Do you want to know what the personal prayer according to the Bible? As you will notice in the Bible there are certain key passages where the text that talks about personal prayer appears more than once.
The importance of talking to God (Elohim) greatly influences our Christian lifestyle. This can be noticed at various angles. But, how is personal prayer? One passage tells us the following: Lord, teach us to pray (Luke 11:1). We invite you to stay.
What is personal prayer?
Personal prayer is having the privilege of being able to speak directly with God (Elohim) without any kind of ritual or intermediary, with the freedom of a son before his father, and the holy trembling of a mortal before God (Elohim).
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Moses gives one of the most remarkable examples of personal prayer in the Old Testament. Under the weight of the immense responsibility that fell on him, “he went into the tent of meeting to speak with him” (Num. 7:89).
Far from the dust of the desert and the bustle of the camp, he entered the silence of the sanctuary. First of all “he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat”later “spoke to him”. First listen, then speak. “The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11).
The Christian enjoys an even greater privilege: he communicates with God (Elohim) not just as with “his friend“, but listens to him and speaks to him as to his Father; Jesus (Yahshua) already told his disciples: “When you pray, say: Father” (Luke 11:2).
However, the prayer is not addressed only to the Father; Paul said: “Three times have I prayed to the Lord” (2 Cor. 12:8); Stoned Stephen addresses the Lord Jesus (Yahshua). But basically we pray to the Father, we seek him for everything that concerns us or interests us: it is dependency.
His interest in us gives us the freedom to turn to him without hesitation: it is trust.
At the base is faith in his love and in his power. It is not about ordering God (Elohim) to act according to our wishes, but, while we expose our needs, trusting in his wisdom and goodness that are far above our own thoughts.
Why is personal prayer important?
First of all, let us get closer to God (Elohim) and communicate with Him. The letter to the Hebrews is rich in this verb “getting closer“.
- We confidently approach the throne of grace (4:16).
- We approach God (Elohim) through Christ who intercedes for us (7:25).
- We are approaching the new and living path (10:19-22).
But hebrews 11:6 tells us: “He who approaches God (Elohim) must believe that God (Elohim) exists”. He whose faith is perhaps very weak, but who is aware of the existence of God (Elohim), can already approach Him.
We approach God (Elohim) as Creator, “to whom are all things, and we to him” (1 Cor. 8:6); we approach the Redeemer, who ordered everything to free us from the power of Satan and take us to the kingdom of the Son of his love; even more, we approach the Father who “He himself loves you” (John 16:27),-and the Lord Jesus (Yahshua), “the Friend closer than a brother”, who sympathizes with all his own circumstances .
Let us now see for what purposes we approach God (Elohim).
1. Personal prayer allows us to give thanks and adore
The unbeliever does not give thanks to God (Elohim) (Rom. 1:21), while the first word of a newborn in the faith is not: Thank my Lord? – “Give thanks to the Father who made us capable of participating in the fate of the saints in the light” (Col 1:12).
Thanksgiving is, so to speak, the backdrop to all prayer, some key passages read as follows:
- “persevere in prayer, watching over her with thanksgiving” ( 4:2).
- “In all things declare your requests to God (Elohim), with prayers and supplications, with thanksgiving” ( 4:6).
- Already in ancient times, Daniel knelt down three times a day “and prayed and gave thanks before his God (Elohim)” ( 6:10).
To worship God (Elohim), you need a deep feeling of gratitude. In the most difficult situations, the believer always has reasons to bless God (Elohim). “Let us therefore offer for him, without ceasing, to God (Elohim), a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.” (Heb. 1:15 p.m.).
We adore the Father, but also Jesus (Yahshua) himself: “To him who loves us and has washed us from our sins with his blood… To him be glory.”
2. Personal prayer allows us to ask
Through the various circumstances of life, it happens much more often that we ask: we have so many needs! The Word tells us about “all kinds of prayers and supplications all the time” (Ephesians 6:18). Let’s try to discern what types of prayers we address to God (Elohim), while maintaining the “backdrop” of thanksgiving.
3. Personal prayer allows us to plead
In anguish, in danger, in need, the believer cries out to his God (Elohim). Abandoned by all, David had taken refuge in the cave where he composed the Psalm 142: 1-2.
Peter, seeing that the wind was strong and beginning to sink into the sea, cried out: “Lord, save me” (Matt. 2:30). Jesus (Yahshua) does not make him wait: “Immediately” he stretches out his hand and takes it.
In the parable of the three friends, the host has no bread for the traveler. To do? He gets up “at midnight” and goes to tell his neighbor: “Friend, give me three loaves” (Luke 11:5).
