PRAYER ... AN EXPLANATION:

Definition:  Prayer is talking to God and includes ... offering praise to Him for who He is ... thanking Him for what He has done ... confessing sins ... and making requests to Him.

Prayer is the special privilege that you have to talk to God. The Psalmist wrote, "Let everyone who is godly pray." Psalm 32:6.

The Bible includes many prayer promises. However, these are also prayer conditions. Meet God's conditions ... and He will answer your prayers. God is not looking for some magical combination of your words and phrases. He is looking for your righteousness and your obedience. Abiding in Jesus Christ is the first condition for effective prayer. You must dwell in Christ. You must be rooted in Him and draw your strength from Him. And His words, the Bible, must abide in you. Then, as your will conforms to God's will, you can pray with confidence.

God is receptive to the prayers of the righteous. However, He turns away from those who do evil. Therefore, your prayers are more effective when you are pleasing to God ... when you obey Him ... and when you bear fruit (that is, help someone find Christ). A husband's prayers are more effective when he treats his wife with honor and understanding. Praying in unity with other believers is also very important. You should pray in faith, believing that God will answer. Jesus taught that prayer should be directed to the Father. In addition, prayer should be in the name of Jesus ... that is, in unity with Him.

Your prayers are more effective if you meet all of God's conditions. God always keeps His promises. He will answer your prayers. Then your joy will be made full. He wants you to talk to Him. God wants you to pray.



PRAYER ... A WORKSHEET

Directions: Carefully answer each question below. Answer each one from the accompanying verse or verses ... but please use you own words if possible.   

1. Verse: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you." John 15:7

Question: Abiding in whom is the starting point of prayer?

Question: And what should abide in you?

2. Verse: "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." 1 John 5:14

Question: What must you do to have confidence in prayer?

3. Verse: "For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:12

Question: What two things are true about the righteous?

Question: What is true about those who do evil?

4. Verse: "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight." 1 John 3:22

Question: Doing what two things will help your prayers?

5. Verse: "That you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you." John 15:16

Question: What happens to your prayers when you bear fruit (that is, help others find Christ)?

Question: To whom should your prayers be directed?

Question: In whose name should you pray?

6. Verse: "You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way ... and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." 1 Peter 3:7

Question: What two things must a husband do so that his prayers are not hindered?

7. Verse: "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." Matthew 18:19

Question: Is it advantageous to pray in unity with others?

8. Verse: "All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you." Mark 11:24

Question: Is it important to believe that God will answer your prayers?

9. Verses: " I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full." John 16:23-24

Question: To whom should you pray?

Question: What happens to you when God answers your prayers?

A reminder:  These are prayer promises and prayer conditions. God always keeps His promises. It is up to you to meet the conditions for answered prayer. "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16



A PATTERN FOR PRAYER

God wants you to talk to Him. Be devoted to prayer, Colossians 4:2. Be open and honest with God. Do not pray with hypocrisy and meaningless repetition, Matthew 6:5-8. The Biblical pattern for prayer includes the following four elements:

PRAISE expresses your admiration and exaltation of God. Your praise honors and glorifies God for who He is, Psalm 34:1-3. Continually offer up your praise to Him, Hebrews 13:15.

THANKS expresses your appreciation to God for what He has done. Thank Him, Psalm 107:1. Have an attitude of thanksgiving, Colossians 4:2. Give thanks in everything, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 5:20.

CONFESSION is the acknowledgment of your sins and the wrongness of your sins to God. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
Note: 1 John 1:9 is a good verse to memorize.

REQUESTS are the things you ask God to do for you and for others. God invites you to make your requests known to Him, Philippians 4:6. Ask with the right motives, James 4:2-3. And trust God's answers, Matthew 7:7-11.

These four elements (praise, thanks, confession, and requests) should be in your prayer life. However, not all four have to be in every prayer.

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BIBLE BASICS ONE, copyright 2003, is available free from www.MyDisciplemaker.org where you can study online or print free copies. You may copy this course, any any part of it, for free or at-cost distribution ... without change to the content ... and with this copyright policy attached. Published by www.ActsOneEight.org. Bible Quotations are from the NASB unless noted. Bible Basics One is provided by Acts One Eight, Inc., PO Box 1010, Colorado Springs, CO 80901, USA