Effective Tips for Prayer

Is your prayer life already effective? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, effective means succeeding in achieving the expected result. So, a prayer is said to be effective when it produces results in line with the one praying's expectations.

You may be thinking, “But prayer is answered by God; it cannot simply go according to our wishes.” True, a prayer is not considered successful merely because God grants its requests. Effective prayer is prayer that works, that produces results. And the results in view may include:

• God changing our circumstances,
• strengthening us, or
• transforming us so that we understand and have His mindset.

If so, what is the secret so that our prayers become effective?

Effective Prayer, Why Is It Necessary?

Sometimes we doubt the power of prayer, or regard prayer as the last option when everything we have done fails. I personally once felt that prayer was only an encouragement or an extra that completed my efforts. In reality, prayer is a battle.

Prayer is not a preparation for the battle, it is the battle! - Leonard Ravenhill

When Jesus was in the house and His disciples were alone with Him, they asked Him, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out except by prayer." – Mark 9:28-29 

From the story above, we know how powerful prayer is! A prayer can bring healing, even drive out evil spirits. Jesus' disciples could not simply cast an evil spirit out of a little child because they needed to labor in prayer.

Indeed, God's answer to our prayers is His authority. However, have we ourselves labored in prayer that moves God's heart and our own hearts? How do we reach this?

The Secret of Effective Prayer

1. Effective Because We Are Righteous

Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person, when prayed with conviction, has great power. – James 5:16

In the NIV version, the second sentence reads, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Our prayers will not have an impact if we are not right before God. What is your condition when you come before God's presence? Do you come with a heart full of hatred, pride, and hands full of sin?

When this happens, what should we do? The answer is in the same verse: Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

Confess your sins, not only before God, but also before people. Of course, we do not confess our sins to everyone, but to someone trustworthy and able to guide us in the right direction. Let us be right before God and others, so that the prayers we offer may have power and be effective.

2. Effective Because It Is Earnest

Have you ever prayed for dozens of minutes, yet the results were not optimal? One time, I grew sleepy and fell asleep while praying. I focused for a moment, then fell asleep again. I woke up, continued praying, and not long after fell asleep again.

This kind of prayer is not only ineffective, but also inefficient. How would you feel if someone asked you to listen to their heart, but every few minutes, they checked their social media account? You would probably say to yourself, “Is this person serious about opening up or not?”

The same is true of our 'heart-to-heart' with God. Pray earnestly, not while playing on your phone or lying around half-asleep. Give your best time to prayer, not when your eyes are barely open and your mind is wandering everywhere. In short, pray earnestly so that your prayer will be effective.

You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. I will let you find Me. – Jeremiah 29:13-14a  

3. Effective Because It Is Full of Faith

James 5:16 states, “The prayer of a righteous person, when prayed with conviction, has great power.”

In Mark 11:24 it is written, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

When you pray, is your heart filled with much doubt? When you have not yet prayed with full conviction, your prayer will be unlikely to produce results.

He could do no mighty work there, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. – Mark 6:5-6a 

This passage tells how Jesus could not do much in His hometown, Nazareth. The people of Nazareth questioned where He got the wisdom and power to perform miracles. “Isn't He the carpenter's son?” they said. Their unbelief kept Jesus from doing much there.

Our faith determines the effectiveness of our prayers. God wants us to pray as though we have already received it (Matthew 21:22), not with doubt or a question mark, “Will God hear? Will He answer?” Our doubt will keep Him from doing much in our lives.

5. Effective Because It Is Specific

Two blind men sitting by the roadside heard that Jesus was passing by, and they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Then Jesus stopped and called them. He said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They answered, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” – Matthew 20:30, 32-33 

Did Jesus ask that because He did not know why the two blind men were crying out to Him? Did He not know what they wanted from Him? Of course He knew. However, Jesus wanted them to express it specifically, and that is why He asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

God knows what we need and want. Yet God also wants us to bring those things before Him in prayer in detail.

Here are examples of specific prayers you can offer:

• asking for wisdom and understanding to truly understand His word
• asking for a life partner with specific criteria
• asking for character growth, such as patience, discipline, self-control, and so on.

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Pray in detail, because there are many things you can ask from God. Maximize the power of prayer in your life, and do not hesitate to express your desires to Him. When we ask specifically, God will answer specifically as well, so that we know that it is His answer to prayer.

Prayer is very powerful and mighty. If we feel that our prayers are producing nothing, reflect on this: is there something wrong with the way we pray? For our prayers to be effective, we need to be right before God, and to pray earnestly, with full conviction, and specifically. Let us personally experience how great the power of prayer is in our lives! Amen.

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References:

www.quotefancy.com/quote/852364/Leonard-Ravenhill-Prayer-is-not-a-preparation-for-the-battle-it-is-the-battle www.dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/effective www.revealedtruth.com/prayer/be-specific-when-you-pray/

Related Articles:

• How to Pray When It Feels Like God Is Not Listening?
• Maximize the Power of Prayer in Your Life
• Growing in Prayer Through the Lord's Prayer
• Ora et Labora: Begin Success with Prayer
• How Does God Answer Our Prayers?

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