Prayer: the basics, the purpose and examples we can follow

Prayer is an important aspect in the Christian faith as it is with most other religions. Prayer is the communication process to talk to God. It is our direct access to Him as we seek His guidance, His revelation, and provision for our needs and desires. He wants us to communicate with Him. He wants us to come to Him with all our fears, needs, wants and desires. Examples of prayers are found throughout the Old and New Testaments. People make prayer very complicated, but it is truly very simple. Prayer is like talking with your best friend. Just talk. There’s no formula, no right or wrong, just talk and let God know what is on our minds and hearts. What are the basics of prayer? What are examples of prayers in the Bible and how can we use them for our own prayers? What did Jesus teach about prayer?

Many people struggle with what to say in prayer. First, seek forgiveness of your sins. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”  Second, tell God about our needs and fears. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Many of my prayers start with speaking to God about my fears and anxiety. Third, pray for each other. In John 17, Jesus prayed. He prayed for himself (verses 1-5) and the completion of his mission on Earth. He prayed for his disciples (verses 6-19). He prayed for you and me (verses 20-25) and that we would be an example of God so that the world would believe (verse 21).  Lastly, thank God for sending His Son Jesus Christ as John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Many people also struggle with how to pray. First, pray with confidence. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to “approach the throne of grace with confidence.” Second, pray with joy. Acts 2:28, Peter quotes David (Psalm 16:11), “you will fill me with joy in your presence.” Third, pray with expectation. Psalm 5:3 says “In the morning, O Lord. You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Fourth, pray with faith. Hebrews 11: 6 says “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Lastly, pray in worship and reverence. Psalm 99:5 says “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.”

There are many examples of prayers in the Bible. When you look at the reasons for their prayers, you can see that they prayed for the same reasons we do. Hannah prayed for a son (1 Samuel 1:11) and she prayed in gratitude when her son was born (1 Samuel 2:1-10). David prayed for guidance (1 Samuel 23:2), for revelation (1 Samuel 23:2) and for forgiveness (2 Samuel 24:10). Solomon prayed for wisdom (1 Kings 3:6-9) and Elijah prayed for fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:36-37). For me, Job’s prayers are some of the most relatable because Job went through trials in his life he didn’t deserve. He turned to God in grief. Job 1:20-22, he prayed in worship, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Despite his intense grief, Job recognized the Lord’s sovereignty. He prayed to compliant and seek relief and forgiveness (Job 7:17-21, 9:25-10:22, 14:13-22). He prayed to confess. In Job 40:3-5, Job answered the Lord, “I am unworthy- how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer- twice, but I will say no more.” He prayed in repentance. In Job 42:1-6, Job says he knows that God can do all things and that Job spoke of things he did not understand. With Job’s example, we can come to God with anything. We can question him “why?” We can rant and rave about the trials we are going through and trust that God will answer us. When we pray with requests, God always answers. Sometimes he says yes, and the request is fulfilled. Sometimes he says no, replying that his grace is enough (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sometimes he says not yet, and the fulfillment is delayed.

Another example of prayer is through Jesus. The Gospels gives many examples of when Jesus prayed, some of them I mentioned above. He taught how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15. He said to pray quietly and unseen (Matthew 6:6). He said to pray simply and directly, not to babble with many words (Matthew 6:7). Matthew 6:9-13 has been called The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” The Lord’s Prayer gives us a pattern to pray. First, praise God. “Our Father in heaven” not only acknowledges that God is holy but also personal and loving. It is a statement of praise and commitment to honor God’s holy name. Second, praying for his work in heaven and on earth. “Kingdom come,” his spiritual reign. “Your will be done,” is not a resignation to our fates but praying that God’s perfect purpose will be accomplished. Third, prayers for our daily needs. “Give us today our daily bread” acknowledges that God is our sustainer and provider. We trust God daily to provide what he knows we need. Fourth, we pray for forgiveness. “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors” is to remind us that when we seek forgiveness, we must also forgive those who hurt us. Lastly, prayers for help in our daily struggles. “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one” is a prayer for deliverance. God doesn’t lead us into temptation, but he allows us to be tested (Job is a great example). We ask God to help us recognize temptation and to give us the strength to overcome it.

In conclusion, the exact words of the prayers are not what is important. It is the motivation behind it. Prayers help us communicate with God. Prayers help us bring our thoughts, our troubles, our worries, our wants and desires to Him. And if it is in His will for your life, he will grant it right away or in the future. Prayer is to repent and seek forgiveness. Prayer is for comfort and strength. People may say that repeating certain prayers is how you pray and if you want to pray The Lord’s Prayer, that’s fine. However, remember it is not the words that matter to God, it is you coming to Him. Sometimes its hard to speak the words and pray. Sometimes, coming to him in silence with tears running down our face is prayer enough. Coming to Him in prayer with a simple “Please, Lord, help me” is enough.

“Your silent prayers uttered on tearstained pillows were heard before they were said.

Your deepest questions were answered before they were asked.

He sees you, He hears you, He knows you.”

-Max Lucado, God Came Near (1986)