"Holy and reverend is his name." Psalm 111:9(b).

"Before Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for sin, people were not permitted into God's presence (the Most Holy Place); now, all believers can freely approach God's throne through prayer and have the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives." - Life Application Bible, p. 1048.

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Ephesians 3:15.

"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand." Psalm 95: 6, 7.

"Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God?" Micah 6:6.

"And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; and he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart." 1 Kings 8:22, 23.

"Here the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle." Psalm 28:2.

"Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord; lift up thy hands toward him." Lamentations 2:19.

"I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." 1 Timothy 2:8.

"Besides being displeasing to God, it is difficult to pray when we have sinned or when we feel angry and resentful. That is why Jesus told us to interrupt worship, if necessary, to make peace with others (Matthew 5:23, 24). Our goal should be to have a right relationship with God and also with others." - Life Application Bible, p. 2128.

Quietly Wait For God's Answer

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." Psalm 62:6.

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him." Psalm 37:7.

Give God Adoration/Praise

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." Hebrews 13:15.

"Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." Psalm 150:6.

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." James 4:8.

"How can you draw close ('nigh') to God? James gives five suggestions. (1) Submit to God (4:7). Realize that you need his forgiveness, and be willing to follow him. (2) 'Resist the devil' (4:7). Don't allow him to entice and tempt you. (3) 'Cleanse your hands ... and purify your hearts' (that is, lead a pure life) (4:8). Be cleansed from sin, replacing it with God's purity. (4) Let there be tears, sorrow, and sincere grief for your sins (4:9). Don't be afraid to express deep heartfelt sorrow for them. (5) Humble yourself before God, and he will lift you up (4:10; 1 Peter 5:6)." - Life Application Bible, p. 2188.

"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God. and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7.

Proper Place For Prayer

One need not feel he has to be in a certain position, church setting, prayer meeting, family worship, et cetera to talk with his Creator God. Prayer may be lifted up to God anywhere and any time. For example: God heard Jonah's prayer while he was in the fish's belly (Jonah 2:1-9); and responded by bringing him deliverance; and God answered Job's prayers while he was in one dilemma after another (Book of Job).

The Importance Of Prayer

"And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." Luke 18:1.

"To persist in prayer until the answer comes does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Always praying means keeping our requests constantly before God as we live for him day by day, always believing he will answer. When we thus live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay answering, but his delays always have good reasons. As we persist in prayer we grow in character, faith, and hope." - Life Application Bible, p. 1765.

"And it came to pass in those days, that he [Jesus Christ] went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." Luke 6:12.

"The Gospel writers note that before every important event in Jesus' life, he took time to go off by himself and pray. This time he was preparing to choose his inner circle, the 12 disciples. Make sure that all important decisions in your life are grounded in prayer." - Life Application Bible, p. 1725.

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet [secret place], and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6:6.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Matthew 7:7-11.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6.

" 'Be careful for nothing' means don't worry. Imagine never worrying about anything! It seems like an impossibility - we all have worries on the job, in our homes, at school. But Paul's advice is to turn your worries into prayers. Do you want to worry less? Then pray more! Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray." - Life Application Bible, p. 2091.

"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." Acts 6:4.

Sin Hinders Prayer

"And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood." Isaiah 1:15.

"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." Proverbs 28:9.

"God does not listen to our prayers if we intend to go back to our sin as soon as we get off our knees. If we want to forsake our sin and follow him, however, he willingly listens - no matter how bad our sin has been. What closes his ears is not the depth of our sin, but our secret intention to do it again." - Life Application Bible, p. 1121.

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear, for your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness." Isaiah 59:1-3.

"Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." 1 Peter 3:7.

"But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Mark 1:26.

Pray In Faith

"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:25.

"Ah Lord God! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." Jeremiah 32:17.

"And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Matthew 13:58.

"Jesus did few miracles in his hometown 'because of their unbelief.' Lack of faith blinds people to the truth and robs them of hope. These people missed the Messiah. How does your faith measure up? If you can't see God work in your life, perhaps it is because of your unbelief. Believe, ask God for a 'mighty work' in your life, and expect him to act. Look with the eyes of faith." - Life Application Bible, p. 1591.

Pray In Jesus' Name

"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." John 14:13, 14.

"For through him [Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." Ephesians 2:18.

Pray With Boldness

"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." Hebrews 4:15, 16.

"Jesus is like us because he experienced a full range of temptations as a human being throughout his life. We can be comforted that he faced temptation so he can sympathize with us, and we can be inspired that he faced temptation without the desire to sin. He shows us that we do not have to sin when facing the seductive lure of temptation. Jesus is the only human being who has ever lived without committing sin. Now in heaven, he completely understands our weaknesses, so he can give us strength to overcome and forgiveness should we fail. Prayer is our approach to God, and we are to come 'boldly unto the throne of grace.' Some Christians approach God meekly with heads hung, afraid to ask him to meet their needs. Others pray flippantly with little thought. Come with reverence, for he is your King, but come with bold assurance, for he is your Friend and Counselor." - Life Application Bible, p. 2162.

