We communicate with God through Christ Jesus in prayer. Those who wait on God for a response after prayer get satisfied. We pray in spirit because prayer is based on our spiritual relationship with God. Prayer must come from a heart of selfless devotion to God in righteousness. We must always seek God’s will by the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we settle to pray. In doing so, the outcome glorifies God’s name through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Character of long prayers
There is no correlation or nexus between the length of prayer and effective prayer. Jesus warns us in Matthew 23: 14; Mark 12: 40; Luke 20: 47 woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: therefore you shall receive the greater damnation. The quality of prayers is what matters to Jesus and not for how long we pray. Quality or effective prayer could be long or short subject to our relationship with God through Christ Jesus; our faith in God through Christ Jesus; our perception of the situation at hand; and our nature.
Words we use in prayer
There are no special words or phrases to use for effective prayer. The Holy Spirit gives the utterance so it is his words that make prayer effective. The Holy Spirit must not be confused with tongues. God’s Spirit determines the effectiveness of prayer based on the heart. We must eschew repetitions of vain or empty words or phrases orchestrated to impress ourselves, our listeners or observers. Jesus said in Matthew 6: 7-8, in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. We must be simple in prayer. God understands our language. God knows our hearts before prayer.
Praying in tongues
Some of us are gifted with tongues but the Holy Spirit should guide our utterances. Paul has set these out succinctly how the gift of a tongue must be handled in prayer in 1 Corinthians 13: 1; 12: 10-11; 14: 1-19. 1 Corinthians 14: 14 says for if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 1 Corinthians 14: 18-19 also say I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all; nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Fruitfulness of our minds is equally important. Prayer in tongues demands maturity under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Paul concludes in 1 Corinthians 39-40, so, my brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues; but all things should be done decently and in order. Paul did not pronounce tongues as effective over praying with the mind or praying in our language or dialect.
Vigilance in prayer
We must be alert or vigilant in prayer because it is a spiritual warfare. Hence, we often fall asleep during prayers. We also pray when we are least mentally alert or physically exhausted. We must spend quality time and our best times with the Lord in prayer. Luke 22: 45-46 says of Jesus, and when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation. We must take prayer as a serious spiritual business especially in the face of adversity. Colossians 4: 2 says continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Prayer requires steadfastness or commitment or dedication.
How often we must prayer
Children of God must pray always. Ephesians 6: 18 says pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Prayer is part of our normal Christian culture. Any separation from prayer is a separation from contact with God. We must be in permanent contact with God through Jesus Christ if we want to be in constant touch with Jesus. Romans 12: 12 says be constant in prayer. We have no specific times and places of prayer but at any place and time. 1 Thessalonians 5: 17 says pray constantly. We must not reserve prayers to only certain times but must always be in an attitude of prayer.
Posture and forms of prayer
The bible does not prescribe any specific posture for prayer. However, by Jesus’ examples in Luke 22: 41; Matthew 27:46 he sometimes knelt to pray. Paul and his converts did the same in Acts 21: 5. God hears us from the heart in any posture we pray.
For personal prayers, Matthew 6: 6 says but when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. For group prayer, Acts 1: 14 says all these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 2: 42 says and they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. James 5: 13-15 call on church elders to pray over the suffering and anoint the sick. Sometimes we cannot do it alone but in fellowship with the church.
Vehicle of prayer
The authority by which we pray is the Holy Spirit. Jude 1: 20 says beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to avert temptation because he is our spiritual strength. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the energy for and utterance in prayer because it is a spiritual exercise. Romans 8: 26 says … but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words; and verse 27 says … the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Whenever we desire to pray, we must be in tune or invite the Holy Spirit to lead us in prayer.
Venue and time for prayer
The bible has not prescribed any specific place for prayers but from the heart. For solitary places, Matthew 14: 23 says and after he (Jesus) had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Mark 1: 35 also says and in the morning, a great while before day, he (Jesus) rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. We can also pray in the church. Acts 3: 1 says Peter and John went up to the temple to pray at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. We can pray at other gatherings or anywhere. Acts 10: 9 says the next day, as they were on their journey and coming near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.
Also by 1 Timothy 5: 5; 2 Timothy 1: 3; 1 Timothy 2: 8 prayer can be made any time. We however recommend that we start the day with God because Revelation 22:13 says he is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. 1 Samuel 1: 19 says Elkanah and Hannah rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord. We must start the day in conversation with Jesus Christ.
A heart for prayer
Prayer requires a clean heart of love and forgiveness. Mark 11: 25 says whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. We also need a heart for intercessory prayer. We must bear up one another in prayer. Acts 12: 5 says so Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. A non-praying church will lose its power.
In 2 Corinthians 1: 11 Paul requested for prayer support. He knew that spiritually we need the support of one another. Colossians 4: 12; 1 Thessalonians 5: 25; 2 Thessalonians 3: 1; Philemon 1: 22 also support this need. We must also pray with the Spirit and with the mind. 1 Corinthians 14: 15 says what am I to do? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also. We must be humble in prayer. It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will lead us in prayer always in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, as you lead us to pay by the power of the Holy Spirit give us hearts of righteousness, love and forgiveness. Lead us to intercede in prayer for one another. Humble us in Spirit and give us your divine utterance. In your holy name we pray, Amen!!
