What’s the Most Effective Way to Pray?
There have been numerous books and sermons that have been published that claim to teach us how to pray. Some stipulate that we need more faith. Others say that we must follow a certain formula. Prayer is God’s designated way for us to communicate and speak with Him. He did not design it to be complicated or convoluted, but instead it ought to be simple and sincere.
So how should we pray? Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan, founder of the international ministry Gospel for Asia (GFA), shares some tips that have aided him throughout his 40 plus years of serving that have been instrumental in establishing an unshakeable prayer life.
3 Ways to Pray
Pray with absolute confidence that God is on our side
As we set out to pray, oftentimes we approach God with doubts about our own standing before Him. Sometimes we feel like we have failed one time too many. We may feel dirty and sinful, not good enough to approach the throne of God. While these feelings feel founded on truth, in fact, they cannot be farther from the truth. The truth is that we are redeemed children of God, washed clean by the blood of Christ, and we have every right to come before our Father.
Dr. KP Yohannan shares how he overcomes feeling of self doubt and inadequacy:
Rather, we stand before the Lord pure, transparent and righteous because it is a gift He has given us through His Son. It is not something we can earn. He answers prayer not based on how great or mighty or holy we are. No. It is His grace.
Pray with a thankful heart
When we approach the throne of grace, it is important that we grasp all that God has done for us and does for us. Praising and giving thanks allows our heart to be situated in the right place as we pray and communicate with God. According to Dr. KP Yohannan, this gives us the opportunity to “Look forward also to see what the Lord has promised to do and thank Him in advance for what He will do.” This gives us the opportunity to anticipate God’s goodness and grows our faith as we look forward to His answer to our prayers.
Pray with the Holy Spirit
In Romans 8, we’re given the promise that “…the Spirit Himself makes intercession [g]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Let’s rejoice in that! Sometimes we can be at a loss as to what to pray for, but the Holy Spirit has been given to us to ensure that the burdens of our heart is expressed to the Lord.
Just…pray!
We don’t need to be ultra-spiritual or need extra assistance! We are free to speak to our loving Father and Creator because we are his Children. This is the final piece of advice from Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan.
Prayer need not be an activity we engage in for only an hour each morning. Rather, let us live in the atmosphere of prayer, our hearts continually being lifted up in prayer to Him.