It is easy to complain, but if we count our blessings we will realize just how much we have to be thankful for. We also must remember to be thankfulto God for what He has done for us. It is good to start with confession because sin is an obstacle to close fellowship with God. Jesus’ model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 shows that prayer has several aspects. Contrary to many people’s belief and habit, prayer is much more than simply asking God for material things. Now that we have discussed some of the principles of prayer we will look at five different aspects of praying. As long as our prayers are in Jesus’ name we should persist. But to God, the process is also important. In today’s culture most people are result oriented and want quick answers. Many times God may answer our prayer with “wait!” At those times it may be easy to get discouraged and give up. In this parable we learn to pray “at all times… and not to lose heart.” Jesus’ point was that if the ungodly and uncaring judge answered because of the widow’s persistence then surely our loving and caring God would. Take these things to heart and be humble in your prayers. We can do nothing to earn His good favor. Do not approach God thinking that He owes us. The humble one recognized his weaknesses and sin and was forgiven. One was prideful, thinking that he was worthy and deserved a lot of blessings. In Luke 18:10-14 Jesus gave a parable of two men who prayed. He recognized that all the success he had was from God and not himself. I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.” Jacob knew that he didn’t deserve God’s grace. In verse 10 he says, “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown to Your servant. In Genesis 32:9-12 we can look at his prayer. We must respect God and come humbly into His presence. We are praying to the one and only God, the Creator of the universe, the Almighty. When Jesus gave the disciples an example of how to pray He said to begin like this, “ Our Father who in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” (Matthew 6:9) We must always remember who we are praying to. Our natural reaction should be to turn to God in prayer during these types of situations (Nehemiah 2:1-5). During our life there will be many times when we face temptations, difficulties or decisions. (Nehemiah 1:5-11, 1 Kings 8:22-53) We look at some of the principles on prayer below.Įphesians 6:18 says, “pray at all times in the Spirit” and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray without ceasing.” While it is good to make a habit to pray before meals or before sleeping, prayer should not be limited to certain times. The Bible is full of teaching on prayer and also records the prayers of many believers to help us learn how to pray. Without it, we cannot hope to have success in other areas of life (John 15:5).

From His example we know that no matter how hectic our life is we must set aside quality time to pray. Luke 5:16 tells us, “ Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”(Luke 6:12) Jesus’ life was very busy and He was doing eternally important things, but He always made time to spend alone praying.

Jesus Himself shows us the importance of prayer. Many of the strongest believers in the Bible prayed continually, talking with God as one would with a friend (Exodus 33:11). Prayer is the second way that a growing believer develops a strong personal relationship with God.

Online bible study on prayer