How to Pray

Bill Brinkworth

The proper attitude and heart are required for the child of God to talk to his heavenly Father. Prayers should be:

… from family members. Just as an earthly father does not meet the needs of all the neighborhood children; so should this not be expected of God. Except for the prayer for salvation, He only answers the prayers of His own — those born-again children of God.
“The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” Proverbs 15:29 Also: James 5:16

… sincere. They should be from the heart and not done to impress anyone.
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” Matthew 6:5

… private. Although there is a time for public prayer; there should be a time when the Christian gets alone and communes with His God.
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door , pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6

… personal. If you are saved, you are a member of the family of God. You get to talk with the Creator of the universe and your Saviour. The communication should not be a prayer that is memorized or repeated again and again. It should be like talking to your best friend. You can talk to God like you can talk to no other.
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Matthew 6:7

… prayed believing they will be answered. Praying should be very much like that of the one farmer in the church meeting. Many gathered to pray for rain, but only one farmer at the meeting brought an umbrella. He was the only one that really believed God would answer his petitions.
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24

... fervently. One should be excited and honored that the great God in Heaven will listen to his needs.
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16

… never stopping . Praying usually involves more than one prayer. Many salvations have been brought about by family members praying for their lost loved one for many years.
“Pray without ceasing." I Thessalonians 5:17 Also: (Acts 6:4)

** The above lesson is meant to be an idea for a lesson or a sermon. I purposely left out much wording so the teacher can add to it and make it his own. These ideas can be added to by the teacher's own studying.

This lesson was featured in The Bible View #138.