What is prayer?

Prayer is simply talking with God. It is having a conversation with the Lord where you can talk to Him about anything. You can tell Him how you feel, ask Him what you need or want, tell Him what’s on your mind, share with Him what you are worried about, thank Him for what He has done for you and is doing in your life, Praise Him for who He is, and on and on.

When to pray?

There is no set time to pray. Pray anytime you want. Some people like to set aside time each day to  pray. Others pray to God as they move through their day and opportunities to pray arise. Paul encourages Believer’s to “pray without ceasing” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17). This is an attitude and lifestyle of prayer where you are in constant conversation with the Lord and you include Him in every part of your day. It means staying in synch with the Holy Spirit as you go through your day, and being ready to respond to his promptings to pray.

How to pray?

There is no specific body position, voice tone, or formal phrases. Simply talk to God!  However, the Bible does provide instructions on how to pray:

• John 16:23-24 tells us to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus.
• Mark 11:22-25 gives us a lot of insight into how to pray as well. This passage informs us to ask the Lord for what we want, believe that we receive it when we pray, do not doubt in our hearts, speak words in line with our prayers, and forgive others when we pray.
• Philippians 4:6  tells us that when we pray we should thank God for all he has done.
• Hebrews 13:15 says for us to be continually offering up praise to God.

What to pray?

The Bible tells us that we can come before God with our requests (Psalm 5:3), needs (Philippians 4:6), and the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). That pretty much covers anything that will come up in life!

Scripture also teaches us to pray along with God’s will (1 John 5:14). We can find out God’s will by reading what His Word says. Adding scripture into your prayers builds your faith and enhances their power. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s Word is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.”

When do I pray “if it be God’s will”?

In a lot of situations, we are able to know the will of God by reading His Word. God’s Word is His will. The Word is full of promises that God has made to us.

Some people may feel they are being humble if they add “if it be your will” to their prayers. However, God wants you us to be knowledgeable about the promises in His Word and to accept what he has already provided for us. He wants us to take his promises and apply them to your lives.  This is faith in action!

With the promises of God, we don’t need to wait and see if God will give it to us too. It’s a promise to all believer’s. Jesus outlines what to do in Mark 11:24 (NIV) – Ask in prayer and believe that you receive it. When you are praying about things like healing, salvation, freedom from bondage, and provision – know that these things are already promised to you!

But sometimes situations do arise where God’s will may not clear in a situation. In this case what you are praying about, you may not be able to find a specific promise in the Bible about. Let’s say you have applied for a new job and you really want it. You could pray and ask God, that if it be his will – you get the job.

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