Prayer is one of the pivotal tools we have in the Kingdom and it serves as our primary means of communicating with God. But like all forms of communication, that are rules of engagement.
When we communicate with dignitaries or persons of importance, there are protocols of how we approach and how we communicate. If we don’t approach correctly, regardless of our intent or need, we may not get into their presence. If we can do that for man, who is like the dust that is here today and gone tomorrow, how much more than for the creator of the universe, the eternal God.
David, the beloved King of Israel and the man that God declared was after his own heart, gave us some keys in how we should pray.
In Psalms 51, David prayed for God’s forgiveness and his tender mercies after his sins were exposed by the prophet Nathan concerning the murder of Uriah and the adulterous relationship with his wife, Bathsheba.
Although God would punish David for his sins, David declared that God never took away His tender mercies from him as he took it away from King Saul. The difference? David was a man of prayer.
Has it ever occurred to you why some prayers are unanswered and others are granted? I have.
There are secrets about prayer that are critical to know if you want your prayers to be answered.
Let me first dispel of some of the false notions about prayer:
Myth 1: God only answers prayers from special people or God has favorites.?
This is categorically false. The scripture is clear. God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation, those who fear Him and work righteousness. Acts 10:35
Myth 2: You can live in sin and God will still answer your prayers.?
There is some truth to this, but it is not entirely true. If you are living in sin, God will hear and answer your prayer for salvation. This is without any doubt. The scriptures declares, “If we say we have no sins, we lie and the truth is not in us. But if we confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
But make no mistake, God hates sin, and sin separates us from Him. You cannot be in sin and ask God to bless you in your sins. God is not the minister of sin and he will not bless you if your life is not submitted to him, in Jesus Christ.
The scripture declares in 1 John 3:20 – 22, “Beloved, if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. If our heart condemns us not, then we have confidence with God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”
Here are some important points about prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ taught us.
In Mathew 6, Jesus was teaching about the right way to give and the right way to fast, which I’ll teach on in future podcast. But Jesus took this time to also teach about prayer.
He said when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. They have their reward. But you, when you pray, enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut they door, pray to your father in secret; and your father, which sees in secret, shall reward you openly.
Let me leave you with five keys to an effective prayer:?
Prayer Key #1: Don’t pray to be seen.✅
It may seem like a small ask, but it speaks to intent. Don’t call attention to yourself when you pray.
Can you pray without going on Facebook to pray??
You see, people sometimes are not satisfied that God sees them, they want others to know that they are prayer warriors. What is that anyway? The Bible never mentions the word “Prayer Warrior”. We have coined the word to make others think that we are experts in prayer and, we pray longer and more fervently than others. The underlining message they try to send is this: that God hears them because they pray longer and harder. The fact is, God is the one who answers our prayers, through the Holy Spirit, who does all the work.
Jesus warns that more often than not, this is a sign of hypocrisy. He says when you prayer, it doesn’t matter if no one sees you. What matters the most is that God sees us. Not only that, but God sees us and hears us when we are in our private moments: alone, worried, concerned, heartbroken, fearful or joyful. He not only sees us, but he sees our hearts and intents. So pray in secret and God will reward you or answer you publicly.
Prayer Key#2: Let your words be few.✅
Jesus also warns against staying too long in prayer that you begin to repeat your words. Repetition and babbling is like chanting. When you begin chanting, now you’re working too hard to get God’s attention like the 450 prophets of Baal, who shouted and danced and cut themselves because they wanted Baal to hear and answer them. The Prophet Elijah mocked them by asking them to shout louder and dance harder because their God may be asleep and needs to wake up; or perhaps he is dull of hearing or travelled. 1 Kings 18:20
Folks, our God is an awesome God who knows all things, sees all things, hears all things. He does not slumber nor sleep. His hands are not too short that he cannot save. He knows what you need even before you even ask. He hears your thoughts from afar.
When you approach Him with this knowledge and attitude, it humbles you. No wonder why the Psalmist declared, “enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Know that the Lord is God; It is He who made us, and not we ourselves”.
Prayer Key # 3: Ask in faith.✅
When you ask, ask in faith, not wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed back and forth. Let not that persons expect to receive anything from God. A double minded man is unstable in all of his ways. James 1:6. Friends, this does not need any interpretation.
Prayer Key # 4: Be patient.✅
The reality is sometimes our prayers may be answered immediately, but the manifestation of it in our lives may take time. For example, when you were a kid and you ask your parents to buy a new pair of shoes, your father says yes immediately. But then it takes time to get you what you need. Just because God didn’t heal you right when you prayed does not mean he didn’t say yes to your healing. You must then continue to trust in the Lord for your deliverance. Don’t waver in your faith.
Lastly, Prayer Key # 5: You must pray in the Name of Jesus.✅
This is the most important aspect of prayer. I’ve save the best for last.❤️
When you prayer, you must begin your prayers in the name of Jesus. Jesus said that all things under heaven and earth have been given unto him by His father. He also said, if you ask the father anything in my name, it shall be given unto you. The lesson is clear: you cannot bypass Jesus and go to God. God has honored His son, and at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, whether in heaven or in the earth or beneath the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the father. Jesus says I am the way, the Truth and the Life; no man comes to God except by me.
Finally my friends, Jesus disciples asked him to teach them how to pray in Luke chapter 11. In response, Jesus said when you prayer, say our father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgiveness our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Led us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, both now and forever more. Amen.
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God bless you.
Saa M. McCarthy/Founder, Senior Pastor
