Matthew 8:27 “…The wind and the sea obey Him…”. Was this prayer or was this the Son of Man, the LORD Jesus Christ commanding the wind and commanding the sea? Sometimes in pray its hard to distinguish between commanding and asking.
Category Archives: How to Pray
Encouragement to Pray
Psalms 6:9 The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer.
This is a great encouragement to pray.
Confess Our Sin – He Cleanses.
1 John 1:7 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We will always be a sinner in this life, and so we constantly need a way to come back to God even though we sin. Prayer requires a unhindered communication between us and God, sin frustrates that path. So God make a provision through His son, so we could come back to God even after sin. So now the way is clear for our prayer.
More Prayer in the Morning…
Psalms 88:13 But to You I have cried out, O LORD, And in the morning my prayer comes before You. Have you ever woken up early in the morning with lots on your mind? Well many times this is the Lord calling us to prayer. Prayer in the morning is a wonderful time of intimate fellowship with God. Sometimes its just a groan or a cry or just a sigh. But it is still prayer.
The Lord Lifts Up our Head
Psalms 3:1 Jehovah, how many are they that trouble me, many they that rise up against me! 2 Many say of my soul, There is no salvation for him in God. Selah. 3 But thou, Jehovah, art a shield about me; my glory, and the lifter up of my head. 4 With my voice will I call to Jehovah, and he will answer me from the hill of his holiness. Selah. 5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked, for Jehovah sustaineth me. 6 I will not fear for myriads of the people that have set themselves against me round about. 7 Arise, Jehovah; save me, my God! For thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone, thou hast broken the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation is of Jehovah; thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Consider the encouragement in this Psalm. The psalmist is praying “With my voice will I call to Jehovah“. And after the short prayer, look at what the Lord does:
1. lifter up of my head
2. a shield about me
3. sustaineth me
4. Salvation is of Jehovah
The Lord does much when we pray.
Prayer in the Triune God
Would you apply this in the life of holiness, let faith in the Holy Trinity be a living practical reality. In every prayer to the Father to sanctify you, take up your position in Christ, and do it in the power of the Spirit within you. In every exercise of faith in Christ as your Sanctification, let your posture be that of prayer to the Father and trust in Him as He delights to honour the Son, and of quiet expectancy of the Spirit’s working, through whom the Father glorifies the Son. In every surrender of the soul to the sanctification of the Spirit, to His leading as the Spirit of Holiness, look to the Father who grants His mighty working, and who sanctifies through faith in the Son, and expect the Spirit’s power to manifest itself in showing the will of God, and Jesus as your Sanctification. If for a time this appears at variance with the simplicity of childlike faith and prayer, be assured that as God has thus revealed Himself, He will teach you so to worship and believe. And so the Holy, holy, holy will become the deep undertone of all our worship and all our life.
From Holy in Christ by Andrew Murray
Notice the words referring to God:
- Father, God, Him,
- Christ, Jesus, Son,
- Spirit, Spirit of Holiness.
Then notice the phrase: Holy Holy, Holy. This section refers to prayer in coordination with the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Delight in the Lord
Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Now couple this verse with John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Notice the correlation of “Delight yourself in the Lord” and “abide in Me“. This has everything to do with our personal fellowship and relationship with the Lord.
Faith in God
Mark 11:23 “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Notice the words: be removed, does not doubt and believes. These items are necessary for every good prayer. Faith sees the answer to prayer before the answer comes.