8 Keys to an Effective Prayer Life

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I do not know anyone who has mastered the art of prayer, nor do I know anyone who feels like they pray enough. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many times a day we should pray, nor does it instruct us on how many minutes or hours per day is the required amount in order to hear God’s voice, or see God move mountains on our behalf. The purpose behind this article is to encourage you to simply do your best to spend that alone time with God, talking and listening. 

The inspiration behind this article came from a conversation with a young mom I had the privilege of leading to the Lord, and was eager to begin her new journey with Jesus, but was unsure of how to pray to God.

Below are some of the simple suggestions and practices that I gave to her that day. I list them as suggestions for the fact that prayer is a personal thing between you and God, and just like I wouldn’t want someone to ever tell my son how he should talk to me, I too am hesitant to give instruction to you on how to talk to our Heavenly Father.

However, I do know that there are certain things that help facilitate a more productive and meaningful time of prayer for us. These are a few ideas that have helped me be more purposeful in my prayer time with our Heavenly Father.
 
1. Be CONFIDENT that God is with you (Matthew 6:6)

The Bible tells us, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him. For whoever comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). It is crucial that we know and believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is there with us when we pray. Wavering in this area can be a hindrance to experiencing a fruitful prayer life.

What I have done to help battle those moments of unbelief is this; I like to recite Matthew 6:6 each time before I pray. This might sound like rote religion to some, but for me it is not. It is a sincere affirmation in my heart and mind, that what Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:6 is true every time.

Jesus tells us, "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in Secret will reward you openly" (Matthew 6:6). 

Jesus gives us assurance that God is waiting for us in the secret, and wants to commune with us through intimate prayer. Jesus goes onto say, "For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:8). Jesus also assures us that our Father in heaven knows what we have need of before we ever ask Him, and therefore we can have confidence knowing that if it is in His will, and in His timing, our requests will be answered.


2. Be Confident that God will give you GRACE AND MERCY (Hebrews 4:15-16)
 
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:15-16, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
 
Share your struggles and fears with Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Share your hopes and dreams, because more than likely, He is the one who placed them in your heart (Psalm 37:4). And most importantly share your desire with God to know Him more and to be pleasing to Him in life (Matthew 6:33).
 
This is such an important aspect to our prayer life. God wants us to be real with Him. Remember that He is Your Heavenly Father who loves you. In fact, it may be hard to believe at times, but He loves you more than you love your kids. And He also loves you more than your kids love you! That is a huge love!
 

3. Be Confident that God LISTENS (1 John 5:14-15)

The Bible tells us in 1 John 5:14-16, “And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for.”

This gets back to Hebrews 11:6, and the importance that faith plays in our relationship with God. Not only does faith enable us to be made right with God (Ephesians 2:8-9), and to be rewarded by God (Hebrews 11:6), it also enables us to communicate effectively with God (1 John 5:14-15).


This next one is easier said that done, but it gets results!

 4. Pray about EVERYTHING (Philippians 4:6)
 
The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” 

The Bible gives us the cure for an anxious, worry-filled heart... it’s prayer! The Bible tells us to pray about “everything” in our lives, and a key to getting results, is to do so with a thankful heart. This is a lot easier said than done!

 
5. Pray for ANYTHING (Mark 11:24)
 
Jesus tells us in Mark 11:24, “You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it.” Once again, we see that faith is crucial to our prayer life. In order to see God move in and through our prayer life, we have to exercise faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). God is not concerned with how eloquent our words are in prayer, just how big our faith in Him is (Mark 11:24).
 
 
6. Pray FERVENTLY (James 5:16)
 
The Bible tells us in James 5:16, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.”

The Bible tells us that as we pray earnestly, and with a right heart and right motives, that it will give us great power in our prayer life. Again, in addition to our “earnestness” in prayer, we must also infuse great faith.

 
7. Learn to LISTEN TO GOD
 
There will come a time, for some sooner than others, when you will be able to recognize God speaking to your heart (1 Kings 19:12). Of course, if you ever hear God in this manner, you will want to make sure that it is in line with the Word of God, as He will never contradict Himself, nor will He ever lead you away from God’s Word (cf. 1 John 4:1). 

Another thing to remember in prayer is that when you are listening to God, He may put someone on your heart: a friend, co-worker, neighbor, family member, etc. When this happens take the time to pray for that person, because there is a good chance that it is the Holy Spirit putting that person on your heart because they need prayer. 

At first it may be harder for you to talk as well as listen to Him, because prayer might be something new for you. But don’t let that discourage you, or intimidate you. You can look at it this way. In the same way that parents have to be patient for their children to learn to say their first words, and then their first sentences, and then have conversations, so too does God understand that about us. And just like with most parents come to a point where they believe their kids should talk a lot less, and listen to them a lot more, so too will your prayer life get to that point with God one day as well. Sometimes the prayer "experts" spend more time talking to God than they do listening.

 
8. Prayer is a POWERFUL WEAPON (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.”

Here we read that our prayers are weapons that the God of heaven uses to impact the world around us. Our prayers can influence kings and all who are in authority! Our prayers can change the outcome of events, that are in our favor, and make for our peace.

Wow! If we really stop to ponder the ramification of this biblical truth, it is overwhelming to think about how much we can truly be used by God to change the circumstances of life for others in a positive and heavenly way. When God commands us to pray for “all who are in authority” there is an implied power to influence the decisions of men and events.

In conclusion, these are just some of the things to consider when approaching God in prayer. I hope this helps you draw ever closer to our amazing God, who is always wooing us into that special time alone with Him, where we can block the world out, and communicate with the God of all creation.
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