Bible Verses About How Should We Pray
Bible verses related to How Should We Pray from the King James Version by Relevance
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You Should Pray Scripture Because It Kindles Your Affections
Ray Ortlund writes, I have learned to see the Bible as kindling for a holy fire. Scripture is meant to inform us, and thus to inflame us. It is meant to illuminate our thoughts of God, and thus to ignite our affections for God.8
John Pipers chapter on Scripture in Desiring God is called Scripture: Kindling for Christian Hedonism.9 He closes by sharing from George Müllers autobiography how he started his day:
The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. . . .
Before this time my practice had been, at least for ten years previously, as an habitual thing, to give myself to prayer, after having dressed in the morning. Now I saw, that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed and that thus, whilst meditating, my heart might be brought into experimental, communion with the Lord. I began therefore, to meditate on the New Testament, from the beginning, early in the morning.
Be Careful Of Needlessly Long Prayer
Along with warning about vain repetitions, Christ warns against long prayers, which come from these vain repetitions. He said, they think that by their many words they will be heard. Many Jews believed that long prayers were preferred over short ones. Rabbi Levi said: Whoever is long in prayer is heard. Another saying has it: Whenever the righteous make their prayer long, their prayer is heard.4
Interpretation Question: Is Christ forbidding long prayers?
With that said, often a short prayer is all that is needed. After the prophets of Baal prayed most of the day for fire from heaven to no avail, Elijah prayed briefly, and God answered with fire. God knows our needs before we ask, therefore long prayers are often unnecessary. When a long prayer is needed, its mostly for our benefit rather than Godsto give us peace, strength, or to change our heart.
Here, Christ warns his disciples to not model the needlessly, long prayers commonly offered by the religious leaders. These prayers were in vain because they repetitiously said nothing, lacked the right heart, or were offered in order to be seen by others.
Application Question: How can we avoid ineffective praying like vain repetitions and needlessly long prayers?
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Know To Whom You Are Speaking
Prayer is a conversation with God, and every conversation begins by addressing the person to whom you are speaking by name. Jesus begins with Our Father in heaven. He focuses on a distinct person the Heavenly Father with whom he has a personal relationship. We share the same right to call God Father, and there are times when we need to talk with our Abba Father, Daddy God. But God is three distinct persons in One: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I find it helpful in my prayer times to focus on which of the Holy Trinity I need to talk to. Often I talk to Jesus, the friend who is closer than a brother and the Savior of my soul. Other times I cry out to the Holy Spirit, who fills and empowers me to do the tasks Father God has called me to do. Having a distinct sense of who I am speaking to helps me formulate what I want to say and how I want to say it.
You Should Pray Scripture Because It Helps You Focus On What Is Most Important
We can so easily drift into praying lists of requests that concern mainly issues such as sickness or anxiety or money or wisdom for decision-making. And its right to ask about concerns like that. But what can happen is that those legitimate concerns become the dominant and almost exclusive content of what we pray.
But what about praising God? And exulting in glorious truths about God and his world? And thanking God for specific blessings? And asking God to forgive us? Prayer is about much more than merely asking God for stuff . Praying Scripture helps us focus on what is most important.
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What The Bible Says
The eyes of Jehovah are on the righteous, and his ears listen to their supplication, but the face of Jehovah is against those doing bad things, says the Bible. Clearly, God does listen to prayers. He is, however, especially inclined to listen to those who follow his precepts. Regarding Gods willingness to hear us when we pray, another scripture states: This is the confidence that we have toward him, that no matter what we ask according to his will, he hears us. Hence, sincere supplicants need to understand what types of request are likely to harmonize with Gods will.
Praying Twice Daily: Night And Day
The Scriptural evidence for night and day prayer begins early in the Old Testament and runs through the New Testament. One of the most revered and recited passages in the Old Testament is found in Deuteronomy 6: 4-9:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
There are numerous examples of godly men and women praying day and night in the Bible, fulfilling the commands to regularly seek God in this way. For example, when Nehemiah heard the news that the walls of Jerusalem were still down, symbolizing Gods abandonment of Israel, he prayed night and day. Nehemiah 1:4-6 says,
In the Gospels:
The twice-a-day pattern continues into the New Testament with the Gospels. Anna, the prophetess, made it her regular practice to pray, worship, and fast night and day over the course of many years. In the first century, young men and women often married at the age of 14. Since her husband died after seven years and she lived until age 84, she prayed night and day for 63 years. Luke 2:26-37 says,
In the Epistles:
Other New Testament Books:
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Why Should We Pray
God insists that we ask, not because He needs to know our situation, but because we need the spiritual discipline of asking. Catherine Marshall
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9-10
Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:19-20
The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have perfect and complete oneness with Him. Oswald Chambers
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2
What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to Him? Deuteronomy 4:7
Come near to God and He will come near to you. James 4:8
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on Him in truth. Psalm 145:18
What Do I Say
Start by addressing God directly in a way that acknowledges the uniqueness of who He is.
People will say things like, Father God, Heavenly Father or Almighty God. How you choose to address Him will remind you and anyone you might be praying with about who you are talking to and what He represents in your life.
