Category Archives: Praying

Sometimes we expect the results of prayer to come in the form of the spectacular, or miracles. If God doesn’t answer that way, we assume He hasn’t answered our prayers. A post titled Effective and Powerful Prayer reminds us that when God transforms a person’s heart as they journey through problems, that’s just as much a display of God’s power as obvious miracles. We also see evidence of God’s power at work through prayer when we experience the peace, wisdom, and grace we need to cope and deal with life.

Bible Verses That Link Prayer with Peace, Wisdom, and Grace

Scripture clearly teaches that God provides peace, wisdom, and grace through prayer. These are results of prayer we all need.

Peace

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. (Isa. 26:3)

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. (Phil. 4:6-7)

Wisdom

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)

Grace

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

Leave the Results of Prayer Up to God

God may do a greater work in our lives by not removing the obstacle or trial. It may not feel that way and we may not understand but we can trust that God knows what’s right and best. Scripture shows us that at minimum God answers our prayers by giving us peace, wisdom, and/or grace. We then have power to rise above or push through whatever we face in life. These kinds of results of prayer make a difference.

With His peace we have power to make it through the hard times.

When He gives us wisdom, we have power to know what to do in difficult situations.

By His grace we have power to rise above negative circumstances, to be Christ-like in the midst of a dark, sinful world.

Let the answer to our prayers up to God. He’ll give us what we truly need.

Check out the Prayer Ministry Manual which helps steer praying in this direction leading to prayer that’s powerful and effective.

Do you want to learn how to pray? Jesus’ disciples observed His authenticity and consistency in praying. “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray …'” (Lk. 11:1). He responded with a pattern for praying that’s come to be known as the Lord’s Prayer. While many of us can repeat this prayer from memory, do we truly grasp the significance of what these words represent for us in how to pray? Following you’ll find an acrostic based on the Lord’s Prayer that looks behind the words to their meaning.

An Acrostic on How to Pray Based on the Lord’s Prayer

This acrostic using the word PRAYER, pulls on different phrases from the Lord’s Prayer as found in Luke 11:1-4 and Matthew 6:9-13. It doesn’t follow the exact order of His prayer but rather is meant to point to elements of that prayer. You’ll also find some of the phrases referenced more than once.

Jesus was teaching that praying is about …

P – Praising

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

How will we truly mean what follows if we don’t view God as great enough and high enough to accomplish what’s right and best for us?

R – Requesting

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Praying is about relying on Him to not only give us what we need but know what we need. We must get beyond physical needs to relational and spiritual needs as well.

A – Aligning

Thy Kingdom come …

In praying we need to acknowledge and trust in the sovereignty of God, making it about His glory.

Y – Yielding

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Praying must get beyond merely asking for what we want. Like Jesus, let’s learn to pray, “Not my will but yours be done” (Lk. 22:42). We make it about doing life and ministry His ways because He is sovereign. He knows what’s best.

E – Embracing

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

As we pray we embrace His mercy and grace to the extent that it impacts how we relate to others. We grab hold of His power to make us overcomers.

R – Resting

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen

If when we pray, we praise Him and make our requests with the intent of aligning and yielding to Him, we not only embrace His mercy, grace, and power but also find peace that lets us rest knowing He’s in control.

Resources to Teach Us How to Pray

Below you’ll find a variety of different resources to help pray as Jesus taught His disciples:

• Prayer Bits: Small Bits But Big Truths on Prayer Devotional (for those who want to reflect more on prayer)
• Prayer Ministry Manual (for those who want to have an effective prayer ministry)
• Discipling Students to Pray Worksheet (for those who want to help others learn to pray)
• Praying Like You Truly Believe HE is the Source of All You Need Worksheet (for those who are teachers)
• Children Learn to Pray Curriculum (for those who teach children)

When our lives match the words, “Not to us but to your name be the glory!” (Ps. 115:1), then it will be evidenced even in our prayers. When we ask God to do certain things for us, it will be for the sake of His name, not merely for our personal relief or benefit.

Examples of Prayers for the Glory of His Name

Here are some examples of the psalmist’s prayers:

Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. (Ps. 31:3)

Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. (Ps. 79:9)

But you, O Sovereign LORD, deal well with me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. (Ps. 109:21)

For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. (Ps. 143:11)

Notice how the psalmist requested guidance for the sake of the Lord’s name, not merely to know what to do or where to go. He sought deliverance and forgiveness, not just to rid himself of guilt and make his own life better but for the sake of the Lord’s name. The psalmist prayed for God’s favor and preservation of his life, not so he would have a more comfortable existence but for the glory of God’s name.

