When it comes to the topic of prayer, we are often burdened by the feeling that we should pray more, although we aren’t exactly sure why. It can be a space where we have more questions than answers. Certainly I should pray, I know I should… and I should more, although why is that? Is there a certain way I should do it? Why pray when God is sovereign and in control? What’s the point? 

The problem may be that often our understanding of prayer is simply based upon what we see in other people’s lives, or assumptions we have made based on mere pieces of ideology. Prayer is foundational to the life of our church, afterall, the Church grows as God builds the body of people redeemed by the blood of Christ, through the prayers and evangelism of the saints (you). Therefore, this document aims to give a (very) brief theological overview to get you started in a life of prayer that builds your love for the Lord, and hopefully answers some of the questions that you may have.

Very simply put, prayer is personal communication with God. In effect, prayer is calling upon God to come through on his promises. In application for the Christian, Prayer is breathing, albeit often not natural, it is necessary. This is to say, that through our personal communication with God, we call upon His promises and personally relate with the one who gives us breath, who gives us life. 

God; Father, Son and Spirit who is infinite, eternal, omnipotent, is in need of nothing, yet, He invites us to commune with Him (think about that for a moment)! To talk with Him and to let Him listen to all the musings of our heart. In fact, we are created to be in relationship with God. Adam and Eve communed with God in the garden and like so, God desires that we be in relationship with Him through his Word, his Church, and through personal prayer.

Although more than that, we bring to God the desires we have as His redeemed people, to see His will be done on the earth. Therefore through deliberate, consistent prayer, God allows us as His creation to be involved in activities that have eternal importance.

Why Pray: What Does Prayer Do?

a. Prayer brings us into a closer relationship with God

In the same way that we would commune with a partner, we spend time in the presence of God through prayer. It aligns our lives with his will. In prayer, we submit to God, we still our hearts so that we can focus on Him and who He is, allowing our lives to be aligned to His truth and His desires rather than our own. 

b. God acts upon the prayers of His people. 

To say that prayer is just about drawing our hearts closer to God would be to dismiss large portions of scripture. Although it may be hard to grapple with, and to balance with the sovereignty of God’s will, He has promised to work through the prayers of His people. There are many examples throughout scripture of God acting upon the prayers of his people or that lead us to faithfully ask in prayer. If we pray little, it is likely because we do not believe God acts upon the prayers of his people as he has promised and shown us in scripture.

Therefore, we pray fervently, we present our requests and petitions to Him (Phil 4:6-7),  and we believe faithfully that He will act. And even if he doesn’t… he is still God. Would we be people that pray with a heart attitude like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who responded in this way before being thrown into the fiery furnace (Dan 3:17-18:

“…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.

Our God will save us, and even if he doesn’t, he is still God!

So Pray. Pray because in doing so you are spending invaluable time with your Heavenly Father who has lavished upon you his redemptive grace in saving you. Let your life be moved and transformed as you wait upon the Lord, aligning your heart with His. And pray because God acts upon the prayers of His people. Pray that people be saved, that Christians be strengthened in their faith and that His will be done in all the earth.

Often the question is asked as to why we pray if we believe that God is sovereign? Along with many others, my response would be, why would we pray if he isn’t? We pray to a God who is sovereign and in control, and we trust that His will be done on the earth.

How do I Pray?

Jesus, in the initial stages of his ministry, ‘rises very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed to a desolate place, and there he prayed’ (Mark 1:35). Christ shows us how to pray practically, in that we should prioritise and set aside time, and find space to pray. So that is a good place to start, although what then?

a. Pray by listening first

How audacious it would seem that we stride into Gods courts with and agenda we do not allow him to speak into. Prayer, where possible should beginning not with speaking but with listening. When you pray, take every opportunity to open up God’s Word, and let him speak first. Quiet your thoughts as you reflect on God and who he is, and let the Word lead you into worshipful prayer and thanksgiving.

b. Pray with Faith 

Ultimately, if you don’t pray with faith, why pray at all. Although what does it mean to pray faithfully? It means that we are trusting in the one we pray to. It doesn’t mean that we trust we will get everything that our hearts desire if we grit our teeth and pray hard, but that we trust our God to whom we pray to, that his will be done, and his promises will come to pass (Matt. 18:19, 21:22). We pray with faith, not because of the outcome we hope for, bit in the God that we hope in. Which leads to…

c. Yes, but what do I say?

