Prayer is an important topic and each of us should know the correct way to pray so that our prayers are answered and we do not live frustrated lives. Prayer as defined by Pst Chris Oyakhilome is the response to the impression of the Holy Spirit on our hearts. Apart from the Holy Spirit, situations, challenges can equally make an impression on our hearts and we will respond to those impressions by praying.
Prayer is not just about telling God your needs, it is a communion. It is not a religious rite or a mark of Christianity; it is a relationship, a spiritual obligation for every child of God.
It is worth noting here that if you are a sinner, God does not hear your prayers and therefore will not answer them. The only prayer of a sinner that God hears is “the sinner’s prayer” where he asks Jesus to be Lord of his life.
You may be wondering what I am saying because the last time you prayed, you got an answer; what happened was only the mercy of God working, it was not your right. The answer you got is like the rain that falls from the sky and falls on the just and the unjust… God’s mercy for all mankind!
Every child of God is entitled to answers to their prayers, in fact; every child of God is ordained to receive answers to prayers from him.
Prayer is making contact with the divine essence that is in us; it is a way of bringing God’s word to fruition in our lives. In the place of prayer, everything is possible because you are strengthened and energized after spending quality time in communion with God.
God expects the Christian to pray according to his will in order to get results. Here many people get confused because they can not decipher the meaning of the phrase “according to my will”; many of them think that it is for example, I want a red Porsche car and I tell God, then He will say “no, I don’t want you to have that, I prefer to give you a green Mercedes Benz”. Then it will mean that his will for me is to have a green colored Benz and not the red Porsche that I want. Of course not, praying according to God’s will is “praying with faith” and “praying in Jesus “.
Hebrews 11:6 says “without faith it is impossible to please God” for God to answer our prayers, He has to be pleased with us and faith in God according to the above scripture is what makes God pleased with us.
Second, we are called to pray “In Jesus’ Name” not “through Jesus’ Name” (John 15:16…whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you). Jesus also said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me”. This is an invitation to come to God, give your heart to him, receive eternal life through what Jesus did for you on the cross of Calvary. But having come to God and become a member of the family, you don’t need to go through Jesus or any mediator again to get to God; The only thing that is required of you is that you make your request to God in the Name of Jesus because what Jesus did on Calvary’s cross was done for you! Now you are in the place of Jesus because the Bible says: “He is the firstborn among many brothers”, we are his brothers. He told Mary after her resurrection: “I am going to your God and my God, your Father and my Father, go and tell my brothers.” He is the Vine and we are the branches, so He has given us His Name to use and every time we do it, we should get results.
The following are some of the types of sentences that we can deduce:
• Prayers of intercession: here you intercede for others, plead their case before God, stand in the gap for them.
• Prayer of petition/supplication: this type is of direct purpose, zealous and fervent; It does not necessarily have to be long but direct to the point and with fervor.
• Prayer of agreement: here two or more people unite their faith to pray for a particular need or situation, they agree and make declarations according to their faith and those declarations will be established for them.
The next time you kneel to pray, approach the throne room with confidence to obtain grace and find help in times of need, raising your hands to Him in worship, make your requests in Jesus Name and with faith! God bless you.