Brothers, my heart's desire and my prayer to God
is for Israel, that they may be saved.  Rom. 10:1

Praying Effectively

Introduction

To be effective in our prayer time we need to apply some Scriptural principles. These principles, once learnt and applied, will be a life-time source of faith and encouragement as we bring our prayers before the throne of God.

There are different kinds of prayer — petitions, requests, intercession and thanksgiving (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6; 1Tim. 2:1) and all have their own important place in our prayer life.

Scripture Verses On Prayer

Jesus taught that we can ask for whatever we desire and it will be done for us:

If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.
Jn. 15:7

However, there are some prerequisites: as the first part of the verse states "If you remain in me, and my words remain in you," which obviously requires that we have an on-going personal relationship with Him. We also need to ask according to His will:

14 This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.
15 And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.
1 Jn. 5:14-15

There is also the teaching contained in James 4:3 which states that if we ask with wrong motives we will not receive:

You ask, and don't receive, because you ask with wrong motives,
James 4:3(a)

So how then do we know what to ask for in order to have our prayers answered? There are several ways; one of which is to know what God has already said in His Word (this is one of the reasons why it is so important that we know our Bibles).
Another way is to wait on God, asking Him how we ought to pray. This is perhaps the most encouraging form of prayer as in itself it inspires faith, knowing that what you are praying is what God wants to happen. A word of caution though — we need to make sure to test what we hear against the Scriptures to make sure that it is God and not the enemy trying to deceive us — another reason to know our Bibles!

Prayer Principles

Although no verse of Scripture should be taken out of context, there are many lessons contained in the Scriptures that can be applied to different situations. These principles are valuable to learn and to utilize as we come before the throne of God in prayer.

Thanksgiving And Praise

Thanksgiving and praise are the fundamentals of our worship towards God; without them all our efforts to please Him are meaningless. Whilst it is true that without faith it is impossible to please God, it is also true that faith without works is dead (James 2:26).
Thanksgiving and praise then are something that should be a foundation on which our worship of God should stand. How can we encompass all that Jesus has done for us, or how can we stand in awe of the power and might of God without having thanksgiving and praise in our hearts?

I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Ps. 69:30
Let's come before his presence with thanksgiving.
Let's extol him with songs!
Ps. 95:2
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
Into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, and bless his name.
Ps. 100:4

More than just being thankful for all the good and mighty things that He has done, we are told to give thanks in all things — that means the good and, what we might perceive to be, the bad:

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.
1 Thess. 5:18

Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for good:

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
Rom. 8:28

So how can we not give thanks in everything? How do we know that something painful or a hardship suffered is not for our good? If we trust God then we will grow and see the blessing. Let us then always give thanks and praise Him in every circumstance.

Faith

Hebrews 11:6 states that "Now without faith it is impossible to please God," (ISV), and according to Romans 10:17 "... faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (it is interesting to note that the original Greek contains no article before the word 'word' and therefore it is more properly translated "and hearing by a word of God.", thus God can speak to us through the Word (Scriptures) and also through a personal word to our spirits). There is no point in arguing about the translation though and it is suffice to say that we receive faith when we hear from God — how ever that 'hearing' might occur.

There are many ways that we can hear from God — as we are reading from the Scriptures it might be that a verse or passage seems to 'stand' out from the rest and we just know that it is God calling our attention to something specific; it might also be that God puts a thought into our mind — something that we were not thinking about at the time and yet we 'know' that it is the Holy Spirit speaking to us; perhaps as we are praying or meditating on the Word of God, we get a visual image in our mind's eye or even, as some have experienced, the audible voice of God (as God speaks to us, whichever way He might choose, it is quite common to experience a 'burning' in our hearts).

When we do hear from God faith is stirred up within us and we just know that for which He would have us pray will happen — there are no doubts. This is what Jesus meant when He said "Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." (Mk. 11:24)

Attitudes

Although Ephesians 3:12 and Hebrews 4:16 both teach that we approach God with boldness, freedom and confidence, this does not give us the licence to take the grace of God lightly. The Scriptures clearly teach that we are to both love God and to fear Him. There are many paradoxes in the Bible and this is one of them — that although we can indeed enter the throne room of God with boldness, we must also enter in holy fear. There is a wonderful illustration of this in the Book of Esther:

7 Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them.
8 Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to charge her that she should go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.
9 Hathach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai.
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai saying:
11 All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.
12 They told to Mordecai Esther's words.
13 Then Mordecai bade them return answer to Esther, Don't think to yourself that you shall escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.
14 For if you altogether hold your peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish: and who knows whether you haven't come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
15 Then Esther bade them return answer to Mordecai,
16 Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast you for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in to the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

