A Christian Guide on How to Pray with Purpose According to the Bible
- Kevin Leon
- Dec 6, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 6, 2023
Prayer is essential in our relationship with God. Different variations of the word used to describe prayer occur hundreds of times in the Bible. Though there are many ways and reasons to pray, this post will focus on how to pray according to Jesus and what the Scriptures mention regarding prayer.
How can we pray with purpose?
Thankfully, Jesus gave us a model and foundation on how we should pray. We can use and apply it to whatever area we need to pray in. An effective prayer contains at least these seven elements: Praise, Thanksgiving, The desire for God's will to be done, The substance of the prayer/provision (what you're actually asking God for), Asking God for forgiveness, Asking for deliverance, and Acknowledgment of God's authority.
The Model Prayer
This is what Jesus taught His disciples regarding how we should pray:
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
The seven elements of an effective and purposeful prayer come from this model provided to us by Jesus.
Praise and Thanksgiving
At the beginning of Jesus' model prayer, He addresses God as "Our Father in heaven" and praises His name (Hallowed be Your name). Some definitions and descriptions of the word "Hallowed" are Holy, Consecrated, Revered, and Honored.
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
There are so many things we have to be thankful and grateful for. Ultimately, all good things come from God (James 1:17 NIV). So of course it's only natural as we begin to speak God in prayer that we start by giving Him praise & thanks for all that He's done and all that He's doing in our lives!
The Desire for God's Will
Jesus understood very well what God's (the Father) character is like. He knows it is wise to put our hope in God because He is trustworthy. Asking God for His will to be done over our lives becomes much easier when we understand who God is. In fact, one of the first things God revealed to Moses about Himself was not His power, capabilities, and knowledge, but rather His character.
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 20:6 NIV 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Romans 8:28 NIV 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Once you understand that God loves you & desires your good, it becomes much easier to ask for His will to be done. It still may make you nervous at first but it should also bring you peace and comfort.
Provision
This is the purpose, the meat and potatoes of your prayer. What is it that you're actually asking God for? Some examples that you may pray about are:
For your family; parents, siblings, spouse, kids (salvation, well-being, etc)
A major life decision; where to go to school, a decision to move, new job opportunity
Improved health or healing if you or a loved one becomes sick
For your finances; the ability to pay your rent, buy groceries, and cover bills
For patience, strength, or peace at your job
For your enemies (As Jesus calls us to love our enemies)
Feeling and experiencing more of God's love and presence
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7 NLT 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Present everything to God and pray to Him often. He cares for you so whatever it may be that is on your mind, speak to God about it. The best advice I can ever give to anyone is to pray about it!
Asking God for Forgiveness
Asking God to forgive me of my sins is something that I do in every single one of my prayers. That may seem excessive to some but that's just what I do. Even if I'm praying in public or in a group setting like at church, I'll still do a quick private prayer that includes asking for forgiveness before I go up and pray. I'll especially ask God for the forgiveness of my sins in prayer if I'm going to pray for someone else just to make sure I'm in good standing and not in any spiritual state that is going to hinder the prayer request during intercession.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
While we live in this broken & fallen world, we will continue to sin. That is by NO MEANS an excuse to keep on sinning.
However, we should recognize that we need Jesus. Every. Single. Day. Romans 12:2 NIV 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The renewing of your mind is a continual process. Sanctification does not happen overnight and so we need to pray that Jesus moves and works in our lives daily so we can become more and more like Him.
Asking God for Deliverance
God is our deliverer. In Jesus' example prayer, He showed us that we should ask God the Father for deliverance from the evil one. Not only can God deliver us from the devil but He also delivers us from our troubles.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
There is nothing that is too great for our God. Jesus shows us that we should pray to be led away from temptation and delivered from the evil one. This is something we should not neglect to pray about. Whatever trouble we find ourselves in, God is greater & we should lean on Him and rely on Him to get us through it.
Acknowledgment of God's Authority
The ending of Jesus' example prayer recognizes God's supreme and sovereign authority. He ends by saying "Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever". To God belongs all the glory and all of the honor as He reigns over all things.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
When you acknowledge God's authority over creation, you are recognizing that He has the authority and power to answer your prayer according to His riches and glory. If you don't recognize God is able to change anything or able to answer your prayer, then what is the purpose of praying in the first place? Do you think if He made the Heavens and the Earth, He can't answer your prayer? He is where our help comes from. Trust in Him.
Conclusion: Praying from the heart
The outline given to us by Jesus for prayer is a good example. That is why He says we should pray like this. However, that is not to say that God won't hear us unless we pray like that. Also, if we only ever pray the Lord's prayer - there is nothing wrong with that either. The Lord's prayer is comprehensive and well-encompassing.
The beautiful thing is that when we pray, even if we don't have the words to say, God still sees our hearts.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
I've had my fair share of moments when I didn't have the words to say in a prayer. There were times when all I could manage was to cry out to God. Even though I didn't know how to speak beautifully to God and pray in the format that Jesus talked about, He still heard me, He saw my tears, He saw my heart & my prayers were heard as the Spirit interceded for me. When we pray with pure hearts, God hears us & I promise you that He will hear you too.
I hope this post has blessed you and as always, what I have to say is nowhere near as important as what God has to say. So I'd like to leave you off with a word from Him.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Take the time to say a prayer to your Father in Heaven who loves you & stay holy!
Comments