To pray effectively is to cultivate a mindset that is ready to align with God’s will. That can only come from having full faith in God and establishing a sincere relationship with God Almighty.

Begins with Worship

Jesus taught us to prayer that began with Our Heavenly Father who is in heaven. Hallowed be your name, Matthew 6:9-13. We need to come to God in an act of worship, or prayer is nothing more than a shopping list of wants and needs. God is much more than the source of our needs. He is the source of a deep and meaningful, two-way relationship.

We receive what we ask the Father for in the name of Jesus, John 14:13. Prayer is a necessity in a sin-weary world where Satan desires to be the supreme ruler.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth, John 4:24. We do not see God with our physical eyes. When we believe in what Christ did at Calvary, He makes us His abode, John 14:23.

God’s Will

Jesus prayed, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Effective prayer must desire to see God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus was facing the worst thing He could possibly do. He who knew no sin became sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God, 2 Corinthians 5:21. Oh Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not as I will but as You will, Matthew 26:39.

God’s ways are not always pleasant as the Spirit of God deals with our soulish life. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord, Isaiah 55:8. However, God knows the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:10, and is always working on our behalf, for our very best. Learn to align your will with the will of God.

The Greatest Name

There is no more powerful name in heaven or on earth, than the name of Jesus Christ. Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you, John 16:23-24. It is vital we submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit and watch what we desire. Delight yourself in the Lord  and he will give you the desires of your heart, Psalm 37:4.

However, we are not on our own. The Spirit of God helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we should. The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, Romans 8:26.

Sincerity and Passion

To pray effectively we need to enter into a sincere and passionate relationship with the great I Am That I Am, Exodus 3:14. We were created in His image, Genesis 1:27, designed to be a people of His presence and to worship Him, just as the angelic host in heaven worships Him.

That is a vast difference from the battlefield world we live in. Therefore, we must enter in with real sincerity and awe. We need to fellowship with the Creator in awesome fear and wonder and fall at His feet always overflowing with thanksgiving, for what He has done for us at Calvary.

That He desires such a relationship and chose to redeem us from our sinful nature, is awesome in itself. We should hunger with a deep and passionate yearning for a relationship and seek others who desire the same thing. Sadly though, they are hard to find. Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it, Matthew 7:13,14.

Total Faith

Effective prayer is based on total faith in a righteous and just God. His word is His absolute bond, and cannot return to Him void, but shall accomplish that which He pleases, Isaiah 55:11. For all the promises of God are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us, 2 Corinthians 1:20. What He has said He will fulfill. That fulfilment may not come in the way we anticipate, but His word is unchangeable fact. God is always speaking. We just need to have the ear to hear as is stated in Matthew 11:15 and repeated over and over in the book of Revelation.

Faith is a gift from God, Ephesians 2:8, and assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, Hebrews 11:1. Without faith it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6. Faith is the foundation of praying effectively, for it is belief in God’s power and His willingness to answer us. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him, Matthew 6:8. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone, Matthew 7:9.

Know the Word of God

An effective relationship with anyone happens as you begin to know a person. Therefore, it is necessary to know the word of God. Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God, Romans 10:17.

To pray effectively is to intimately know who God is. He is not some figment of our imagination, but a real entity that changes not, for He is the same yesterday, today and forever, Hebrews 13:8. The God revealed in the Old Testament is the same God revealed in the book of Acts, and the same God at work in us. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure, Philippians 2:13.

Repentance

Our relationship with God begins with recognizing that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. Without repentance there is no forgiveness, Luke 17:3,4. Just like the repentant thief on the cross, Luke 22:32-34, we must recognize who Christ is and what He achieved at calvary.

However, repentance is an ongoing thing, for we constantly do things that are contrary to the will of God. Jesus demonstrated the need for constant cleansing when He washed His disciples’ feet, John 13:2-17.

The result of being in the presence of God with an unclean heart is what caused Satan and one third of the angels to be cast out of heaven, Luke 10:18. They can never be redeemed and know what their end is, Revelation 20:10. Satan’s aim is vengeance so He does as much damage as he can and desires to take as many sinners with him as he can.

How to Pray Effectively

To pray effectively it must be done with consistency and perseverance to demonstrate unwavering faith and total dependence on God. That is to display a deep commitment to your relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The more you depend on God the deeper that relationship will become.

The true follower of Christ is always asking, seeking and knocking Luke 11:9. To that person the depths of the truths of God will be revealed and they will pray effectively. Give us the will to do things your way God and the ear to hear what you are saying.

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Dr. Wendy Stenberg-Tendys is a freelance writer who enjoys researching a topic and sharing words of encouragement from the Word of God.

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