Title: How to Pray
Text/ Mark 11:22-25
There is no doctrinal rule for <praying>. But the prayers of the ancestors of faith in the Bible Moses' prayer, Joshua's prayer, Samuel's prayer, David's prayer, Solomon's prayer, Hannah's prayer, Hezekiah's prayer, Stephen's prayer, the Psalms and our Lord If you look at the prayer of , you can see that there are several streams in prayer besides <Praying for what I hope for and want>. Its flow is roughly divided into five branches: praise, repentance, thanksgiving, supplication, and the name of Jesus.
I believe that if we realize this flow and pray when we pray, our prayers will deepen, expand, and grow into sincere prayer. The great German philosopher Immanuel Kant once said, "Form without content is meaningless, and content without form is chaotic". God is said to be a God of order. It is undesirable to say one word and another in prayer and then repeat it in an orderly and chaotic manner. So how do we pray? I think it's very important to look at the big flow of prayer.
2. The Big Flow of Prayer Five Streams - Forms of Prayer
First, we must praise God first. When we begin to pray, praising God reminds us of God's power and omnipotence, gives us confidence to whom we are praying now, and creates a heart to offer reverence and holy worship. The Psalms are a book of prayer. Open the psalm anywhere with your eyes closed.
Then, at the beginning of it, praise God with <Bless the Lord, my soul>, <Lord God, you are exceedingly great, and you are clothed with majesty and authority>, <The Lord is my shepherd>, etc. You will be able to find it. The first step in prayer is to call and praise the one who hears our prayers first.
Second, we must confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. You cannot pray full of sin. <The LORD's hand is not short, that it cannot save, nor 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, so that he cannot hear. Isaiah 59:1- 2 >, <If I harbor iniquity in my heart, you will not hear me, Psalm 66:18 >. Only when your heart is pure can you communicate with God. Therefore, we must confess our sins that stand between us and God, repent and receive the grace of washing away our sins by the blood of Jesus.
Third, we should be grateful for the grace you have given us. God hates those who do not give thanks. Only 1 in 10 people who were cured of leprosy gave thanks. The Lord rebuked the other nine who were not thankful. God delights in giving light to those who give thanks for the candle, moonlight to those who appreciate the light, sunlight to those who thank the moon, and eternal light to those who are grateful for the sunlight. How shameless is a person who only receives and doesn't appreciate it and keeps asking for it? The prayers of such a person are unacceptable.
Fourth, to ask for our needs and desires. This prayer is the very prayer that needs no further explanation. It is the prayer we know best. However, there is something to be aware of here. Do we pray without any doubt believing that it will come true when we ask for it? is a problem. If you look at the cases of those who received answers to their prayers in the Bible, there is one clear thing in common: their prayers were all clear, concise, and earnest. It wasn't the eagle's prayer. It was a clear and earnest request such as <Give me a son>, <I miss you>, <Heal me>, and <Give me water>.
Fifth, we must pray in the name of Jesus. Jesus said to ask in my name. No matter how earnest a prayer is, praying without the name of Jesus is like hitting the air. Jesus said, ask anything in my name, and it will be done to you. However, this statement should not be misunderstood. This is because the saying that we must pray in the name of Jesus means to pray in the name of Jesus. It is not possible to ask for evil and unclean things in the name of Jesus. Therefore, our prayers should be essentially free supplications in our faith and conscience.
3. The heart of a person who prays
There are no answers to prayers to be shown to people, to babble prayers, to prayers without faith, or to formal prayers. Only prayers that do not give up and persevere, the prayers of the Yabbok River, the prayers of Hannah, the prayers of earnest cry, the prayers of faith and unquestioning are answered. Whatever you pray for and ask for, believe that you have received it! It will be done for you!