Make Specific Requests

"And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God." Luke 18:38-43.

Example Of Christ

"And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed." Matthew 26:39.

Immediately

"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24.

Delayed

"And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?" Luke 18:7

Different Than Expected

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:8, 9.

"Although God did not remove Paul's physical affliction, he promised to demonstrate his power in Paul. The fact that God's power shows up in weak people should give us courage. If we recognize our limitations, we will not congratulate ourselves. Instead, we will turn to God to seek pathways for effectiveness. We must rely on God for our effectiveness rather than on simple energy, effort, or talent. Our weakness not only helps develop Christian character; it also deepens our worship, for in admitting our weakness, we affirm God's strength." - Life Application Bible, p. 2046.

More Than Expected

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3.

"God is ready to answer our prayers but we must ask for his assistance. Surely he could take care of our needs without our asking. But when we ask, we are acknowledging that he alone is God and that we cannot accomplish in our own strength all that is his domain to do. When we ask, we must humble ourselves, lay aside our willfulness and worry, and determine to obey him." - Life Application Bible, p. 1286.

Forgiveness Of Sins

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Matthew 6:12.

"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." Mark 1:25.

The Holy Spirit

"How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Luke 11:13.

Deliverance From Evil

"Deliver us from evil." Matthew 6:13.

"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." John 17:15.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13.

"In a culture filled with moral depravity and pressures, Paul gave strong encouragement to the Corinthians about temptation. He said: (1) wrong desires and temptations happen to everyone, so don't feel you've been singled out; (2) others have resisted temptation, and so can you; (3) any temptation can be resisted, because God will help you resist it. God helps you resist temptation by helping you (1) recognize those people and situations that give you trouble, (2) run from anything you know is wrong, (3) choose to do only what is right, (4) pray for God's help, and (5) seek friends, who love God and can offer help when you are tempted. Running from a tempting situation is your first step to victory (see 2 Timothy 2:22)." - Life Application Bible, p. 2012.

"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations." 2 Peter 2:9.

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." James 1:12.

Health

"And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee." Exodus 23:25.

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." 2 John 1:2.

"And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him. Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole,and took up his bed, and walked." John 5:5-9

"After 38 years, this man's problem had become a way of life. No one had ever helped him. He had no hope of ever being healed and no desire to help himself. His situation looked hopeless. But no matter how trapped you feel in your infirmities, God can minister to your deepest needs. Don't let a problem or hardship cause you to lose hope. God may have special work for you to do in spite of your condition, or even because of it. Many have ministered effectively to hurting people because they have triumphed over their own hurts." - Life Application Bible, p. 1808.

Guidance

"I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Psalm 16:7.

"It is human nature to make our own plans and then ask God to bless them. Instead, we should seek God's will first. By constantly thinking about the Lord and his way of living, we will gain insights that will help us make right decisions and live the way God desires. By communicating with him, we allow him to counsel us and give us wisdom." - Life Application Bible, p. 963.

Protection

"He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." Psalm 112:7.

All Believers/Saints

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplications for all saints." Ephesians 6:18.

"Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you." 1 Samuel 12:23.

Gospel Workers

"Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf." 2 Corinthians 1:11.

"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." Matthew 9:38.

All Peoples/Rulers/Governments

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." 1 Timothy 2:1, 2.

"Although God is all-powerful and all-knowing, he has chosen to let us help him change the world through our prayers. How this works is a mystery to us because of our limited understanding, but it is a reality. Paul urges us to pray for each other and for our leaders in government. Our earnest prayers will have powerful results (James 5:16)." - Life Application Bible, p. 2126.

"He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire." Psalm 46:9.

Salvation Of Heathen

"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25.

Enemies

"Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." Luke 6:29.

"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do...." Luke 23:33, 34.

"And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace." Jeremiah 29:7.

Ponder This - Not Only Deeply, But High, Broad, And Wide As Well

God's Sovereignty Is:

• Unmoveably Sound
• Prime Cause
• Prime Effect
• Prime Resource
• Prime Mover
• Prime Example Through Christ

John's Gospel (chapter 17) is the Lord's Genuine Prayer (as all others pale and fade beside it), Himself Being both Substance (what) and Essence (why).

His Substance (what) and Essence (why) is available to every mature believer-priest all the unceasing time (when) among all circumstances (where).

And (how) the believer-priest prays as receiving all things in Christ Jesus is found in Doctor Luke's recordings of his Gospel of Christ (chapter 11) as man-made and commonly called "The Lord's Prayer", when throughout it Jesus put Himself into their stead - as learning to pray after the likeness - to pray for themselves likewisedly.

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." Psalm 5:3.

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." Psalm 55:17.

For Further Study

An Atheist Discovers The Power Of Prayer

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Copyright 2008 Christianist Libertarian Fellowship. This article may be printed in its entirety for personal study and free distribution. Please include the following statement: "Permission granted by Christianist Libertarian Fellowship for Free Distribution Only - Never To Be Sold".