A Conversation with God
Prayer is a conversation with God. Many people find themselves wondering if there is a right way to pray. They may even avoid praying because they fear they will do it wrong. I have heard a lot of people say: I don't know how to pray.'
There are many forms of prayers. These forms range from prayers of thanksgiving, praise, agreement and specific requests as well as loving conversations with our heavenly Father.
Requests:
The Bible tells us to make our requests known. If you are a child of God, you can come boldly before the throne of grace and make your requests known. Asking in the name of Jesus and believing that you will receive what you have requested.
Prayer of Forgiveness:
The Bible tells us in 1st John chapter 1 verse 9: If we (freely) admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins (dismiss our lawlessness) and (continuously) cleanse us from all unrighteousness (everything not in conformity to His will I purpose, thought, and action).
What this means is that if we seek the Father by coming to him in the name of Jesus confessing our sins to him he will forgive us our sins. Jesus died on the cross for our sins therefore when we confess our sins and ask forgiveness God is faithful and just, forgiving us and cleansing us from those sins.
Prayer of Agreement:
The prayer of agreement is when two or more people agree together in prayer concerning a specific need or situation.
The Bible tells us in 1st John chapter 18 verse 19: Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together about whatever (anything and everything) they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by my Father in heaven.
Specific Requests:
Many times, we are faced with needs or in need of answers. This is when we go to our heavenly Father and make our requests known to him. He already knows what we have need of however, we must come to the point that we are going to ask and depend on him instead of trying to fix it all ourselves.
The Bible tells us to come boldly to the throne of God making our requests known. When we ask we are then to believe that he has heard our prayer and will do for us what we have asked.
Praise:
This is time spent in prayer focusing on praising God for all he is and all he has done. Bringing glory to our Heavenly Father through praise and worship is a beautiful experience.
Thanksgiving:
Prayer of thanksgiving is a time of prayer spent thanking God for all he has done in our lives. Many times we pray every time we need something and then forget to thank God for answering our prayers or for all the wonderful things he has done for us. Let us not take those wonderful blessings for granted but always give thanks to God for all he does for us.
Personal Relationship:
Through prayer and time spent in the word, we build a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.
When I pray I am talking to my Heavenly Father. Jesus said whatsoever you ask the Father in my name. Believe that you receive it and you shall have what you ask.
Therefore when I pray, I pray to my Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus with confidence that what I ask I will receive according to the word of God.
When I pray I have a conversation with God. I talk to him just as I would a best friend. He already knows what I am thinking, feeling and the questions I have so I talk to him openly and honestly.
I like to start my prayers with thanksgiving, by giving thanks and praising God for all that he has already done for me. This draws me closer and helps me pray with confidence knowing that God hears my prayers and helps me in my times of need.
It is good to know we do not have to need something to pray. It is good to take time to pray when we just want to talk to God or thank him for his goodness. It is also good to take time to tell God how much you love him.
*Scriptures taken from the New International King James Version Bible.