about prayer

[restore]

lately i feel so block in my minds, so i want more knowledge again to tell me how important prayer is,why, and how to do prayer when urgent...thanks.

 

[Onlythingavailable]

James 5:16-18:
16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

God listens to prayer.
http://www.surfinthespirit.com/advice/prayer-bible-quotes.shtml contains several passages relating to prayer. It's a way of talking to God, I don't think there's any specific way to pray. Jesus did warn about against uttering empty words, and he also taught us the Lord's prayer.

Matthew 6:7-13:
7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Praying is also surrendering to God. I believe it's important to always remember God's will while praying. I mean that whatever we ask for, we ask for it to be done according to God's will. Prayer isn't always about asking for something either, I believe. It's a way of communicating with God.

I believe being sincere is one of the most important things when praying. As for how to pray when it's urgent, I do think the Lord's prayer is a good choice!

 

[Beasley]

Hi Restore:

If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

The Holy Spirit is our helper but he is God. God does not fellowship with sin, so the first thing would be to examine our selves and confess our sins to God, then when we are clean pray to the Father in the name of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes prayer is urgent and 'Father, HELPPPPPP' will work.

Heb. 4:16 " Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

It says in James that sometimes we don't have because we don't ask. There are things that God will not do for us until we ask. When we understand God's will, his thinking, we can pray according to his will. There are some things he will not do.

Generally in prayer we are to offer up thanksgiving and praise, pray for others and for ourselves.

 

[ChristDiver]

Faith Prayer
James 1:6-8
" But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind
and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable
in all his ways. "

Graceful Prayer
Matthew 4:16
" Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need. "


Unanswered Prayer
II Corinthians 12:8-9
" For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is
sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. "

Pray & Pray
I Thessalonians 5:17
" Pray without Ceasing. "

Prayer Patience
Romans 8:25
" But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. "

Prayer Warrior
Ephesians 6:18
" Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints. "

Prayer Help
Romans 8:26
" Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. "

Be humble in your prayers as God provides & awards us in our lives, so its better to IMHO to seek Strength, Knowledge, & Wisdom in my daily life. Ooops !!! forgot about my confessions . Im not perfect but I try to continue to walk the righteous walk & grow in God's Grace.

For those whom look for their prayers to be answered should first consider:

1. Obedience
2. Steadfastness
3. Forgiveness
4. Confession
5. Mercy
6. Thanks
7. Remembrance
8. Adore (Love the Lord thy God)

James 1: 7-8
" For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. "

For most of us God's Grace is sufficient.

God Bless !!!

Gerry

 

[Kristos]

Prayer is the most powerful thing that we can do for ourselves, for our loved ones, and for the world. If we keep God before ourselves at all times and turn to Him immediately in all situations, we are truly keeping the right order. It, however, does not mean that we just sit back and do nothing. No. We have to enter into that synergy with God — man reaching up from earth and God leaning down from heaven. We definitely have to do our part, but we need to turn our “check list” of how to handle situations around: first turn to God, then, with Him ever in our hearts and on our lips, seek help from the means that He has given us. The hard part is to put it all in God’s hands first and then work with Him.

One example of this is something that is seen in Russia, particularly in churches that have the full relics of one of the saints. Students come into the church very early in the morning before classes to venerate the relics and pray before them, especially on the day of a difficult exam. Surely, the student has studied hard for the exam, but he/she knows that without the Lord’s help, it is in vain. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (Ps. 128:1).

Elder Cleopa always counseled people, “When your mother, your child, your husband, anyone, is sick, first call the priest, not the doctor!” The Church has prayers for everything imaginable, and those prayers are very effectual. Turn to those prayers first, then proceed. If you are building a house there is a prayer for beginning this project; traveling—there are prayers; studying — there are prayers...

Pray first, then employ other means, but while keeping your main focus on God.

Actual prayer is one part of a “little holy trinity”; it is not isolated into only asking (often telling) God to fulfill our request. The other two members of this small trinity are fasting and giving alms.

Offering a sacrifice, both in thanksgiving, as well as in petition in prayer is most certainly Biblical. In the Old Testament, the sacrifice was always a young animal which was purely spotless. What more precious sacrifice has there ever been in all the history of man than the Lord Himself sacrificing Himself upon the Cross for our salvation? When we pray from our hearts to God, asking Him to help either ourselves or a loved one, we must also offer whatever sacrifice we can. This is a pouring out of oneself, which the Lord certainly accepts. Whatever that sacrifice of alms consists of (financial, material, labor, etc), it must be something that is truly a sacrifice, and not simply from our surplus.

The third part of that “small trinity” is fasting. When we or a loved one are in great need of God’s mercy, we pray, sacrifice, and in addition to the regularly prescribed fasting days and season, we add an additional fast. Many monastic elders counsel people who are in such need to add Mondays as a fasting day, or to fast totally each day until noon.

This fasting and almsgiving, together with prayer, also helps us to be more aware of our own sins. The holy fathers tell us that misfortune, trials, illness, etc. befall us for one of three reasons: either from the devil to lead us away from God; from God Himself to wake us up and redirect us where we belong; or from our own sins. We have lost the notion in our modem society to ever believe that something has happened to us because of our own doing or fault; it is always someone else’s fault, never our own. The truth is that not only do our sins bring trials upon ourselves, but they also can cause others to suffer. All of creation fell and suffered, and continues to suffer, because of our sins. Our sins have eternal and temporal consequences, but we also know that through true repentance and confession, these consequences are lessened and often eliminated.

So, in the midst of trials, need, tribulations, let us first pray, give alms of sacrifice, and fast, looking at our own sins, as we beseech God to grant what is good and needful for our own souls, for our loved ones, for the world. God does indeed answer these prayers... but not always the way that we want. His ways are certainly not our ways, and our understanding cannot begin to fathom or comprehend God’s judgments. When His answer to our petitions is not what we want it to be, we must still trust in His mercy and judgment, giving thanks always. If we but look back in our own lives and see those times when it seemed that God did not answer our prayer as we wanted, we can almost always see that He did indeed answer it as we needed for our salvation.

A broken and contrite heart, God will not despise. When we turn to God first and keep Him before ourselves throughout our lives, especially in times of trial, in humility acknowledging that without Him we can do nothing, then He truly does not abandon us. Indeed, let us remember that ALL we can do is pray: before, during and after a task; before, during and after a trial; all our life long, putting our full trust in God.

So let us continue in that synergy reaching up toward God, beseeching His mercy, help and guidance, as He leans down to take our outstretched hand and lead us along the path of peace.

 

[restore]

Thanks..

i pray a lot, but my spiritual eyes need to open more..

pls pray God will send more ways to do that thing..