thoughts about prayer.

Whilst faith is our link to Divinity, prayer is that which leads us to God as surely as a sunbeam leads to the sun.

In prayer we are told to use the same Lord's prayer that the Apostles used for God has no favourites. We are told by Jesus that there is no need to bang on using many words or fancy phrases but to just keep it simple and from the heart. Whilst our prayers flow from what we are not, God's answers are designed to make us that which we must become.

If God, maker of all things visible and invisible, knows exactly what our requirements are then why should we bother to pray? By speaking to God in prayer it means that we articulate our thanks and praise; our recognition that we have sinned, our need to repent and for God's forgiveness and understanding as well as for the necessities of life in a way that helps us to better understand our blossoming relationship with Him. In addition it also expresses our desire to develop further the personal relationship we can achieve with Him and to bask in the joy it brings.

If we want to get warm we must spend time near a source of heat and if we wish to know God more and more each day then we need time spent in prayer with Him. God is pouring out His Love on the world non-stop and it is free to those who want it but sadly many resort to prayer as an act of despair when other approaches seem cut off from them. In Psalm 109: 4. we read, “I will give myself unto prayer.” and it's an elemental principle of our faith that no real growth in holiness was ever gained by one who did not take time to be long and often alone with God.

The Lord's Prayer is deal for its all encompassing brevity and if we feel the need to add more then we can do so as God will be listening. God is not interested in flannel, dissembling or obfuscation. We must pour our hearts out to Him; let Him have all our problems, all our moans and groans. Ask Him to help us to increasingly love Him and our fellow men and women more and more. If we truly believe we will receive God's help when we ask for it then we will receive it but to me it is self evident that Infinite Wisdom might refuse that which ignorance, in all innocence, requests. By praying often we learn how to pray and the more we pray the more often we are able to pray and the better we are able to pray, and perseverance with prayer is necessary to achieve frequency in prayer.

We are in he presence of God when we offer our prayers through Christ who intercedes for us. When we engage in prayer on a regular basis it becomes a joy and not a duty to be used only when help is needed. Prayer is mankind's direct line to God and each individual has their own personal number to call that is never engaged and is open to receive our calls every second of our lives. Just cry "Heavenly Father" for that is all that is required for our call to be answered.

I say the Lord's Prayer early each morning before I head out the door for work. The Lord provides the daily bread I need each day to feed my family. During the day I pray to God like it is a conversation. It is a good feeling knowing that He is by my side, especially during the commute there and back and while I am in the work place. It's a jungle out there but I am not alone.

Do not forget how we 'prayer think'] throughout our days and nights also.

Why did it take 21 days for Daniel prayers to be answered? Daniel 10:12-13

WHY WAS THE “ANGELIC INTERPRETER; GABRIEL DETAINED BY SATAN’S FORCES OVER PERSIA?”

Honestly I don't tend to say the lords prayer my prayers are mainly just him being my personal diary, talking with him, asking him questions, and sometimes interceding for others.
I don't think there is any one way we pray each persona has a way that works best for them and everyone is used in prayer for different things as well.

Not certain, but I believe it was Michael..

I agree totally with the posts and find it very encouraging how we each bring ourselves before God throughout each day,

Hi Derek......I talk to God every day..I have a personal relationship with him...I share everything with him throughout the day.......

I also apologise for any wrongdoing...and ask him to bring it to the forefront if he wants me to deal with it.

I know he is listening..which makes me feel extremely secure in His Loving Arms.

Hi Jack, Such an approach to God as you and those like you have is real prayer.

Bless you brother.....such a lovely man in Christ you are.

How astute of you!

When the Jews returned from Babylon they had to rebuild the temple and renew the understanding of the Lord. They elected a large group of sages, and one of the things that group did was give a prayer that is used even today by the Jews, although it has been changed, now. The Lord's prayer that we are given is really a condensed version of this prayer. The Jews call it the Amidah, or the standing prayer.

Your post is wonderful. I would like to add to your statement that if you want to get warmth you must draw close to the heat. What a wonderful way to put it.

