If prayer makes a decisive difference and if there is a right and a wrong way to pray, then needy people have paid the price for our failure to pray for them or even for failing to pray for them correctly, following biblical principles. This thread is intended to raise awareness about petitionary prayer principles under 4 categories. Only God knows how important it is to scrupulously apply them. God just wants the prayerless to learn by doing and can be gracious even to those who fail to honor these principles. This overview will be followed by a detailed discussion of each principle. To promote an orderly discussion, please postpone your response to specific principles listed until they are addressed in sequence. But feel free to comment on my overview of the important principles of effective petitionary prayer.
I. Preparations for Petitionary Prayer: Don't begin prayer by launching into your petitions. Rather begin prayer with this 5-fold focus:
(1) by delighting in God's presence (Psalm 37:4).and seeking God's face (Psalm 27:7-9; Hosea 5:15), that is, an intimate encounter with God for the sheer delight of experiencing it
(2) by thanking and praising God for His goodness (Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
(3) by experiencing awe and reverence to experience God's presence (Matthew 6:9)
(4) by purging your mind of negative and resentful thoughts towards others (Mk 11:24-25)
(5) by confessing sins to each other (James 5:14-16).
II. Praying in God's Will
(1) Pray for God's will to be done for those who are the subjects of your petitions (1 John 5:14; Matthew 6:10).
(2) Ask God to respond to the true needs behind your requests (Philippians 4:19; Romans 8:26; Matthew 7:7-11).
(3) Bless those you pray for even apart from more specific petitions (Numbers 6:23-27; Luke 6:28).
(4) Pray long enough to begin praying in the Spirit in a high state of alertness, so the Holy Spirit can direct your petitions to conform with God's will (Eph 6:18; Jude 20; Rom 8:26).
(6) Join a weekly small prayer group. Small groups of believers who know how to pray are more effective in creating faith than praying individuals (Matthew 18:19-20).
(7) During prayer, imagine that God has already granted your petitions (Mk 11:25-26).
IV. You get out of prayer what you invest in it.
(1) Long prayer sessions are generally more effective than short prayer sessions (Isaiah 40:30-31; Acts 1:14).
I. Preparations for Petitionary Prayer: Don't begin prayer by launching into your petitions. Rather begin prayer with this 5-fold focus:
(1) by delighting in God's presence (Psalm 37:4).and seeking God's face (Psalm 27:7-9; Hosea 5:15), that is, an intimate encounter with God for the sheer delight of experiencing it
(2) by thanking and praising God for His goodness (Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
(3) by experiencing awe and reverence to experience God's presence (Matthew 6:9)
(4) by purging your mind of negative and resentful thoughts towards others (Mk 11:24-25)
(5) by confessing sins to each other (James 5:14-16).
II. Praying in God's Will
(1) Pray for God's will to be done for those who are the subjects of your petitions (1 John 5:14; Matthew 6:10).
(2) Ask God to respond to the true needs behind your requests (Philippians 4:19; Romans 8:26; Matthew 7:7-11).
(3) Bless those you pray for even apart from more specific petitions (Numbers 6:23-27; Luke 6:28).
(4) Pray long enough to begin praying in the Spirit in a high state of alertness, so the Holy Spirit can direct your petitions to conform with God's will (Eph 6:18; Jude 20; Rom 8:26).
(5) Don't use praying for God's will as a substitute for specific petitions. If you don't ask, don't expect to receive (James 4:3).
III. The Need to Pray with Faith
(1) Meditate on God's promises to answer prayer and learn how to claim these promises.
(2) Petitions require faith that God will respond in a recognizable way (Hebrews 11:6).
(3) Pray with single-minded faith that is not sabotaged by doubt (James 1:6-8).
(4) Boldly act on the assumption that you already possess all the faith you need because you can't "try" to increase your faith that your prayer will be answered (Luke 17:5-6).
(5) Use "valves" to release faith (e. g. laying on hands and anointing with oil--James 5:14).III. The Need to Pray with Faith
(1) Meditate on God's promises to answer prayer and learn how to claim these promises.
(2) Petitions require faith that God will respond in a recognizable way (Hebrews 11:6).
(3) Pray with single-minded faith that is not sabotaged by doubt (James 1:6-8).
(4) Boldly act on the assumption that you already possess all the faith you need because you can't "try" to increase your faith that your prayer will be answered (Luke 17:5-6).
(6) Join a weekly small prayer group. Small groups of believers who know how to pray are more effective in creating faith than praying individuals (Matthew 18:19-20).
(7) During prayer, imagine that God has already granted your petitions (Mk 11:25-26).
IV. You get out of prayer what you invest in it.
(1) Long prayer sessions are generally more effective than short prayer sessions (Isaiah 40:30-31; Acts 1:14).
(2) Meditate on the fact that God does not need the information your petitions provide (Matthew 6:7-8). So repeatedly offer up your petitions (Matthew 7:7) and persevere when you are first tempted to stop praying not to clue God in, but to establish an intimate connection with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:18).
(3) In your imagination create a mental "Watchtower" to listen for God's approach, input, and response (Habakkuk 2:1).(4) It can be very helpful to identify a special sacred space for your prayer to help you focus your prayer discipline. Jesus liked to isolate Himself outdoors for greater privacy during His extended prayer vigils (Mark 1:45; 6:46; 14:39; Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28; 11:1).
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