1 Now it happened on the third day, that Esther put on her royal clothing, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house: and the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, over against the entrance of the house.
2 It was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the scepter.
3 Then said the king to her, What will you, queen Esther? and what is your request? it shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom.
Es. 4:7-5:3

The Armor Of God

The armor of God (Eph. 6:11-18) is not something that we should put on every morning when we wake up or before we go into [prayer] battle. No, it is something that we wear constantly. It is not like normal clothing that we can put on and take off; it is our spiritual clothing that is representative of our walk with God. If our faith is weak then so also shall our shield be; if we do not know the Scriptures very well then our sword will not be as mighty as it ought to be.
Let us then make sure that we are wearing the full armor of God — let us be prepared for the battle no matter when it might come upon us.

Standing In The Gap

There will be times that God would have us 'stand in the gap' and ask for mercy and grace, to forgive and to turn His hand from judgement:

30 I sought for a man among them, who should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.
31 Therefore have I poured out my indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I brought on their heads, says the Lord God.
Eze. 22:30-31

We must remember that Israel is not yet saved and there are many that reject God — some that follow Eastern cults and practices, some caught up in their religious works and still others that persecute Messianic believers; but we must never forget that they are nonetheless loved by God and, unbeknown to them, needing us to intercede for them.

The Lord's Prayer

Although for many the Lord's Prayer is used as a prayer in itself, it can probably be better understood as a format or a set of principles to be applied in our prayer time.
For a full discourse on the Lord's Prayer click here.

Daniel As An Example

There is an important principle contained in the ninth chapter of the Book of Daniel: Daniel has been reading from the prophet Jeremiah and suddenly realizes that the prophesied seventy years of captivity are over. Daniel doesn't say "Praise the Lord" or anything similar but rather starts to pray:

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans,
2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years.
3 I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and petitions, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments,
5 we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from your precepts and from your ordinances;
6 neither have we listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near, and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.
8 Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him;
10 neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
11 Yes, all Israel have transgressed your law, even turning aside, that they should not obey your voice: therefore has the curse been poured out on us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God; for we have sinned against him.
12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges who judged us, by bringing on us a great evil; for under the whole sky has not been done as has been done on Jerusalem.
13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come on us: yet have we not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, that we should turn from our iniquities, and have discernment in your truth.
14 Therefore has the LORD watched over the evil, and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he does, and we have not obeyed his voice.
15 Now, Lord our God, who has brought your people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have gotten you renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 Lord, according to all your righteousness, let your anger and please let your wrath be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people are become a reproach to all who are round about us.
17 Now therefore, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant, and to his petitions, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
18 My God, turn your ear, and hear; open your eyes, and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name: for we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies' sake.
19 Lord, hear; Lord, forgive; Lord, listen and do; don't defer, for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.
Dan. 9:1-19

We can learn a lot from Daniel's prayer and attitude. It is also important to learn the principle that Daniel gives us — that even though God has promised to do something or bring something to pass, He still wants, maybe even needs, our prayers. He has chosen us, the Body of Christ, to partner in His purposes:

10 to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,
11 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;
Eph. 3:10-11

So although there are still some prophecies regarding Israel future that are as yet unfulfilled, we need to be watchful and pray as God directs us, as we see events unfold.

Hindrances To Our Prayers

To ensure the effectiveness of our prayer we need to make sure that we do not give the enemy any place in our lives:

22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;
23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members one of another.
26 "Be angry, and don't sin." Don't let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.
29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
30 Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
Eph. 4:22-32

As can be seen there are many areas that we must bring into submission to Jesus.

James emphasizes that righteousness is the key to having our prayers answered:

The effective, earnest prayer of a righteous man is powerfully effective.
James 5:16(b)

And Peter exhorts the husbands (although the same basic principle can be applied to us all — that we should always consider others as well as ourselves):

You husbands, in like manner, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life; that your prayers may not be hindered.
1 Pet. 3:7

There are also the words of Jesus to consider:

If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.
Jn. 15:17
25 "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.
26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions."
Mk. 11:24-25

So if we would desire that our prayers be heard on high then it follows that we must be in a right relationship with God.

Conclusion

So what kind of people do we need to be in order to be effective in our prayer time?
We need to be the kind of people that God can use. People willing to come before God with a humble heart and in holy fear, ready to listen for His leading and direction and to pray with the faith that He gives. To stand in the gap and plead for mercy and grace, justice and yes, even judgement that the purposes of God will stand.