Praying Effectively, Part 1

| BY SEAN CAVENDER |

One of the greatest blessings Christians have to enjoy is communing with our heavenly Father through prayer. There are several “giants” of praying men recorded for us in the Scripture. Nehemiah, Daniel, and Jesus each have some of the most beautiful, thought-provoking prayers that can be read in the Scriptures. These powerful examples can teach us how we ought to pray. Let’s first consider the example of Daniel. 

1. Pray Repeatedly 

There was a plot against Daniel by the wicked counselors to King Darius. They wanted to find some fault in Daniel, but they could find none. They knew they must create a law that was in opposition to the law of the Lord, and they knew what Daniel’s decision would be — obedience to God, not the king’s law (Daniel 6:5). So after the decree was made which forbade any prayer to be offered to anyone besides King Darius, Daniel went and prayed (Daniel 6:10). Yet, he did not just pray once and think that to be sufficient. He proved his obedience and diligence to Jehovah by repeatedly turning to God in prayer. Sometimes we mistakenly think that if we pray one time, then God is obligated to hear our prayer and answer it when we expect. However, that ends up treating God as if he was Santa Claus. No diligence is learned, no commitment is proven in that sort of circumstance. Repeating a prayer is not a bad thing. In fact, it might end up proving just how strongly we feel about a matter and just how much we desire God’s guidance and providence. 

2. Pray Fervently 

Daniel 9 records a beautiful prayer of confession and petition for God’s forgiveness. Near the end of Daniel’s prayer he says, “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act!” (Daniel 9:19). These are not irreverent requests and demands that Daniel is making. Daniel is turning to the only one that can answer his requests and he fervently desires the Lord’s blessings. When we pray, are we simply pacifying a guilty conscience? Our prayers need to recognize that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17) and he is able to answer our pleas. 

3. Pray with Repentance 

Daniel acknowledged the guilt of Israel, but that is not the only thing he acknowledged. He pledged himself as a servant of God, renewing himself in obedience to the Lord (Daniel 9:17). It is sad if the only time we turn to God in prayer is to ask for the forgiveness of our wrongs. We need to pledge our sincere desire to repent of sins and commit ourselves to obedience to God and Christ. 

Prayer is a wonderful blessing. Let us seek to appreciate it more and more each day.