Category Archives: How to Pray

We all need help how to connect with God in prayer.

Faith, Love, Thanks and Prayer

Paul’s Thanks for the Church – faith, love, thanks and prayer

Ephesians 1:15  Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,   16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:   

Let’s get a little into the context of the book of Ephesians.  Paul wrote this letter to impart a high vision of what Christ has done and yet wants to do through the church.  The first 3 chapters are the vision with Christ in the heavens after accomplishing redemption for us on the cross.  Then the last 3 chapters are a lot of application about Marriage, family life and how we get along with other and ourselves.

Paul particularly was thankful for his readers’ faith and love. Faith finds its focus in Christ and expresses itself in love to others. Such love is the evidence of genuine faith.

In verse 15 Paul mentions 4 items:  faith, love, thanks and prayer.  Paul is thanking God for the Church composed of those in Ephesians who have faith in the Lord Jesus, and those who love the saints.

Its very interesting that Paul focuses on God and thanks God, rather than focusing on the problems that might have plagued the Ephesians.  Was Paul blind to the believers issues, or did he see something higher in what Christ accomplished that drove him to just thank the Lord for the saints who just loved each other in this city.  Sometimes a prayer meeting with just praises can do more than itemizing all the problems, but of course both are real prayer.

Notice also that Paul mentions first their faith, then their love and then thanks.  Why does he not mention sin, that the believers are just sinners saved by grace.  It seems in chapter 1 of Ephesians Paul does not even give a hint of sin, but he sure does in chapter 2 where he says “dead in trespasses and sins”.  So Paul in chapter 1 mentions faith, then love, but chapter 2 death and sin.

How Do You Find God?

What a great question! How do you find God, and where is He. God is real, God is present. One just needs to simply talk to Him, and that talking is called prayer. Put aside all your thoughts about formal prayers, formal places to pray and just talk to God. “Hello God, sorry if you are busy but I have a need.” Talk to God just like a close friend. He understands you just the way you are.

Consider this simple prayer found in the Bible. Psalms 18:6 I called to the Lord in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.

The Lord’s Teaching on Prayer – top key points

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is  a key part of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew six where Jesus is teaching His disciples a wonderful teaching on prayer.  Notice the word “your” before the words “kingdom” and “will“.    This is a key passage on the spiritual warfare for God’s kingdom and will. God’s kingdom is the place where God is in full control.

The Holy Spirit Prays in Us with Groanings

Great words from Andrew Murray about working with the Holy Spirit in our prayer time. Let the Holy Spirit be our prayer helper and teacher.

You complain that you do not feel able to pray thus, and ask how you may be fitted to do so.  You speak much of the feebleness of your faith in God, and love to souls, and delight in prayer.  The man who is to have power in intercession must cease these complaints.  He must know that he has A NATURE PERFECTLY ADAPTED TO THE WORK.  An apple tree is only expected to bear apples, because it has the apple nature within it.  “You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”  The eye was created so see:  how beautifully fitted it is for its work!  You are created in Christ to pray.  It is your very nature as a child of God.  The Spirit has been sent into your heart—what to do?  To cry Abba Father, to you draw your heart up in child-like prayer.  The Holy Spirit prays in us with groanings that cannot be uttered, with a divine power which our mind and feelings cannot understand.  Learn, if you would be an intercessor, to give the Holy Spirit much greater honors than is generally done.  Believe that He is praying within you, and be strong and of good courage.  As you pray, be still before God to believe and to yield to this wonderful power of prayer within you.

These are quotes from The Inner Chamber by Andrew Murray on Moses the man of prayer.

Prayer to be Holy in Christ

It has been my continual prayer that God might use what is written to increase in His children the conviction that we must be holy, the knowledge of how we are to be holy, the joy that we may be holy, the faith that we can be holy. And may He stir us all to cry day and night to Him for a visitation of the Spirit and the Power of Holiness upon all His people, that the name of Christian and of saint may be synonymous, and every believer be a vessel made holy and meet for the Master’s use. — from the preface to “Holy in Christ” by Andrew Murray.

Prayer and Joy in the Morning

Look at these Bible Passages on prayer and joy in the morning.

Mark 1:35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Psalms 30:5 For his anger is but for a moment,and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night,but  joy comes with the morning.

Forgiveness and Bitterness

Jesus in Matthew 6 teaches us to pray:  “Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ”  Then He says:  14 “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.

Jesus mentions the word “forgive” six times, it must be significant.  The opposite is to hold a bad feeling, and eventually get bitter.  Bitterness is subtle and hurts ourselves more than others.   Both an unwillingness to forgive and bitterness will hinder prayer.  That’s why the Lord mentioned it in Matthew 6 when talking about prayer.

Secret or Public Prayers?

Many prayers in the Bible are alone with God.   Jesus teaches us to pray in secret. Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. But understand the context; here the religious leaders liked to be seen praying, not so God would see hem, but so man would see them (and look spiritual). So public prayer especially in our churches is wonderful, see Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.