.
    (James 5:13-16)

We should pray when we are happy, when we are sad, when we
are sick, etc. In essence, James says we should pray at all times.
Paul gave these instructions to the Ephesians:
    And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds
    of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert
    and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
    (Ephesians 6:18)

Paul says we should always pray with a ‘spiritual’ attitude rather
than a ‘selfish’ one. When we follow his advice, we will seek the
Lord whenever something, or someone upsets us. We will have
confidence God will give us what we need for the circumstance
we are in.

Praying unselfishly also means that we pray especially for others.
Joy and thankfulness are also included as our protocol for prayers.
Look at Paul’s messages to the Philippians and the Thessalonians:
    In all my prayers for all of you,
    I always pray with joy
    (Philippians 1:4)

    We always thank God for all of you and
    continually mention you in our prayers.
    (1 Thessalonians 1:2)

    With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that
    our God may make you worthy of His calling, and
    that by His power He may bring to fruition your
    every desire for goodness and your every deed
    prompted by faith.
    (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

In Philemon, Paul reminds us that we should thank God when we pray.
    I always thank my God
    as I remember you in my prayers
    (Philemon 1:4)

Persistence is one of the protocols of prayer. Jesus gave us instructions
for prayer as He spoke to His disciples.
    Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show
    them that they should always pray and not give up.
    (Luke 18:1)

Prayer is not something we set aside until we have a need. It is a
daily communication with God that develops a faith and trust in
Him. In Hebrews we see one aspect of appropriate interaction with
God:
    “And without faith it is impossible to please God,
      because anyone who comes to Him must believe
      that He exists and that He rewards those who
      earnestly seek Him.”
      (Hebrews 11:6)

Whenever we come to God in prayer, we should ‘believe He exists’
and believe that He ‘rewards those who earnestly seek Him’.
In summary,
    – We should pray frequently and continually.
    – We should pray on all occasions.
    – We should pray if we are happy, or have troubles.
    – We should pray with thanksgiving and joy.
    – We should pray for the Lord’s people
        (especially those called to teach and preach).
    – We should pray that others are worthy of His calling them to serve.
        (whenever we see someone making wrong choices, we should
          pray that God will steer them toward what is good, and for
          them to make life-changing choices that will have a positive
          impact on their relationship with Him)
    – We should pray with a belief in the existence of God.
    – We should pray with a belief
        that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
    – We should pray persistently, without giving up
        (and patiently await His answer, on His timetable).
    – We should pray with confidence that He will answer our prayer
        in the best way (even if it’s not exactly what we were praying for).
    – We should pray with faith.
    – We should pray earnestly.
    Look at the example James gave us regarding earnest prayer:
        Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed
        earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on
        the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and
        the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
        (James 5:17-18)

Prayer is mentioned around 367 times in the Bible, which should
remind us of its importance in the lives of Christians. We need to
have an effective prayer life if we expect to pray earnestly.

ACTION:
What kind of love relationship do you have with the Lord? How is
your prayer life? Do you pray sometimes, only when you have a
need, daily, or not at all? When problems arise in your life, what is
your first course of action? Do you go to God with your issues, or do
you try to resolve them yourself?

How often do you pray for others? Are your prayers only about you
and those close to you, or do they encompass others you know who
need someone to intercede for them? Do you tell someone you will
pray for them, but you fail to follow through? If we say we will pray
for someone, then we need to do it as soon as possible, shouldn’t we?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us prayer as
a venue for communicating with You. I want to know
You better so that my prayers will be more earnest.
Forgive me if I am not spending enough time getting
to know You better. Teach me the importance of
worshipping and praising You, of discovering my
spiritual gift, of serving You, of reading Your Word,
and of communicating with You through prayer. Help
me to be more sensitive to the needs of others and to
pray for them often. Increase my faith as I become
closer to You.”

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