How do you pray.
I will be the first to admit that I'm no expert on prayer, There have been times I never heard my answers but I understand now why sometimes those prayers were not answered. Never should we feel God isn't listening because he does, he hears those prayers, but there is more to only praying then just sitting and waiting on getting a answer.
First and formost God will look at your heart and the reason behind why you want the things you ask for. If you pray, say for money just to spend on your desires forget it, if your child asked you to give them $100.00 to by candy I am sure we all would say no way, are you crazy.
But What if you did it for them once do you think they would stop there, no. Next week it maybe a toy just to play with and you know that after a week or two they will throw it to the side, and if you just gave them anything they wanted soon they judge your love only by the bases of your doing and turn on you with hurtful words like , if you loved me you would.
By just giving them any old thing that they ask for would ruin them and destroy there thankfulness and soon the giver would become a puppet in your hands always trying to get your approvel. God know this. When we pray God lookes at why do you ask this. Is there a right way and a wrong way to pray?Bro Malone.
THE WAY TO PRAY
There is not a "wrong" way to pray in the sense that you must worry about saying the wrong thing or using the wrong words. God understands what you are thinking and feeling; He knows exactly what you mean. (Psalm 139:3-4)
Furthermore, the Holy Spirit, who comes to live in you the moment you accept Jesus as your Savior, is continually praying on your behalf:
And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27).
At a chapel service at In Touch Ministries this occurred soon after two students carrying guns and bombs stormed through Denver’s Columbine High School on a murderous rampage.
In leading there prayer time, director of operations Larry Montgomery quoted Romans 8:26-27. He honestly confessed that in a moment of such confusion, anguish, and consternation, no one really knew what to pray for other than God’s peace, healing, and perfect will. Yet Montgomery and thousands of other Christians trusted that the Spirit indeed would intercede with groanings too deep for words.
Understand, God considers essential your attitude in prayer.
God’s ultimate goal is not simply to be a storehouse who grants wishes and desires; instead, His purpose is fellowship, love, and communion. Of course, He wants to bless us with good things, even beyond our wildest imaginations. (1 Corinthians 2:9; Ephesians 3:20) But we are not to approach Him as spoiled or ungrateful children who don’t have love blended with proper respect.
Prayer, whether concentrating on praise or petition, always should be worshipful.
AWAITING GOD’S ANSWER
What does Jesus mean when He says, "Ask, and it shall be given to you"? Will He give me everything I ask for?
This is what Jesus said to His disciples on the hillside as part of the Sermon on the Mount: Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. . . . If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:7-11).
Maybe with all of your heart you asked God for something and you feel that He did not answer you. It was the greatest desire you ever had, you trusted Him with it, but you heard nothing.
Perhaps now disappointment has set in, and praying has become a chore. When you read this passage about the certainty of answered prayer, you wrestle with a little hurt and anger. You wonder, "Why doesn’t God do it for me?"
When Jesus commands you to ask, He is encouraging you to pray and take every concern to Him. But He wants you involved with the answer every step of the way. Notice the progression here. You begin with simple asking, telling God what you want or need and placing the desire in His care.
Then you move to the seeking and knocking phase, looking for His answer and finding the opportunities He brings. At times, all God wants you to do is ask, especially in heartbreak and tragedy. You’re helpless, and He wants you to be quiet and still before Him. (Psalm 37:7; 46:10) But these moments are the exception to the rule.
For example, you ask Him to give you a deeper comprehension of His Word. He does this, certainly, but you have to open your Bible and take the initiative of disciplined study.
Be assured of this: there is no such thing as unanswered prayer; God answers every prayer from His children. He responds with either a yes, a no, or a wait. What most people mean when they refer to unanswered prayer is a request that God has answered no. Sometimes it does not seem like a "real" answer when God doesn’t respond in the way you hope or expect, but what He says is the absolute best for you.
WHEN GOD SAYS NO
What does it mean when God answers "no" to my request?
Look again at verse 11 of Matthew 7. Since you know that God loves you perfectly, you have the confidence that His withholding something from you is a positive, not a negative. God never says no for spite! He always has a reason.
To aid in discerning His purposes, ask yourself the following questions.
How is my relationship with the Lord? Psalm 66:18 says: "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear." God does not shut off his blessing every time you sin or make a mistake-certainly not-but any unconfessed sin in your life hinders your fellowship with God. If you feel conviction or heaviness about any action or issue, deal with it immediately and put aside any barrier to open and free communication.
Is my prayer specific? When you pray vague or indefinite prayers, you show that the request does not mean very much to you. Otherwise, you would take the time to think it through and verbalize the details. Anything less is like going into a restaurant and ordering "food and drink." You need to state the desires of your heart with precision, so that you will know when God has answered and so that He receives the glory.
Is the request in keeping with the character of Christ? In other words, is it a prayer that Jesus might have prayed? Think through your motivations and ask the Lord to reveal your true intentions. Selfishness, pride, wrongful ambition-check to see that no other purposes are polluting your petitions. Read James 4:3 and consider that the why of your prayers is as important as the what.
Do I really believe God will answer me? Doubt and prayer don’t mix at all. If you approach the Lord worried that He does not hear or will ignore you, you become like the faithless one described in James 1:5-8, doubleminded and unstable in all your ways. When you worry and waver, you essentially undermine the peace God plans for you to have. Read Hebrews 11:6 and pray in joyful expectation of His reply.
God wants you to seek Him more than you seek answers to your prayers. Sometimes, especially when God says no, it is easy to become absorbed in desiring the gift rather than adoring the Giver. The key to maintaining spiritual balance is focusing on God’s ultimate goal-conforming you to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:1) and nurturing a growing relationship with Him.
Hope it helped you.
Bro Malone
