What does it mean to pray fervently and effectively?
Prayer is a big subject that encompasses a lot. There is no way to capture it all in a blog post. What I will do is touch on a prayer and continue it to another blog post or a few more, depending on how it goes.
The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5,6&7 is the greatest sermon ever preached. I don’t think anything was left out of that. “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:7-13
If you pray the Lord’s prayer, you are praying the way Jesus told us to pray. That doesn’t mean that is the only way to pray, but it is His word and it does cover a lot. It’s a model. I believe it makes prayer more powerful if you use His word in prayer because He is His word. If you speak God’s word in prayer, you are speaking God Himself. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
I try to listen and be sensitive to the Lord and if He reminds me of scriptures when I pray, I pray them. There is no right or wrong way to pray. God hears all of our prayers and He looks on our hearts. The prayers are mainly for us, and seem to increase our faith in what it is we are praying for. “…And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.” John 11:41b&42 This happened to be right before Jesus was going to call Lazarus to come forth. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 and we can also imagine that when we pray, we are increasing our faith if we are praying the word of God as a form of prayer, knowing that God hears us. He also knows what we need before we ask. “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8b
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10
How do we even start? We can only see our sin when He reveals it to us, so, with an open heart, ask Him to show you. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23&24
Forgiveness: Unforgiveness is a hinderance to prayer. “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:13&14
Let Him take over more of your heart “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20 We do have righteousness as Christians, but not in ourselves. He said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:43 This is an example of how yielding to Him can remind us that He is God and He lives in us and shines His light in our deepest places. It is then we can be more greatly used for Him.
To be Continued…