HOW TO PRAY
Luke 11:2-4 (KJV)
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.
I learned that formula for prayer very early on in my Christian life but, to be honest, never gave it a ton of thought.
I believe it is natural and proper to speak to each of the Persons of the Godhead. They are, all three, after all, Persons.
So I decided to do a bit of investigation for my personal benefit.
I am going to share what I learned with you tonight.
Is there anything to this formula I was taught so long ago that we pray:
• To the Father
• In the name of Jesus and
• In the power of the Holy Spirit
Let’s take a look.
I. PRAY TO THE FATHER
The place to begin, I would say is with Luke 11:1-2 (KJV)
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
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.
The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and, in response Jesus said, “When ye pray, say. Our Father….”
He taught them to pray to the Father.
• He did not teach them to pray, “Dear Lord.”
• He did not teach them to pray, “Dear Jesus.”
It’s not a trivial thing that Jesus taught them to pray to the Father.
A. Jesus Himself prayed to the Father did He not?
• He did not pray to Himself
• Neither did He pray to the Holy Ghost
Jesus Prayed to His Heavenly Father.
B. Jesus said that when we pray, it is the Father who answers
Matthew 18:19 (KJV)
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
C. The Apostle Paul prayed to God the Father
Ephesians 1:16-17 (KJV)
Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
This makes sense because
C. He has unlimited riches
Philippians 4:19 (KJV)
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Notice that we receive those riches by Christ Jesus, but they are God the Father’s.
It is Scriptural then to pray to the Father.
II. PRAY IN THE NAME OF JESUS
John 14:13-14 (KJV)
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
It is certainly Biblical to end our prayers with those words, “in Jesus’ name” but the lesson is much deeper than that.
A. Jesus is the One who opens the way to prayer
Hebrews 4:15-16 (KJV)
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
B. Praying in Jesus’ name is praying for things Jesus wants
There would be a big difference in Zach asking his mother for another piece of pie and Zach telling his mother that his dad wants a piece of pie, wouldn’t there be?
C. Praying in Jesus’ name is resting our prayers on His care
Since it is His honor that we are most concerned about in our prayer then, when we pray in Jesus name, we are happy with whatever answer brings honor to Him.
Pray
• To the Father
• In the name of Jesus
And pray
III. IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Acts 1:4 (KJV)
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The Holy Spirit of God empowers us in a number of ways:
• He empowers our witness
• He empowers our turning from sin
• He empowers our understanding of the Word of God
One of the most important things He does is that He empowers our prayer life.
Romans 8:26-27 (KJV)
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.
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
That brings me to James 5:14-16 (KJV)
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess 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.
There are a few things to keep in consideration:
A. This is especially associated with praying for the sick.
There is likely fewer times in our lives when we have motivation for fervent prayer than for a sick loved one. It is both proper and Biblical for us to pray for the ill and to do so with fervency.
B. I do not believe it only applies to prayer for the sick
Because the example given to prove it has to do with praying for rain, not healing of the sick.
C. The Greek word that is translated "effectual fervent" is just one word.
The Anglicized version of the word is, "energized."
In other words, the energized prayer of a righteous man avails much.
The question arises, "Where does the fervency of this prayer originate?" and the obvious biblical answer is, "From the Holy Spirit."
Effectual fervent praying is not my getting worked up in prayer.
Effectual fervent praying is my praying in the power and in the anointing of God's Holy Spirit.
This prayer would be
• Biblically based,
• Led of the Spirit of God and would,
• In fact, avail much.
Conclusion
The key to an effective prayer life is not how hard we work at it but praying as the Word of God teaches us to do it:
• To the Father
• In the name of Jesus and
• In the power of the Holy Spirit