Prayer is communicating with God, opening up your heart to Him as to a friend. This is one of the most beautiful privileges that we have been given as Christians. In Hebrews 4: 16, we have been given an open invitation to come before the throne of God with confidence, knowing that we will find grace in His presence to help us when we need it the most.
Prayer is an entrance wedge into God’s presence. A place where we can know God’s will for our lives and also make our requests known. In order to maximize this privilege, for our prayers to be answered, there are three key ingredients to keep in mind
Faith
“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NLT). Faith is the foundational key to answered prayers. When you pray, do not come to God with a
doubting spirit or attitude. You must believe in God’s power, love and willingness to do all things for your good.
Few weeks ago a woman in her 40s complained to me about her difficulty in praying. “God doesn’t love me anymore.” she complained. I had to assure her of God’s love and interest to communicate with her before encouraging her to keep praying. This was foundational. Having distrust in God’s power or love increases our reluctance to pray and even hinders our prayers from being heard. You have every reason to trust God. He is loving and all powerful. He will come through for you,
Seek to know God’s will
Another important ingredient to answered prayer is the desire to know God’s will. God doesn’t answer certain prayers because they do not glorify him and are not in the best interest for the person praying. We deny ourselves peace and joy when we do not learn to pray according to God’s will.
Make it a habit to pray God’s word back to him. Mention the promises that He has given you in scripture and claim them by faith. When I adopted the habit of praying scripture by faith, I found a tremendous improvement in my prayer life. 1 John 5:14 assures us that if “we ask anything according to his will, he hears us”. Praying God’s word is one way of keeping our prayers according to His will and opening the threshold for answers to our requests.
Confession and Consecration
Proverbs 28:9 says, “He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, his prayer shall be an abomination”. Prayer is not a magic formula where you say the right words and God is obliged to obey you. God expects us to listen to God and obey him.
The children of Israel were upset with God about their prayers not being answered he responds to them through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 59. God rebuked them for their sins and told them that their iniquities have caused their requests to be unanswered. “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.” Isaiah 59: 2
The only prayer of a sinner that is valid is that of confession. Before presenting your requests before God, consciously confess and surrender your sins to God. Do not let your acts of disobedience shut the door to the blessings and breakthrough God has in store for you.
The best place to learn more about effective prayer is in God’s word. As you study His word daily and pray daily, your prayer life shall advance and become an enviable template for other believers. God bless you as you keep advancing in your walk with Him.