by Molly Carter

Created on: February 26, 2010   Last Updated: March 03, 2010

“…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

Prayer is central to any religion, but the power of prayer is often misunderstood. How do we pray? What do we pray for? What are our motives? Are our prayers answered? All of these are important aspects of prayer, yet the most important idea of prayer is simply having an honest conversation with God. And really, who is not capable of that?

To “learn” to pray, is to simply converse with God.  If you have never prayed before, just take time out of your day to thank God for one good thing. The sun is shining. You have a good parking spot. Your husband did the dishes. Your child picked up their toys. Once you can begin recognizing the small blessings in your life, you can open your heart to the larger gifts God is bestowing upon you. According to (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18) “Be Joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.”

Once you’ve opened a channel of communication, you must start to believe that God wants you to have abundant blessings in your life. Matthew says “…with God all things are possible.” We must accept that God is gracious and loving. Once we can with an open heart and mind trust that God will answer our prayers, we can let go of the doubt that inhibits us from truly asking for God’s grace. We must believe that God will take care of us. The basis of Christianity is faith, and without that, we cannot expect that God will answer our prayers or take care of us. Have faith.

Someone once told me to pray effectively, remind God of the miraculous things he has done. God is capable of the seemingly impossible. The Lord parted the Red Sea for Moses. He blessed Sarah and Abraham with a child in their old age. Scientifically, these things are not possible, yet God made an example of them for all. We remind God of these miracles, not because he forgot about them, but because it solidifies in our own minds what the Lord is capable of. We shall not doubt him.

Be persistent with the Lord.  Persistent prayer always confused me. Would asking for the same thing over and over somehow trick God into giving it to me? I’ve decided that for me, persistent prayer means to continuously recognize that I cannot do this alone and to humble myself before the Lord and ask for his help.

Instead of giving up, or doubting the Lord’s faithfulness,

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