By David McFadden

There are limitless expressions of prayer offered by way of thousands of belief systems. However, as sincere Christians, praying effectively means that we seek to use patterns, principles and examples given to us through God’s Word. The Bible guides us to petition God by coming into agreement with His Word—we want to pray His way.

Praying His way means finding out what He says about prayer and then submitting to Him and His ways when we pray.  

The truth is that God first draws us and woos us to Himself. This encounter with our heavenly Father encourages us to pray (talk to Him about) His promises, His provisions and His power. When we do, He brings His Life into our temporal world. God tells us “My Word will not come back void but will accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

Genuine biblical prayer, effective prayer, grows from a culmination of a myriad of disciplines acquired from God’s Word. Effective prayer must be learned through understanding God’s desires and intentions for us, in our relationship with Him. Even so, a paradox seems to exist when considering the vast, overarching scope of prayer. For instance, the Bible gives us examples and principles so that our prayers will hit the mark. However, the irony exists because we also know from Scripture that the simplest of prayers can be just as eternally effective. 

Why does this conflict seem to exist? Because God looks on the heart—He knows the intents of your heart (Hebrews 4:12). Even the simplest prayer given in great repentance releases God’s unlimited grace, allowing Him to intervene and bring His saving love to your situation. One of the most noteworthy prayers in the Bible proves this. The thief who hung on the cross next to Jesus (Luke 24:32) spoke the shortest, simplest prayer, which Jesus answered most profoundly.

Genuine Christians necessarily proclaim to belong to God’s kingdom. As such, the citizens of any kingdom look to their king for answers.

So, the question that begs an answer is this: How do we effectively pray to God so we have the assurance that He hears us? The answer lies in knowing the King personally, giving us access to the throne. 

Kings and thrones are the domain of powerbrokers, but the Bible tells us that anyone who believes on Jesus can boldly enter God’s presence as a well-loved child. Being in God’s presence and communicating intimately with Him is the essence of effective prayer.

This concept of approachability is entirely unique to the Christian faith—no other religion offers its adherents a personal relationship with their chosen deity.

But that’s not the whole of it. God “fits” us with responsibilities to cooperate with His desires according to our individual personalities and giftings. Why is this important? Because without a proper God connection, the “natural” man does what is right in his own eyes. In our humanness, we go to great lengths to find happiness, acceptance and fulfillment, spending our time, talents and treasures in pursuit of these basic needs. This means that outside of an intimate relationship with God, we do what is right in our own eyes, resulting in fruitless prayers because of the self-centered nature of our requests.

However, there is Good News!—God wants to meet our basic human needs above and beyond what we could ever think or ask. (Ephesians 3:20) What an amazing promise! When we yield to God’s plans and purposes, we step into His destiny for us. By allowing God to direct and guide us, He can satisfy our longings as nothing else can. This is why effective communication (prayer) with God is eternally vital—we can know Him and follow His direction and guidance for our greatest benefit.

We all know that there are counterfeits out there that promise to satisfy our longing for the real thing. No one wants to be deceived and end up with a phony or a fake. God’s Word is the measuring rod we use to compare everything else to see if it is a counterfeit. The Life we receive from God’s Word is the basis for knowing God authentically and communicating with Him effectively. 

No matter what concept you have about prayer, God wants to bring you closer to Him, even into His presence. He wants you to know Him! Prayer, communing with God in the secret place, is the highest calling that a person can pursue. Achieving a God connection through effective prayer creates a ripple effect, bringing Life and Light to you and to the people in your sphere of influence. 

One person who is yielded to God in prayer can change his neighborhood. God’s touch on a praying man’s neighborhood can change his city that, in turn, changes his state or province. This regional beachhead of righteousness can change a nation, and a godly nation can change the world. Is it possible for one person, who is committed to God through prayer, to change the world? Yes!

Excerpted and adapted from, “Prayer by the Book” - Available on Amazon.com by clicking here: Prayer by the Book

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