If one is aware of having failed and of being under the consequences of this lack, can you cry out to him? Psalm 130 gives us the answer: (Ps. 130:1-4).
So, in urgent need, we can trust in the goodness and wisdom of our Father. But that does not prevent us from praying anywhere, at any time, in any circumstance.
4. Personal prayer allows us to present our requests
In Philippians 4:6, it is not about crying out to God (Elohim) in special distress. But “in all things, put your questions to God (Elohim) with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving“. The heart that seeks relief is poured out in the feeling of the concern that God (Elohim) has in us.
We throw our burden, our concern (1 Peter 5:7). They entrust their way to the Lord, trusting in him, “and he will” (Ps. 37:5). We leave before him everything that may interest us, without asking him for this or that solution, this or that outcome, but trusting him. The result is not the direct answer to our prayer, but “the peace of God (Elohim), which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds from him in Christ Jesus (Yahshua).”
Talking to someone about our problems relieves us, but exposing them to God (Elohim) our Father gives peace, the confidence that he will intervene. “I will seek God (Elohim), and before God (Elohim) I will put my cause,” Job said (5:8).
5. Personal prayer allows us to ask according to his will
1 John 5:14-15 assures us of the answer to such a prayer. This was the promise of the Lord Jesus (Yahshua) himself: “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.“. If they ask me for something in my name, I will do it” (John 14: 13-14).
But how can we ask “according to his will” if we really don’t know? The Lord Jesus (Yahshua) gives us the secret of this: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you want, and it will be done for you.” (John 15: 7).
Living in communion with Him, being nourished by His word and obeying Him (v. 10) leads us to discern this will of God (Elohim). In adversity, one can: rebel, not accept this will of God (Elohim); or give up, stop praying; or, having the victory by accepting the test that the Lord allows, in the feeling that he knows better than we what is appropriate.
6. Personal prayer allows us to Intercede
To intercede is to pray for others, especially for believers, but also for lost souls, having love for each one.
The Lord Jesus (Yahshua) intercedes for us; the Holy Spirit intercedes for us; Would we not intercede for our brothers? And above all for our family. Abraham prayed for Sodom because of the righteous who might be there, but especially in the hope that Lot in particular would be released.
Parents especially intercede for their children; children can also do it for their parents, especially when they see them suffer.
Job prays for his friends, despite all the harm they have done to him. God (Elohim) restored him to his former state only after this intercession, giving him double what he had (Job 42:10).
Personal prayer allows us to confess our faults
Personal prayer also gives us the privilege of being able to confess our faults before the Father. We can see this in the following passage: 1 John 1:9:”If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”.
There are other examples of confession such as:
- The psalm 32 shows that this confession is addressed above all to God (Elohim) himself: “I made you know my sin… I said: I will confess my transgressions to the Lord; and pardoned the iniquity of my sin” ( 5).
- In the psalm 51David emphasizes: “Against you, against you alone, have I sinned, and have done evil in your sight” ( 4).
It is not simply a question of asking for forgiveness, but of confessing to God (Elohim) with precision the evil that we have committed, with the deep feeling of what it cost Christ to bear this sin on the cross. Then God (Elohim) is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
How to make a personal prayer?
How can you get closer to God (Elohim)? Let’s see how you can make your personal prayer to the Father:
In personal prayer you must have an external attitude
A clear example of personal prayer can be seen when Jesus (Yahshua) says: “Enter your office, says the Lord Jesus (Yahshua) (Matt. 6:6) and pray to your Father who dwells in secret”.
2 Kings 4:1-6 gives us an example. Alone in the poor room, the mother and her two children collected the empty vases. They are only three, but there is a Presence. In her anguish, the mother yelled at Elisha: How can we save your children from the hand of the creditor (for us, from Satan)?
Take a little oil, pour it and in the silence of this house the miracle is performed. When the containers are full, the oil stops. In the measure of his faith and that of his sons when picking up the empty glasses, he was answered.
We do not flaunt our prayer, like the Pharisees (Matt. 6:5)although there may be cases where it is appropriate not to hide that we are praying, such as Daniel in his upper room (Dan. 6:10).
With whom in personal prayer?
First of all, of course, individually, and this “without ceasing”, reserving special moments to be one on one with God (Elohim). But also in the family, like the prophet’s widow.
What an example for children if they discern that prayer is a joy and a privilege for parents, and not a duty that we do without. In the Psalm 128, the family is gathered around the table. The presence of the Lord is there. How not to thank you… even if there are visitors!
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