In prayer we seek to pray according to God’s will, that our selfish prayers would be transformed into those that seek God’s will to be done on the earth. In prayer, we are pleading to our good and kind father that his promises would come to pass. John Calvin, a great theologian from the 15th said this about prayer:

Prayer in the bible is intimately linked with the gospel- God’s promised and provided solutions to the problem of human rebellion against him and its consequences. The gospel shape of prayer is evident from the opening pages of the bible – and in particular in Genesis 4:26, when people first begin to ‘call on the name of Yahweh’ – right through the end, when the church prays, ‘Come, Lord Jesus!’ (Rev 22:20). 

Biblically to call upon the ‘name’ of the lord, isn’t just to say his name, but it is to call upon his nature. In Gen 4:26 when they called upon the name of the Lord, they were calling upon his character, to fulfill his promise that he had made in Genesis 3 regarding the seed of the woman that would crush the serpent’s head and free them from the grip of sin.

ACTS Prayer

A great place to start is the Lord’s prayer, when Jesus taught us to pray in the Sermon on the Mount. See our breif breakdown of the Lord’s Prayer. As well as this, a good acronym to keep in mind for every prayer is ACTS.

• Adoration

To show adoration to God is to worship, praise, honor and exalt Him. In other words, respect Him, be in awe of Him, and say wonderful things about Him. Psalm 103 and 145 are good examples of adoring the Lord.

• Confession

When we begin to acknowledge how great, perfect and awesome our God is, we can’t help but recognize our weaknesses and sins. Admitting and confessing our sins (1 John 1:9) and knowing He has forgiven our past, present and future sin is vital to our prayer life. God is a Holy God, so we need to come to Him with a clean heart. “He would not have listened if I had not confessed my sins” (Psalm 66:18).

• Thanksgiving

Giving thanks expresses our faith, and it is faith that pleases God. In Hebrews 11:6  we read, “And without faith it is impossible to please God.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 states, “In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ concerning you.” We don’t necessarily give thanks for the difficult circumstances, but give thanks for His total provision during good – and painful ones.

• Supplication

Asking seems to come naturally to children. As God’s children, we can freely talk to Him and ask Him for anything. And like any caring parent, He will say, “Yes” to some of our requests, “No” some of the time and at times, He will say, “Wait.”

You can remember this outline for prayer through the acronym ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Each component is necessary for an effective prayer life. There are also many other aspects of prayer, which I may write about another day, but if you are new to praying, I encourage you to begin practicing these four elements when you pray.

Pray using Psalms

Another way to start praying is to use the Book of Psalms. Many commentators have said that Psalms is a prayer book given to us to guide us in how we should pray. In contains hymns and praises to God, laments and cries for help, songs of thanksgiving and Psalms of wisdom. This collection of poems can be a great guide for us in prayer, and so, why not use the psalm you are given through the read scripture app to pray through today. For an example on how a psalm can lead us in prayer, follow the link here.

Getting Started

Further Resources 

References and Reading

• https://www.desiringgod.org/topics/prayer#
• https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/prayer/how-to-pray/?
• Grudem, Systematic Theology, 376
• Calvin, in Millar, Calling, 15-17
• Millar, Calling on the Name of the Lord: a Biblical Theology of Prayer,  27
• Onwuchekwa, Prayer, How Praying Together Shapes the Church, 17
• Lucus, Exploring the Old Testament: The Psalms and Wisdom Literature, 1-11
• Keller, Thoughts on God