Prayer
"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your father who is in the secret place; and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly."Matthew 6:5-6
(See also 2 Kings 4:33, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16)
Talking with angels
Adam, Eve, Abraham and many other Bible characters at various times had direct conversations with the Angels (elohim) who are God's messengers or 'representatives' and carry God's name and authority at all times. This talking to the Angels though, should not be confused with prayer, as we are instructed in Colossians 2:18, that we are not to worship angels. (See also Revelation 22:8-9)
The importance of prayer
Prayer is one of the most important facets of our worship, so much so, that God refers to prayer as something He 'remembers' for the benefit of our future in His Kingdom.
(See Acts 10:4, Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4)
Pray without ceasing
The Apostle Paul said, "Pray without ceasing" 1 Thessalonians 5:17. This means that we should 'immediately' pray when the need arises without holding back. God says "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" Jeremiah 23:24 So there is no place nor reason to hold back from praying to God, wherever or whenever the need arises.
Give thanks for our daily blessings
We should also give thanks to God every day for His provision of the necessities of life including a prayer before our meals. Because very few of us today grow our own food there can be a tendency for us to forget that all our necessities do come from God and that without His kindness the Super Market shelves would be empty.
(See Luke 22:17,19)
Our Heavenly Father
Jesus has left us the example many times of addressing God in prayer as our Heavenly Father, the inference being that we are His children, and because Jesus is our mediator (1Timothy 2:5) we must address all prayer through Him.
No vain repetitions
Jesus warns us to avoid vain repetition in prayer as this is a tradition of the 'heathen' nations who think that their false god will hear them if they continually repeat their request. Our Heavenly Father knows our needs even before we make our request, so there is no need for repetition, although there is a need to ask for some things on a regular basis and this is particularly the case when asking for forgiveness for ourselves and others. (See Matthew 6:14-15; Matthew 18:35; Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 50:14-15)
Prayers of faith
James says that "the prayer of faith shall save the sick" and that "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
James 5:15-16 There are many instances in Scripture that we can follow, where the prayers of faith are answered. A prayer of faith (see Matthew 21:21-22) means that we ask God, without doubting that He will answer our prayer in the best possible way for us. Three of the most famous prayers of faith were:
Jesus prayed, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" Matthew 6:10 We should pray for God's coming Kingdom and the day we will be united with His Son at the marriage supper of the lamb.
Some other prayers of the Bible: Luke 11:1-4; Daniel 9:3-19; John 17; Psalm 51; 1Kings 18:36-37; Matthew 11:25-26; Jeremiah 20:7-18
All Scripture quoted is from the N.K.J.V.
If you would like to find out more about this topic, go to Does God Hear Prayer? or complete the Online Bible Course.
(See also 2 Kings 4:33, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16)
Talking with angels
Adam, Eve, Abraham and many other Bible characters at various times had direct conversations with the Angels (elohim) who are God's messengers or 'representatives' and carry God's name and authority at all times. This talking to the Angels though, should not be confused with prayer, as we are instructed in Colossians 2:18, that we are not to worship angels. (See also Revelation 22:8-9)
The importance of prayer
Prayer is one of the most important facets of our worship, so much so, that God refers to prayer as something He 'remembers' for the benefit of our future in His Kingdom.
(See Acts 10:4, Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4)
Pray without ceasing
The Apostle Paul said, "Pray without ceasing" 1 Thessalonians 5:17. This means that we should 'immediately' pray when the need arises without holding back. God says "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" Jeremiah 23:24 So there is no place nor reason to hold back from praying to God, wherever or whenever the need arises.
Give thanks for our daily blessings
We should also give thanks to God every day for His provision of the necessities of life including a prayer before our meals. Because very few of us today grow our own food there can be a tendency for us to forget that all our necessities do come from God and that without His kindness the Super Market shelves would be empty.
(See Luke 22:17,19)
Our Heavenly Father
Jesus has left us the example many times of addressing God in prayer as our Heavenly Father, the inference being that we are His children, and because Jesus is our mediator (1Timothy 2:5) we must address all prayer through Him.
No vain repetitions
Jesus warns us to avoid vain repetition in prayer as this is a tradition of the 'heathen' nations who think that their false god will hear them if they continually repeat their request. Our Heavenly Father knows our needs even before we make our request, so there is no need for repetition, although there is a need to ask for some things on a regular basis and this is particularly the case when asking for forgiveness for ourselves and others. (See Matthew 6:14-15; Matthew 18:35; Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 50:14-15)
Prayers of faith
James says that "the prayer of faith shall save the sick" and that "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
James 5:15-16 There are many instances in Scripture that we can follow, where the prayers of faith are answered. A prayer of faith (see Matthew 21:21-22) means that we ask God, without doubting that He will answer our prayer in the best possible way for us. Three of the most famous prayers of faith were:
- Eliezer praying for a wife for lsaac. (Genesis 24:12)
- David praying for mercy and forgiveness. (Psalm 51)
- Hezekiah praying for deliverance. (Isaiah 37:15-20)
Jesus prayed, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" Matthew 6:10 We should pray for God's coming Kingdom and the day we will be united with His Son at the marriage supper of the lamb.
Some other prayers of the Bible: Luke 11:1-4; Daniel 9:3-19; John 17; Psalm 51; 1Kings 18:36-37; Matthew 11:25-26; Jeremiah 20:7-18
All Scripture quoted is from the N.K.J.V.
If you would like to find out more about this topic, go to Does God Hear Prayer? or complete the Online Bible Course.
Complete a free Online Bible Course