Prayer has always been something I’ve struggled with. As a Christian I feel the desire to have a healthy prayer life with God but most often, this is something that falls through the cracks of my busy day-to-day life. One of my resolutions for 2020 is to spend more time in prayer, which is why I chose to spend some time learning how to pray consistently and effectively.
PRAISE: The First Step in Effective Prayer
The author in this devotional series uses the acronym P-R-A-Y to help us remember four tips to an effective and consistent prayer life. The first letter, P, stands for Praise. Often we may find ourselves with so much to pray for but so unsure how to begin our prayer. Using this acronym reminds us that when we want to come before God, we should begin with praise and Thanksgiving. Psalm 100:4 tells us, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.”
REPENT: The Second Step in Effective Prayer
Who likes to admit when they’ve done something wrong? I know I don’t. The second letter in the acronym P-R-A-Y stands for Repent. When we pray, we want to bring everything to the table before the Lord. Confessing our sins, both known and unknown can be one of the hardest parts of prayer. But David shows us in Psalm 19:12-13 that acknowledging our wrongdoings and even asking God to show us the sins we are unaware of that we commit only helps us draw nearer to God. David writes, “But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.”
ASK: The Third Step in Effective Prayer
Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
How fitting it is that after we’ve finished praising the Lord, and repenting of our sins that the table clears and the door opens for us to submit our requests before God. For me personally, this step has hit home the most. When I think of my prayer life, it consists mostly of this step. “Lord, please help me pass this test.” “Lord, please keep me safe during my travels.” “Lord, bless my efforts *insert whatever it is I may be doing*.” I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t need help in the asking department. As I continue to work on my prayer life, I will be sure to try and focus and emphasize steps 1 & 2.
The Conditions for Answered Prayer
In yesterday’s devotions, we discussed asking in prayer. Today, we take a deeper dive into how Jesus instructs us to ask in prayer, using some words He gave to the disciples. He tells us our prayer requests should follow three conditions:
- Our requests must glorify God.
- Our requests must be consistent and in harmony with His word.
- Our requests must bring us joy.
I challenge you to open up to the book of John and take a read through chapters 14-17 as Jesus instructs the disciples on the topic of prayer, as well as prays before He’s arrested on that last night before his crucifixion.
YIELD: The Fourth Step in Effective Prayer
Our final letter in the prayer acronym stands for the word: Yield. Now if you’re like me, you’re asking yourself, “How in the world do I yield to God in prayer?” So often I get caught up in the asking of prayer that I forget to simply listen.
A few weeks ago my pastor, Pastor Ben Sadler, and Victory of the Lamb gave us an awesome message about prayer habits and why it might be good to stop folding our hands during prayer. Instead, he told about how we should open our hands for the Lord and be prepared to receive with open hands and open hearts what He’s giving us. As I strive to enhance my prayer life, I’ll be using this Y as a constant reminder to take a moment during prayer to listen to what God is telling me and be ready to receive it.
As a short recap, here’s our acronym for a guide to an effective prayer life:
Praise – begin each prayer by praising and thanking the Lord for His eternal love and mercy
Repent – lay everything out on the table with the Lord, even asking God to show us our sins that we’re not aware we’ve committed
Ask – submit our requests before the Lord
Yield – stop, and take a minute to listen to God in prayer, come to Him with an open heart, ready to receive what He has in store for you.
