As Christians, it should be a priority to cultivate our relationship with God, and one of the best ways to grow in our walk with Jesus is prayer. When we pray, we talk to God about what is going on in our lives, our hopes, our struggles, and our fears.
Praying to God brings us closer to him. Prayer opens the door for us to receive his words, his comfort, and the blessings he wants to give us.
Prayer also strengthens our faith. When we pray, we feel the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and his presence fills us with joy and courage to obey the Father at all times, always living within his will.
What is prayer according to the Bible?
Throughout the Bible we clearly see that praying is talking to God. When we pray we converse with the Father, we open our hearts to him and tell him how we feel. In Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus talks about prayer and says:
When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the squares so that people can see them. I assure you that they have already obtained their full reward. But you, when you begin to pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is in secret. Thus your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not talk just for the sake of talking as the Gentiles do, because they imagine that they will be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Here we see that prayer is between us and God, not to impress others. Our heart does not have the right attitude if what we are looking for is that others see us and admire our words. When praying, our greatest desire should be to spend time with God and speak to him from the depths of our hearts.
It is true that our Father knows in advance what we need, but like any good father, he loves to hear the voice of his children. We thus see that the emphasis of prayer should be on strengthening our relationship with God, drawing closer to him, spending time in his presence, and sharing with him what is on our hearts. We pray because our relationship with God is important and vital.
How to pray to God?
We may understand the importance of prayer, but many times we are not clear about how we should pray. The Bible gives us examples and help. In the same chapter of the Gospel of Matthew mentioned above (Matthew 6) we find the “Our Father” prayer, known as the model prayer of Jesus.
A simple way to pray is using the model left by Jesus. The idea is not to repeat the sentence over and over again. We can learn it to understand some principles on how to pray to God the Father and then talk to him using our own words. The “Our Father” prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 says:
You should pray like this:
“Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
your kingdom come,
Thy will be done
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
(Matthew 6:9-13)
If we take this sentence as an example, we see that there are some important elements that should be part of our sentence.
1. We begin with an attitude of praise, adoration and humility
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
(Matthew 6:9)
Initially, we must show our praise and adoration, acknowledging the greatness of God and his holiness. Our attitude must be humble.
2. We express our trust in God
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (v.10)
Then we submit to his will and affirm that The best thing that can happen to us is for his kingdom to manifest itself in our lives.. We declare total confidence that his kingdom and his will are the best for us, because where the kingdom of God is manifested great things happen.
3. We present our petitions
Give us today our daily bread.
(Matthew 6:11)
We proceed to present our requests, to ask for God’s provision for the day. He knows that during the course of the day we will have physical needs and He wants to meet them.
You may be interested in these verses to pray: prayers in the Bible
4. We recognize the importance of forgiveness
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (v.12)
We acknowledge our need for your forgiveness and your grace. At the same time we examine our hearts to see if we have been willing to forgive and offer grace to those who have offended us. It is time to examine ourselves. We know that we are grateful for God’s forgiveness in our lives. Is our heart transformed enough to offer forgiveness to those who have offended us?
5. We ask for victory over temptation and evil
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
(Matthew 6:13)
We ask for his help and protection against temptations so that we remain firm in him and do not give in. We know that he is the only one who can protect us and free us from temptations and from all the attacks of the evil one.
6. Praise to God
Some versions include:
For yours are the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
We end with praise and adoration to God, acknowledging that only he deserves all the glory and all the honor, that eternity is in his hands.
Learn more about the Our Father prayer.
Why should we pray?
Prayer brings us closer to the Father. It gives us the wonderful opportunity to open our hearts to him, tell him what is on our minds, ask for his help and wisdom from him.
James 4:8 says, “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” And this is what we do when we pray! We approach the Father; we take time to talk to him and listen to him, to enjoy his presence and company. This is the main reason we pray.
There are other reasons why we should pray, check out some of them below.
1. For God to be glorified
Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it; thus the Father will be glorified in the Son.
(John 14:13)
God expects us to ask and to do so in the name of Jesus. It is not asking for everything we want, but asking according to his desire for us and for him to be glorified in our lives.
2. Because if we ask, we receive
Ask and will be given; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Because everyone who asks, receives; If you search you will find; and to him who knocks, it is opened. Which of you, if his son asks him for bread, gives him a stone?
(Matthew 7:7-9)
Here we see the fatherly heart of God. He wants to give good things to his children, but we must ask, seek, call, cultivate our relationship with our Father and express our desires.
3. Because Jesus set an example
In the days of his mortal life, Jesus offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and was heard for his reverent submission.
(Hebrews 5:7)
We see that Jesus, even being God man, cultivated a life of prayer and clamor, but also had “reverent submission”. How much more should we show that reverent and submissive heart through our prayers and our conversations with the Father!
Learn to pray and intercede with the example of Jesus
4. To receive his peace
Don’t worry about anything; rather, on every occasion, with prayer and supplication, present your petitions to God and give him thanks. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:6-7)
There are so many of our daily worries! We can take them to God, give them to him and thank him that we do not have to face the problems of life alone. It is in that attitude of complete trust in him that we receive peace from him, an incomprehensible peace that shows the care of our God.
5. To receive physical and spiritual healing
The prayer of faith will heal the sick and the Lord will raise him up. And, if he has sinned, his sin will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
(James 5:15-16)
We can bring before God all kinds of requests, including requests for health and for the forgiveness of sins. God longs to touch us with physical healing and spiritual healing. We are righteous because of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21) and therefore our prayer is effective and powerful.
What the Bible says about healing and praying for the sick
6. Because it expresses confidence in the grace and mercy of God
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help us in the moment we need it most.
(Hebrews 4:16)
The more we cultivate our relationship with God, the easier it will be to approach him with all confidence to speak to him and present our needs to him. It will also become easier and easier to listen to him and receive his mercy, his grace and his peace.
We must persevere in prayer
Pray in the Spirit at all times, with petitions and petitions. Stay alert and persevere in prayer for all the saints.
(Ephesians 6:18)
We can pray at all times for all the situations or people that come to mind. We must also intercede for our brothers in faith. It is important to ask the Holy Spirit for the precise words to pray with wisdom, according to the heart of God.
Do not hesitate to approach the heavenly Father with your prayers. You will see the enormous joy that your heart will feel as you strengthen your relationship with him through prayer.
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