Prayer
What does the Bible say about prayer?
Prayer is speaking with God. It's in the Bible, Jeremiah 33:3, NKJV. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Did Jesus pray? Yes, often. It's in the Bible, Luke 5:16, NKJV. “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”
Browse: What is the serenity prayer?
Jesus often rose early to pray. It’s in the Bible, Mark 1:35, NKJV. “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
What do I pray for? Our needs, our joys, our sorrows, our cares, and our fears – everything. It’s in the Bible, Philippians 4:6, NKJV. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
Jesus understands all our needs as a close friend – He’s been there. It’s in the Bible, Hebrews 4:15, NKJV. “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
God is very willing to hear and answer our prayers. It’s in the Bible, Mathew 7:11, NKJV. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
Prayers are not magic. It’s in the Bible, Matthew 6:7-8, NKJV. “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
How often should I pray? It’s in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, NKJV. “Pray without ceasing.”
If we ask, God will answer. It’s in the Bible, Matthew 7:7-8, NKJV. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks received, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
Our motive for prayers needs to be in the right place. It’s in the Bible, James 4:3, NKJV. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
If we cling to any known sin, the Lord will not hear us. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 66:18, NKJV. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”
It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 28:9, NKJV. “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”
What should I do if I don't know what to do? Pray for wisdom. It's in the Bible, James 1:5, CEV. “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.”
God can only get through to us, when we are willing to listen. It's in the Bible, 2 Chronicles 7:14, NKJV. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
We should have a spirit of love and forgiveness in our hearts when we come to God. It’s in the Bible, Mark 11:25, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
We are to pray in the name of Jesus – and in His mind and spirit. It’s in the Bible, John 14:13-14, NKJV. “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
When we pray, we must have faith and believe that God will hear and answer our prayers. It’s in the Bible, James 1:6-8, NKJV. “But 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. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
Don't give up! God won't fail to answer your prayers - the failure only comes if we don't persevere in prayer. It's in the Bible, Luke 18:1, NKJV. “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.”
Sometimes God answers our prayers even before we ask Him. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 65:24, NKJV. “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”
Sometimes God says “No” to our prayer requests. It's in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, NIV. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Sometimes God answers our prayer by saying, “Wait awhile.” It's in the Bible, Psalm 46:10, NKJV. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
There is no limit to God's ability to help! It's in the Bible, Ephesians 3:20, NKJV. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
What if I don’t know how or what to pray about? The Spirit will lead you. It’s in the Bible, Romans 8:26-27, NKJV. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
When our prayers are God’s will, we can have confidence He has answered. It’s in the Bible, 1 John 5:14-15, NKJV. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
Can I pray and wait for God to handle everything? Prayer and faith do not replace what you can do of your own efforts. It's in the Bible, James 2:18, NKJV. “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
What does praying look like? It’s in the Bible, Matthew 6:9-11, NKJV. “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Don’t forget to give thanks to God. It’s in the Bible, Colossians 4:2, NKJV. “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”
God gave up the best there was in Jesus, He will not withhold anything good from us. It’s in the Bible, Romans 8:32, NKJV. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
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