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Builds Your Confidence In Prayer
Hebrews 4:16 says So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
When I use to pray, I never came boldly to God. I was hesitant in my prayers, not knowing if God was listening or if what I was asking would happen. I had no confidence in my prayers. I contemplated many times if it was even worth it for me to pray. After all, I honestly felt like I was just going through the motions because I felt that I had to pray as a believer.
Is that a good reason to pray, because I felt I had to? What good was that? Im sure that God knew my heart and how I felt. Thank God for His grace and mercy.
As I began to learn more about the importance of praying the scriptures, I no longer prayed because I felt like I had to. I was excited to pray, I had confidence in my prayers, and I could approach God boldly because I knew that my prayer was in line with His word, which is His will.
I realized that to pray Bible verses I needed to know which Bible verses to use. It is so important to understand the Bible by studying it. Ensure that you are taking time out of your day not only to pray but also to study and read the Word of God because it will help you to understand the scriptures.
Tip : Make Prayer An Integral Part Of Your Day
This verse baffles me: Rejoice always,pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances Is it really possible to pray without ceasing?
How about trying an experiment? Start and end your day with prayer. Lift up short prayers to God as often as you can throughout your day. Pray over your schedule. Ask God to help you with your to-do list. When you hear a troubling news report, lift the situation up to God. Say a prayer for your spouse or child as you give him or her a hug. Pray for the person youre talking to. A friend of mine gives thanks whenever she stops at red lights while driving. Look for prayer moments that work for your life.
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Acknowledge The Coming Kingdom Of God
This one was a bit more difficult to grasp. According to reference.com, this could mean that by acknowledging the second coming of Christ and the new kingdom that will be established, it can help to focus our minds on the mission of serving God for the coming kingdom of Heaven, instead of living for ourselves here on earth.
Give You A Passion For Prayer
I can only speak from my own experience, but I know once I started praying the scriptures, I found passion in my prayer life. I no longer prayed, just because I felt it was the Christian thing to do, I was praying because I felt passionate about my time with God.
Praying the scriptures was like a starting point for me and it brought about so many wonderful things in my prayer life. As I became more confident and my passion grew, I could now feel the leading of the Holy Spirit during my prayer time.
It was like a step-by-step process for me. I know that we all want everything instant, but its a relationship that begins to flourish so it does take time. The beautiful thing is that all though I had these scriptures written down and I prayed them, the Holy Spirit would now start to lead me in prayer and bring to my thoughts other scriptures that I could pray for a specific situation and even for others.
I hope that you can see why I am so passionate about praying the scriptures and that I have answered the question Why Should We Pray Bible Verse?” Its not the only way to pray, but it’s what got me out of my slump when I didnt know what to say, and it’s been such an amazing experience. Now I can pray Gods blessing and His purpose over my life and the lives of others using His word.
Do you pray the scriptures? If not, will you start praying the Word of God over your life? Let me know in the comments, I would love to know what your go-to scriptures are for prayer.
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Dont Think Of Prayer As A Magic Formula
There are some who believe that if we dont say exactly the right things or pray in the right position, God will not hear and answer our prayer. This is unbiblical. God doesnt answer our prayers based on when we pray, where we are, or what position our body is in. Scripture assures of this. The Bible says, And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His Will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him . Ask yourself does the prayer you present bring glory to Jesus? God answers our prayer requests based on whether they are asked according to His Will and in the name of Jesus.
You Should Pray Scripture Because Gods People In The Ot And Nt Did
Its not always logical to argue that we should do something merely because the Bible records Gods people doing it. Sometimes OT narratives or the book of Acts describe practices without prescribing them. But I cant think of a one good reason that we shouldnt emulate these two examples.
First, an example from the OT: When the Israelites confess their sins in Neh 9, the Levites lead the people in prayer . The entire prayer is scripturally informed ,1 and verse 17 quotes previous Scripture:
They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt, and had committed great blasphemies . . . .
In the middle of their prayer, they quote Exod 34:6. They apply that Scripture to their specific context.
Second, an example from the NT: After the antagonistic Sanhedrin release Peter and John in Acts 4, how does the early church respond?
And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
Why did the Gentiles rage,
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Other Things We Can Pray To God About
On the other hand, certainly these are not the only things that we can pray to God. Indeed, the Bible says to:
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Therefore while the Lords Prayer and using the format Jesus gave us is certainly important, it is really only the starting point of prayer. More experienced Christians should also be including things like praying for others, praying for even your enemies, praying in everything we do, praying for the world, praying for the lost, and praying about many other things.
Does God Only Hear Us When We Pray Out Loud Or Does He Hear Silent Prayers Also
Billy Graham: God hears our prayers on all occasions, whether were praying out loud or praying silently in our hearts and minds. After all, He knows all about us and knows what is going on inside usboth good and bad. The Bible says that God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart . The Bible also says, The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him .
God even hears our prayers when we cant even put them into wordstimes, for example, when our hearts are too burdened or confused even to speak. The Bible says, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express .
One of Gods greatest gifts to us is the privilege of prayera privilege that is possible because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Thank God for the privilege of prayer and learn daily to Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you .
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