In 1 Peter 3:12 it says: “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,
and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil”

I read of a lady who cured her cancer by being kind to her mother-in-law!! The stress that her feelings against this lady she had to live with was causing her body's ills. In a prayer group she belonged to that studied prayer they advised her to draw closer to the Lord by addressing her sin that was separating her from close communication with Him. She couldn't manage her dislike of her, but she decided to act as if she loved her. That turned into real love and with the contentment and joy of being closer to God, her body could heal.

Yes Jack has a beautiful heart and a very deep love for God I agree with you that a topic and discussion such as this is very encouraging. Many new believers do not know how to pray or where to start I know I sure didn't.

The Lord's Prayer is a powerful prayer when prayed with a sincere and contrite heart..............AND........when one actually understands what it is they are praying.........

Some folks just say the words because they were taught to say them, but don't actually understand what those words mean.........

for instance: "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us......"

People NEED to understand they are asking God to "forgive" them just as they "forgive" those who do them wrong. That can be a dangerous thing to pray for IF one has not/does not forgive someone who did them wrong.....

Careful understanding of the words in the Prayer should precede it being prayed IMO.........

i ALSO pray the Lords Prayer daily, and pray other prayers as well. We are told by Christ to pray for things we desire, and Scripture says to pray for "healing," for our enemies, the sick, and various other things.......

So, there are many prayers a believer can/may pray in a days time...........and that is a GOOD thing!

Just remember that when you pray...........do not forget TO LISTEN..... elsewise, you may not hear Gods answer.

Prayer has always been a sore spot for me. A lot of times my thinking gets in the way, I wonder why God who knows everything needs to hear it from me, I search for words and try to reflect while I speak and end up fully self-conscious rather than feeling connected with God. For a while I even questioned whether I really believed in God because of this inability to pray, and even now that old accusation comes out when I start to pray at times. I tried incorporating methodical prayers, bringing in objects to focus my thoughts, meditating on passages and praying through the psalms. Some efforts had some success others left me void.

Yet recently I tried journaling my prayers instead of speaking them or running an internal speech and my prayers have never been more fulfilling. The self-consciousness I feel in other forms is absent and I am able to be open with God in ways I hadn't been able to previously, bringing before him things that I would otherwise feel were insignificant or trivial. And it's not simply my output that has improved as I have also received more readily not trying to make sense of God's answers.

I believe that while an unbeliever might only turn to God when in trouble and they hit their limit, we pray because this is who we are.
One is the sinner's prayer begging for mercy, ours is a prayer of an accepted child.
So for a believer, there are praises, and prayers that petition for a certain cause, and prayers of silence.
It is important to pray as the Bible instructs us, because God wants us to pray effectively. Jesus Himself lays out instructions for effective prayer, we have instructions and examples everywhere in the Bible and especially in Psalms.
Another half of the prayer is silent listening for the answer or instruction.
A lot of times God says "no", "not now", "I have a better plan", or He will instruct what is impeding us or what obstacle needs to be removed.
A lot of times we ask for things when we didn't actually understand what we were asking for.
If one asks for strength, they may be sent troubles - to refine and forge their strength.
Since I had always been impatient, once I asked God to reform me into a patient person - and God answered within a few days. He made me wait for the next 10 years. Well, I did ask to learn, didn't I?
(Please do not repeat )
For that reason I have always stuck to the Lord's prayer since - "and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil". AMEN
Why should I invent things? God knows what is the best for me, and instructed through Jesus...

Yet another type of prayer that is less commonly spoken of in Western Christianity in contemplative or meditative type of prayer, where there is no conversation or instruction by God going on, but an individual just stills their mind and sits in the awareness of God's all encompassing presence. There is a thing called Christian meditation, and it is not necessarily meditating on Bible verses, but it is found here:

Psalms 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: (...)

A lot of people run out of things to say sooner or later as they pray, and some beat themselves up about it. I also faced this for some years. I was beating myself up that I didn't pray long enough. But truth is that different people have different styles of prayer. One person likes to do it systematically with a notebook, and another likes to just meditate on Scripture or be still before God, maybe while looking at a lake or a forest. Either way, we are not even supposed to necessarily speak during prayer, as indicated by the above verses.