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HOW WE PRAY
Many
Christians are a bit confused about how to pray, though they may never admit it.
This is understandable, as most were never taught how to pray.
If you give a small child a fork but
never instruct the child on the proper way to use it, the child learns to use it
by observation (watching others use a fork) and trial and error (getting food on
the fork by any means necessary). However, this “hit-and-miss” process does not
produce the best or the most sought after results.
In order for the child to get the
food into his/her mouth without spilling it on the floor or his/her person,
he/she must be taught the proper way to use a fork. He/she must be taught how to
hold the fork, which food is speared, which food is scooped, and which food is
allowed to rest upon the top, etc. After being taught these things, and
practicing daily, the child becomes proficient in the use of a fork.
The same is true for Christians
learning how to pray. They must be taught the proper way to pray to produce
repeated results.
First, this instruction assumes that
you are a Christian and living a life pleasing to God. The Bible states in St.
John 9:3, “Now
we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and
doeth his will, him he heareth.”
Not knowing how to pray, many
Christians spend all their prayer time asking God for the things they need: a
new car, money to pay the electric bill, new clothes for their children, etc.
They feel they should not pray for those things they desire and to do so somehow
labels them as greedy, materialistic, or “bad” Christians. However, none of
those things are true.
When praying, there are four
things to remember:
1. Praying is like having A conversation with God.
When you have
a conversation with your natural friend, do you spend all your time asking for
things? If that were the case, I would venture to say you wouldn’t be friends
for very long. Talk to God about the things you would discuss with your most
trusted friend. Is something bothering you? Are you excited about
something?
2. Give God Praise
We
all know we are supposed to praise God. We have read in the Bible numerous times
that we are to give God praise. In fact, the entire 150th chapter of
Psalms is devoted to giving God praise.
It tells us
who
we are to praise (Praise ye the Lord, Praise
God)
It tells us
where
we are to praise and lists at least one
place (in his sanctuary),
It tells us
why
we give praise to God (His mighty acts, His power, and His greatness),
it tells us
how
and the instruments to use when we give
praise (with dance, trumpet, harp, tambourine, organ, stringed instruments, loud
& high sounding cymbals)
The chapter ends with the profound,
LET EVERYTHING THAT HATH BREATH, PRAISE
THE LORD. PRAISE YE THE LORD.
The only thing
missing from the 150th Psalms is the
what
(as in what is praise?)
Ok, so we know we are to give God
praise. Even though many have read it in the Bible over and over, they yet do
not know what it is and how to present it to God.
What is praise?
Excellent
question. Praise is showing appreciation
(Lord I thank you for…), complimenting
(Lord you are such an awesome God!),
recognizing
(Lord, you are my Jehovah Jirah, my provider),
paying tribute
(Lord there is none other like you),
giving honor and glory,
(Lord, I recognize that I am alive today
because of You and Your mercy and grace).
Praise is thanking God and telling
Him how wonderful He is. (Lord, I praise your name, I worship you and exalt your
name, I thank you for your grace and being a God of not just second chances but
of many chances. Give me a thirst for reading your word and
establishing a daily prayer regimen. Lord help me to consult you for guidance in
everything I do. Help me to be a good mother, father, boss, aunt, etc. You are
an awesome God, a mighty God, a powerful God and there is none like you.
3. Thank God for meeting ALL your needs & pray for what you desire.
The bible says
in Philippians 4:19,
“But my God shall supply all
your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
God has
already said he would supply all your needs. Not some of them. Not half of them,
but ALL of them. Believe in God’s word. (Lord, I thank you that all of my
needs are met according to your riches in glory by Christ Jesus). God is not a
man that he should lie. His words CANNOT go out and return unless they have
accomplished that which they were sent to do. All you have to do is thank God
for meeting your needs, believe they will be met, and expect them to be met.
That’s it. God knows what you need. You don’t have to go down a five-page list
describing every need in detail.
Ask God for
what you desire and thank Him for it. Be specific. Don’t just ask for a husband,
but pray according to Philippians 4:6,
“. . . in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God.”
Ask for a
husband who is tall, dark, handsome, has his own car, and home, a full time job,
good credit, loves and worships God, loves me and my children, gets along well
with my family, and is a good provider.
4. End your prayers according to JESUS’ instruction in st. John 14:13-14
“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.”
Does ending a
prayer in Jesus’ name get results? Absolutely!
Jesus said, IF
YOU ASK THE FATHER IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT!
OUR PRAYER PROCESS
1.
Have
a conversation with God
2.
Give
God Praise
3.
Thank
God for meeting ALL your needs
4.
Ask God for
that which you desire, (make your requests known to God).
5.
Thank God for it,
(Lord, I thank you for sending my husband to me.)
6.
End every prayer
according to the instructions given by Jesus in St. John 14:13-14 (Lord, I
thank you for everything in the name of Christ Jesus, or in Jesus’ name, Amen.)
7.
Expect your
prayers to be answered.
PRAYER REQUESTS
If you have
prayers in which you would like Pastor Shirley to pray with you, send an email
to: prayer@pastorshirley.com.
All prayer
requests are confidential.
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