12 Keys to Effective Prayer

Pray According to God’s Will

1 John 5:14–15 NASB95

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

We know that when we pray for something in the will of God that it will come to fruition. How do we know what God’s will is? There are several factors that show us the will of God. First is the Scripture. When we pray the principles of Scripture into our situations we know we are asking according to the will of God. When we study and are familiar with the scripture, it substantially affects our prayer life. Jesus says in John 15:7

John 15:7 NASB95

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

The word of God must abide in us and the Lord will answer our prayers as we pray accordingly.

But what about those situations in life where the Bible does not give a clear command? In these situation one must appropriate their understanding of the general principles of scripture. For example, If a person is contemplating a career and don’t know which direction to go, There are guidelines to help. Should they pursue selling drugs on the street to get rich? I think you get the picture. As you pray the Lord will reveal His will by opening your eyes to your talents and will also open doors of opportunity to use those talents. As these things become more obvious, your prayers will become more specific.

However there will be times where we are oblivious to God’s will and may have to resort to saying, “if it is your will.” This should be used sparingly and only when we have no clue what God’s will is in the situation. In an instance like this we should be obedient to James 1:5-8

James 1:5–8 NASB95

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Pray With Faith

Mark 11:24 NASB95

“Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

To pray with faith means when you ask the Lord for something, you should expect the Lord to act on what you asked for. Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:1 NASB95

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

This is not just wishful thinking, but a trust and dependence on God to grant what you have asked for. It is trusting in God.

Be Obedient

Psalm 66:18 (NASB95)

If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;

Proverbs 28:9 (NASB95)

He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

Because prayer is relational, any violation of God’s command affects our prayers. When we are disobedient to the commands of God, then He is less likely to listen to our prayers. He is more interested in our relationship than He is answering our prayers. 1 John 3:21-22

1 John 3:21–22 NASB95

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

Our obedience to God affects our prayer life.

Confession of Sin

1 John 1:9 NASB95

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confession of in cleanses the heart and soul. It restores the relationship. Matthew 6:12

Matthew 6:12 NASB95

‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

A restored relationship with God enhances our trust in God.

Forgiving Others

Matthew 6:14–15 NASB95

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

If we have sinned against God by not forgiving others we grieve the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30

Ephesians 4:30 NASB95

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Forgiving others helps our relationship with the Father because it demonstrates that we are doing what the Lord has done for us.

Humility

James 4:6 NASB95

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:10 NASB95

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

When we come humbly before the Lord, he hears our prayers. The quintessential illustration is Luke 18:11-14

Luke 18:11–14 NASB95

“The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Persistent Prayer

God does not work on our timetable. He works on His. There may be times where you have to pray for several years for something. Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1–8 NASB95

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

There are times where we may have to repeat our prayers over a long period of prayer.

Pray Earnestly

When we pray we must pray from the heart. We cannot pray flippantly. We cannot generate emotions that are not consistent with our hearts. This is just drama. When we are sincere about prayer our hearts are in line with our prayer. God responds to heartfelt prayers.

Wait For the Lord In Prayer

Psalm 130:5–6 (NASB95)

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

This is perhaps one of the hardest things to do in prayer. The longer we wait the more sincere our prayers become. When we wait on the Lord we demonstrate faith in the Lord.

Pray in Private

Matthew 6:6 NASB95

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

It is in the privacy of your prayer closet that you can be totally transparent and honest with God. By doing so, you are demonstrating your trust and faith in Christ as Lord of your life. God already knows everything about you. He wants to see you demonstrate your faith in your private prayers.

Praying with Others

Matthew 18:19–20 NASB95

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

There is something to be said for gathering together for the purpose of prayer. Gathering with kindred hearts and petitioning the Lord together invokes the presence of the Lord. He is near to the group that prays to Him.

Fasting

Luke 2:37 NASB95

and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.

Adding fasting to your prayer adds 5 things that add to our relationship to God

Increases our humility and dependence on God

Our hunger and fatigue remind us that we need the Lord

Gives more attention to Prayer

We sacrifice personal comfort to spend time with the Lord

Fasting is a form of self-discipline

Fasting creates a higher spiritual awareness