How Then Should we Pray???

 

How Then Should we Pray???

Many of us begin our prayer life with a night time poem;  "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my Soul to keep.  If Jesus comes before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."  

Our mother may have taught us to pray before we eat, perhaps saying the simple poem; "God is great, God is good, and I thank Him for this food."

We progress and learn to recite the Lord's prayer, Honoring Our Father which is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Jesus taught this prayer is an example of how we come to God with our daily needs and desires - first in worship and adoration, and being able to submit to his will.

There are other prayers that we need to also consider, and that is intercession and praying for others. Paul suggests to first pray for leaders to make wise decisions as they rule over us. This leads to peace and the honest spreading of the true gospel so that citizens may be saved.

1 Timothy 2:1-6 - I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who desires all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

What is God's will about the Lost? We will consider some Bible verses related to Prayer

1 Timothy 2:4 -  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

We should not pray these words: “Oh God Save the Sinners.” Reason being that God has already done his part to save mankind by sending Jesus to die, and now because our citizens have a free will, they must be willing to decide to follow Jesus.

God has made a way for men and women to be saved: He gave His only begotten son, so that all who will believe on Jesus might be saved and not perish. God has done his part, but our citizens need to first be enlightened that God Loves them enough to send Jesus to die in their place.

Our prayers for the lost should include that the eyes and ears of their understanding be opened so they are able to make a quality decision to invite Jesus into their life and receive His everlasting life.

Acts 26:18 - -  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

We must have an earnest desire that people come to Jesus and be saved from their old live, and we are to be willing to tell others that Jesus loves them and desires them to follow him.

Romans 10:1 - Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

God is patient and long-suffering with sinners, desiring them to repent - - but He will not always strive with men.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Luke 19:10 - For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

We can pray that the holy spirit will anoint the message as believers share about Jesus. If you are not able to go, then you can pray that the Lord will send messengers by any means to win the lost.

Matthew 9:37-38 - Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.  

1 John 5:14 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us:

Often it is important to teach and give instruction to those seeking to be saved; and those new to the Kingdom of God.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 - But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strife. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Pray for the teachers and ministers for wisdom and gentleness to share God's Word.

Ephesians 6:19-20 - And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel - -

Our prayers for the Lost must request the Father and the Holy Spirit to draw our citizens to Jesus. To soften their hearts to desire to come out of darkness into His marvelous light.

John 6:44 - (Jesus said;) No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Ezekiel 36:26 - A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

As we pray, let us prophesy and call those things that be not as though they are.

As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God, who quickens the dead, and calls those things which be not as though they were.  

God calls those things that are not as though they were. That is how the heavens and the earth got here in the first place. Once they were not, now they are—because God called them as though they were. The worlds were framed by the Word of God

Our prayers should include thanksgiving that God is at work in our city, our State and our Nation. We may not see it as yet, but we believe and we give praise that God is moving to bring about the answers we have asked for.