Implications of Praying for Effects on the Lord’s Name

These kinds of prayers look at the bigger picture. When we’re concerned about the glory of His name, and thus pray for His name’s sake, we’re acknowledging that life isn’t just about me. We’re concerned about more than personal comfort, conveniences, and commodities. We care that what happens to us reflects the Lord’s sovereignty, goodness, righteousness, etc. And, so we proclaim, “Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory” (Ps. 115:1).

We want our lives to be a testimony of His faithfulness when we pray for the sake of His name. Since the name of the Lord reflects the essence of who God is, answers to these kinds of prayers stay true to who He is. We thus open ourselves up before God to use us and our circumstances as a vessel through which He makes Himself known. We’re inviting Him to make His character and ways known through our lives.

By praying for the sake of the Lord’s name, we’re acknowledging His sovereignty and rights in our lives. We belong to Him. — “We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” (Ps. 100:3) “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isa. 64:8).

We’re submitting to His goodness and righteousness, knowing our Almighty, All-Wise, and All-Knowing God will do what is best in accordance with who He is. We need Him to respond based on who He is, not who we are. Think about it: He is strong; we are weak. He is wise; we are foolish. He is faithful; we are faithless. He is worthy; we are undeserving.

More about Prayer: Resources for Prayer Ministry

More about the Name of the Lord: Theology Resources

Most Christians, even many non-Christians, acknowledge the importance of prayer, though they might not pray regularly and/or fervently. Many want to be prayer warriors but struggle to make it a priority. Perhaps what’s needed is an awareness of what’s important in prayer, not just the importance of praying.

What’s Important in Prayer That Will Keep Us Praying

One reason we might not pray regularly and/or fervently could be that we haven’t consistently experienced the power of prayer. We aren’t going to know how powerful praying can be if we fail to include some key elements in our attitude and approach to it.

1) importance of the heart, not just the mechanics of praying

James 5:16 makes it clear that its “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” because “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Pet. 3:12). None of us are righteous in ourselves. When we put our trust in Jesus and what He did in dying on the cross for our sin, His righteousness was granted to us (Rom. 4:22-25) so when God looks at us He sees Christ’s righteousness. Positionally we are made right with God but practically we still sin and need to come back into fellowship with Him so our prayers aren’t impeded (Ps. 66:18). — “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:9)

2) importance of authenticity or truth, not just praying what we think God or others want to hear

Praying that’s about impressing usually stems from pride but praying that’s real grows out of humility and is that which God responds to (2 Chron. 7:14; Lk. 18:10-14). When we’re authentic, we often find ourselves pouring out our hearts in prayer (Ps. 62:8). That’s when we tend to be most aware of God’s presence as we pray. — “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Ps. 145:18)

3) importance of relationship, not just praying out of a sense of duty

While we do find many commands to not just pray but to devote ourselves to prayer (Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2), praying continually and in everything (Eph. 6:18, Phil. 4:6, 1 Thess. 5:17), prayer needs to go beyond mere obedience. We will want to pray more and more when we approach prayer as a means of communing, or connecting, with our heavenly Father. We want to communicate with the One we love.

4) importance of gratitude, not just petitioning

Too often we make prayer about asking God for what we don’t have. What about thanking Him for what we do have? There must be a reason the command to “pray continually” is followed by “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18). There must be a reason the command to “devote yourselves to prayer” is coupled with “being watchful and thankful” (Col. 4:2). Too often we can get so consumed with how God may not be answering our prayers the way we expect that we fail to see how He is working on our behalf. If we don’t think prayer works, we’ll have little motivation to keep praying. When we watch for what God is doing, we’ll find ourselves praising and wanting to pray.

When the above elements increasingly become part of our praying, prayer becomes more than a tack on to the beginning or end of our day or church meeting. Prayer will not just be our last resort but rather our first response. Praying no longer will be an option but a necessity and no longer something we “ought to” do but rather “want to” do.

Check Out These Resources about Prayer:

• Prayer Bits: Small Bits But Big Truths on Prayer Devotional Guide
• Prayer Ministry Manual
• Other Resources on Prayer