What is Prayer?

Prayer is vitally important to your life as a follower of Jesus that shouldn’t be ignored and forgotten. It should be cultivated and developed into a daily rhythm. It’s so important that Jesus and the writers of Scripture instructed us to pray continually. How you understand prayer will shape your expectations of God and your relationship with Him.

Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 5:43-45, Matthew 6:5-7, Matthew 26:41, 1 Timothy 2:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

Prayer is and *relationally* and *intentionally* interacting with God

Prayer is a two-way line of communication with God, a conversation that can be public or private, formal or informal, aloud or in quiet.

Prayer is where we express our dependance on God, love and praise to Him, and where we surrender our lives to Him.
Prayer is where we pour out our hearts, our emotions, and our desires to Him, and where we present our requests to Him.
Prayer is where we seek God’s guidance and wisdom, go to spiritual battle and call upon God to access His power in and for our lives.
Prayer is where we lift others up and present requests (intercede) on their behalf.
Prayer is where we are transformed by God and where our trust in Him grows.

*Check out this sermon by Pastor Ronnie about why we pray, a message in our series called Won’t Back Down.

**Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s a lifestyle we cultivate.**

How Do I Pray?

To begin to cultivate a lifestyle of prayer, we can look at the example Jesus gave during His life on earth.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” Mark 1:35

Jesus had a certain time.

He got up early in the morning to spend time with His Heavenly Father. We too can make a daily appointment with God. Whether it’s first thing in the morning, over lunch, or in the evening, the key is to make it a routine.

Jesus had a certain place.

He went off to a solitary place to pray. When we have a designated place to pray, it helps us remove distractions and frees us to worship and pray out loud. Whether it’s a spot in your living room, your home office, or your favorite comfy chair, establish a place where you will spend time with God in prayer and visit it regularly.

Jesus provided us a plan

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He gave them a prayer outline that is known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” He said,

“This then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today 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.” Matthew 6:9-13

While prayer models do not necessarily make our prayers more effective or ensure they will be answered, they can help us learn how to pray and grow in our personal prayer life. At Relevant, our primary model for teaching people how to pray is by using the P.R.A.Y. model, a four-part model loosely based on The Lord’s Prayer.”

Praise // Repent // Ask // Yield

PRAISE

Jesus instructs us to begin by praising God, acknowledging Him as our Heavenly Father and Creator. Praising God focuses our minds and prepares our hearts, taking the focus off ourselves and putting it on God by worshiping Him for who He is and what He has done. An example below…

“God, I am in awe of you. Your name is a strong tower, a place of protection and safety for me. I praise You as my Healer, my Shepherd, and my Banner of Victory. You are my Peace, my Provider, my Righteousness, and my Sanctifier. Your name is great, and I worship You. Nothing is too hard for You! Through Your great power, all things are possible. All authority is Yours, all might is Yours, and I know that Your victory will be complete. You are amazing, and I worship You. I praise You for Your power and presence in my life. You are my God, and You are worthy of all praise.”

REPENT

To repent means acknowledging and confessing the sin and unforgiveness in our lives, asking for forgiveness for it and turning away from it. Jesus tells us to make a regular habit of repenting and confessing and promises to forgive our sins. But He also tells us to go forgive others and reconcile relationships before we move forward in prayer. An example below…

“God, thank You so much for offering me the gift of forgiveness. Show me any areas in my life that I need to bring before You in order to receive forgiveness and healing. I confess that I have been struggling with sin (talk to God about any areas of sin in your life), and I know that You want me to be clean again. Please forgive me for my sin. Thank you for showing me unfailing grace. As You have so freely forgiven me, I also want to freely forgive others. Help me let go of the things that have offended me and acknowledge when I have offended others. I release to You those who have hurt me, and I trust You to handle those situations according to Your perfect will.”

ASK

God is the author, creator and sustainer of all things and promises to supply all our needs both physically and spiritually. Even though God already knows our needs before we ask, He still wants us to ask Him. We are to ask God for everything according to His will, physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, not forgetting to ask for the needs of others as well. Asking God in all things, shows our dependence on Him. An example below…

“Father, I acknowledge that everything I need today will come from You. You made the heavens and the earth; You are more than capable of handling any situation I’m dealing with or provide for any need I have, so I give this to You completely (specifically talk to God about what is on your mind and heart right now and present your requests to Him).”
“I also want to lift up our lost world. I pray for every person to know you as the forgiver of their sins and leader of their life. I pray for the leaders in my life (pray specifically over parents, spiritual leaders, government leaders, employers, teachers, and any other leaders in your life), that You would show them Your will and give them supernatural wisdom and discernment as they lead.”
I pray for those stuck in addiction and bondage, that they would be set free (pray for specific people), that the needs of the poor and marginalized will be met. Show me what my role is in this. Make your priorities become my priorities.”

YIELD

Yielding is stopping, waiting, listening, and surrendering to God. It’s about giving God control of our lives and surrendering our plans to His. When we ask God for certain things, although difficult, we yield to His prompting through the Holy Spirit. An example below…

“God, as I wait and listen for your voice, I recognize there is no better plan on earth than Yours, and I pray for Your will to be done in my life (name the areas in your life where you need more of God’s direction). Please give me wisdom and clarity as You show me my next steps. I give You my life today in this moment, in this situation, show me your way.”