11 13 08 How to Pray

“Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1 NET)

I received a question recently by a good friend and fellow believer: “Does how we pray determine how we will engage?” Think about that! If we pray, God promises to hear us. But He can only answer prayers in a way that are in His will. He will give us what he thinks we need. He will show us what we need to see. At times He will allow us to experience the consequences of our choices and other times He will grant us grace along with forgiveness.

My question is this: Do we miss out on real opportunities to be effective for God because we pray ineffectively? I do believe we may be just a bit too specific at times and other times a bit too general in our conversations with the Lord. One thing we all need to do is listen more as we pray; that’s right, listen as we pray. This requires some simple quiet moments in His presence. Oh He still speaks; in songs and hymns, in the simple whispers of the wind, in the thunder of a storm, and in the casual conversations of the day. But He also speaks in the silence we may place ourselves in for just a few minutes each day.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray that they honored God. He taught them to depend upon God for their daily needs. He taught them to pray for their forgiveness of others. Jesus taught His followers to pray for the Father’s will to be done. Paul taught us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6). So we know that we should seek our DADDY’s face about some things and everything, anything and all things. We are to pray at all times and for all people. Above all, we are to pray that we honor God and bring Him glory.

In all this, we need to be specific! Knowing God loves us and wants to hear the needs of His children, we should let Him know our needs, our hurts, our worries, and our dependency upon Him to supply the things we need. Then we leave it up to Him to decide. Stop worrying! Now we need to ask Him where he wants us to be and what He wants us to do to bring Him glory. Again, we need to be specific. God show me. DADDY lead me. Father I need You to direct me and make it clear to me how You want me to work to best serve You and others. I am but a dumb blind sheep and You are my Good Shepherd.

Then we must listen. We must have our spiritual eyes opened. We must focus our heart upon His agenda. Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God, Lifeway Press. 1990) would tell us that through an intimate relationship, God reveals Himself, His purposes, and His ways; and He invites you to join Him where He is already at work. Intimacy is the key. It comes from personal, intense, and confident conversations with the Father, DADDY.

He’s willing to reveal His plans, if we are willing to invest our time!