Have you ever found yourself staring at the ceiling, wanting to pray but not knowing what to say or how to say it? Sometimes the idea of praying can be intimidating and even overwhelming for a number of reasons. You may wonder if God will actually hear your prayers and be able to help you out. You may have doubts as to whether God is even there, and you might feel a little silly for thinking that you could talk to the God of the universe. Maybe you feel uneasy about approaching such a holy and powerful God, or maybe you just don’t know how to begin communication with someone you can’t physically see or hear.
While there are no real “rules” to prayer, the Bible does give us some guidelines to keep in mind. The most important ingredient to prayer is sincerity; God sees (and hears) past the words and into the heart. Structure, form, and the words we use when talking to God are not nearly as significant as the reason we’re praying and the thoughts we hold in our heart. He knows what we’re trying to say even if we can’t find the right words to express ourselves. In the same way, though, our tone and form can’t fool God if we really don’t mean what we’re saying. A sincere and honest prayer—no matter how it turns out sounding—is the first step towards communicating with God.
That said, The Bible actually talks a lot about prayer and how it is done. Jesus himself gave us an example of what should be included in a prayer:
And he said unto them, “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (Luke 11:2-4)According to these verses, commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” we should begin our prayers with praise to and acknowledgement of God. We start off by telling God that we know who He is, how great He is, and that He is worthy to be praised. Other important elements of a prayer, in no particular order, are: confessing sins and asking for forgiveness, asking for the things we need (and want, to a point), and asking for God to take care of us and keep us from evil. Then, probably the most important part of the prayer is to pray that God’s Will be done. We have to recognize that if anything we’ve prayed goes against God’s holy and divine Will, then it is God’s Will that must prevail. After all, He knows more than we do, and He does have the whole world in His hands. Also, not specifically included in “The Lord’s Prayer,” thanking God for the things He has already done is a good addition to any prayer. But, we need to make sure that, no matter what, our prayers come from our heart and are not just recitations of some supposed formula to what makes a good prayer. Remember, sincerity is the key.
I should also note that not all prayers must include every area mentioned in “The Lord’s Prayer”. We’ve all whispered those immediate prayers of, “God, help me!” when faced with some type of test or trial. It’s not wrong to focus on just asking God for something specific when you don’t have time to say anything else. Praying isn’t a ritual, and you don’t have to go through all the motions, making sure you’ve praised and thanked God and asked for provision each time you open your mouth to say something to Him. But, the danger comes when you only pray to ask God for things and never to praise or thank Him. It has to balance out; you have to be communicating with God and not just listing off your needs and wants. Prayer doesn’t have to be rigidly structured, but it does have to be done with the person being aware of God’s presence and understanding to whom he or she is talking.
But is there an example in the Bible of a “bad” or unacceptable prayer? Yes, as matter of a fact, there is. In Luke 18, Jesus tells a story about a Pharisee (religious leader) and a tax collector, both of whom went into the temple to pray. The Pharisee began his prayer by saying, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men.” He then listed off a few examples of such “other men”—robbers, evil doers, adulterers…and even that tax collector over there. What a prayer! God, I’m so glad that I’m not like those people who sin and do horrible things—those people who are unworthy of Your grace. But just to make sure that God really understood the difference between him and the sinners, the Pharisee went on to remind God of all his good deeds: fasting twice a week and tithing.
The tax collector, on the other hand, stood off at a distance, reverently and humbly before God. He didn’t even look up to heaven. He beat his chest and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” That was all, a simple prayer for help. Have mercy on me, God. I know what I am; I know who You are; and I know that I am unworthy but that you offer grace.
See, the Pharisee put on a show, loving the sound of his own voice and the fact that he was so righteous. But that wasn’t a prayer—there was no sincerity and no humility in any of it. And he failed to realize that we are all sinners who are unworthy. Prayer isn’t about what we’ve done or who we are—it’s about what God has done and what He has the power to do in the future. Prayer isn’t a time to focus on ourselves; it’s a time to communicate with God and work on developing a relationship with Him. Prayer is our way of gaining access to the throne room and speaking directly to the King of Kings and God of all creation. We bring our needs to Him; we bring others’ needs to Him; and we bring Him the praise and glory that He deserves. No, there isn’t a secret to the perfect prayer—there is no formula or pattern that we can count on to make our prayers effective. All it takes is sincerity, humility, and the desire to talk to God as you would any other friend.
Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you back next time for the third article in this series. God bless!
-HK
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