Come with me on a prayer journey! I want to do a deep dive with you into prayer – what is it, why is it important and other questions will be answered along the way.
Did you know there are different kinds of prayer? Well, there are!
1 Peter 4:7-11, “Now the end of all things is near; therefore, be serious and disciplined for prayer. Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.”
What is Prayer?
The word “prayer” occurs 107 times in 102 verses in the CSB. The word “pray” occurs 109 times in 106 verses in the CSB. That’s a lot of references to prayer. If prayer is talked about over 200 times in God’s Word, then I think we should pay attention to it!
The most simple definition of prayer can be stated simply as, ‘talking to God.’ Within that, there are different kinds of prayer which include; contemplative, confessional, praise/worship, supplication, thanksgiving, tongues, and intercession.
Before we do a deep dive into these different kinds of prayer, we are going to talk about the prerequisite of our heart posture before the Lord
The Importance of our Heart Attitude/Posture in Prayer:
When we approach God in prayer, it’s important for us to understand that He is God and we are not. And, he has given us access, and even invited us to come and talk to him.
“In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.” Ephesians 3:12
“Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Coming before the Lord should always be done in humility. We should be open and willing to let the Holy Spirit search our hearts and show us where we have gotten out of alignment with heaven. We should be sure to confess any sign that is highlighted by the Holy Spirit, as well as grant forgiveness to all who have wronged or hurt us. Unforgiveness greatly hampers our prayers. Praying through Psalm 139:23-24 is a great place to begin a time of prayer with the Lord.
“Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24
Then we respond with joy as the Holy Spirit guides us to repent of sin or grant forgiveness. The follow through on whatever the Holy Spirit brings up is very important for deeper intimacy and growth in your relationship with Jesus.
“To obey is better than sacrifice.” – 1 Samuel 15:22b
In addition to approaching the Lord with an attitude of humility and a heart ready to be examined by the King, we should also bear in mind Psalm 100, “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.”
A heart of thanksgiving and praise is powerful and shows the Lord we are aware of how he has blessed us. We can thank him for what he’s done in our lives and the lives of those around us and we can worship, praise, and adore him for who he is. There are many Psalms where David writes out these kinds of prayers to God.
Another heart posture we must carry is one of faith. James 1:6-8 says, “But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.”
When we approach God, he wants us to come with boldness and faith. Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Why are we praying if we are not also expecting that the Lord will answer those prayers? When a small child asks their parent for a drink of water, they are expecting that their parent will give them the drink.
In the same way, we should pray expectantly. James 5:16 says that the “prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”
How we approach God matters. We must approach in faith without any doubting.
Mark 11:22-24 – “Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for – believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”
And if we feel that our faith is small, then we can ask God to enlarge our faith – then you will have opportunities to step out in obedient faith – this will take you out of your comfort zone, but it will grow your faith. Starting with faith the size of a mustard seed is no problem to God, he is more than able to grow our faith.
The way we pray is very important – God knows our hearts. So when you approach God in prayer, invite him to search your heart, and lead you in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:23-24 is like a spiritual adjustment, approach it with humility and a heart to learn from the Lord. He is ready to meet with you.
The Importance of Praying Out Loud
Before we wrap up for today, I want to share a few things about the power of praying out loud. While praying internally has great value, and writing prayers is a great way to help with focus, praying out loud releases power into the atmosphere. Romans 10:17 tells us that “Faith comes by hearing” when we pray out loud it can increase our faith, especially as we pray scripture or the “Rhema” Word that God speaks to us in our spirits. John 15 talks about the power of abiding in Jesus and then when we “ask whatever we will, He will do it.” When we spend time in God’s presence, our hearts are transformed, and our ideas, agendas, and desires are conformed to His.
Praying out loud offers us the chance to both speak and hear what God has put into our hearts and it emboldens us. Additionally, Proverbs 18:21 tells us that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” God has given his children a creative power with the words we speak. While the world has taken this power and used it to make a practice of “manifesting” – as children of God we know that this creative power comes from God. We should always press in deeply in our time with the Lord so that we can know what is on His heart, this way our prayers will be in alignment with Heaven and it will be God’s joy to answer them. This touches on declaration prayers, which we will go more in depth into in another blog later one.
What do you think? Is prayer something you practice daily? What is your heart posture towards prayer? I encourage you to take some time to pray through what you’ve just read. Have a time of personal prayer and reflection for 30 minutes. You can follow the steps below as a guide.
- Ask God to show you your current heart posture towards prayer
- Pray through any repentance that is needed – Psalm 139:23-24
- Praise him for who He is
- Thank him for what He’s done
- Worship & Adore Him! – Psalms can be a good place to go to pray in this way
- Make supplication – ask in faith specifically – and believe that he will answer expeditiously
- Sit quietly and listen for what He wants to speak to you
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Sarah Louise 