- Pray Dependently–Jesus needed to pray. The apostles and disciples needed to pray. We need to pray.
- Pray Daily–“Give us this day our daily bread”(Matthew 6:11). “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…each day has enough trouble of it’s own”(Matthew 6:34).
- Pray Expectantly–“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly”(Psalm 5:3). Expectant prayer is expecting God to answer, not getting the answer you expect.
- Pray Big–We have a big God and all things are possible with Him (Matthew 19:26). And He answers in ways beyond what we can even imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
- Pray With Praise–“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name”(Hebrews 13:15).
- Pray Persistently—“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).
- Pray In The Spirit–“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 6:18).
- Pray Faithfully–“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”(Romans 12:12).
- Pray Truthfully–“The LORD is near to all who call on Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18)
- Pray Confidently–“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).
- Pray Unselfishly–“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures”(James 4:3).
- Pray Boldly–“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”(Hebrews 4:16 KJV).
- Pray Unhindered–“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened”(Psalm 66:18). “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases Him”(1 John 3:21-22).
- Pray Comprehensively–God cares about the details of our lives. Nothing is too big or too small for Him. If we only pray about spiritual things then we exclude Him from a big percentage of our daily life. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”(Philippians 4:6). “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people”(Ephesians 6:18).
- Pray Concisely–“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:7-8).
- Pray To Know God–“If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you”(Exodus 33:13).
- Pray Secretly–“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”(Matthew 6:6).
- Pray Communally–“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:20).
- Pray Trustingly–“They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to Him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in Him” (1 Chronicles 5:20).
- Pray Continually– “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
- Pray Thankfully–“Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods”(Psalm 95:2-3).
- Pray Humbly–“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place”(2 Chronicles 7:14-15).
- Pray Peacefully–“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:6-7).
- Pray From Your Heart–“I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears”(Psalm 6:6).
- Pray Fervently–“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”(James 5:16 KJV).
- Pray Urgently–“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near”(Isaiah 55:6).
- Pray Even When You Don’t Know What To Pray–“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27).
Jan
20
Thank you for posting these prayer principles. It is a good basis for my prayer life!