Principles of Prayer

Call to Prayer

Title: Principles of Prayer

By: Simon Maina Nuhu

Date: 26.07.2024

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1).

Prayer is significant to a believer of Jesus Christ. Through the wholesome counsel of the Scriptures, we understand that there are two types of prayer. There is prayer with understanding and prayer in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:15). It is needful therefore to comprehend the two. Praying with understanding has to do with asking for our earthly needs and desires through our natural consciousness, mind and known language of the tongue. The prayer template our Lord taught the first disciples is a prayer with understanding (Matthew 6:9-15). With this prayer, we get the necessities of the flesh (Matthew 7:7-11), however, our spirit does not necessarily profit or is not edified. Praying in the Spirit is speaking mysteries that only God understands. It is one’s spirit man that profits but the flesh and the natural mind are not edified (1 Corinthians 14:2, 14). Now, praying in the Spirit does not always mean speaking in tongues. One can also meditate in the Spirit, sing also in the Spirit and do all other spiritual supplications.

Beloved in the Lord, I would like to dwell more on principles of prayer as the title captures. Many times, we sing and emphasize that prayer is the key, but we don´t go deeply about God´s requirements for prayer to be answered. We should firstly, recognise that we are praying to God, and it must be according to His terms not ours. As christians, elementary knowledge of the Bible teaches us that, we direct our prayers to the Father (Matthew 6:9-15), through our Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:13-14), by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26); the Godhead being complete.

Prayer is the key indeed! Nonetheless, we are to be aware that the key to prayer strictly varies among individuals and most importantly the state of their life before God. Prayer is not the key to a sinner but repentance is (Isaiah 59:1, 1:18), the key to a backslider is restoration (Jeremiah 3:22), the key to the wicked is turning to righteousness (Ezekiel 18:21-23). If we fail to do these things, and keep going to the mountains, valleys and engaging in endless marathons of fasting and prayer, all the efforts will be a WASTE.

One of the core principles of prayer is forgiveness (Mark 11:25-26). Our sonship is birthed through forgiveness by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus on the cross. That little grudge, malice, disagreement must be erased from our heart so we can come before God clean with a pure heart of cheerfulness (Psalm 24:3-5). More so, when we stand to pray, we should not pray with a wrong motive or desire to use what we ask God in order to punish, despise or mock others, and also not pray for the lust of the flesh but necessities of life (James 4:3). Lastly, we must pray with absolute faith that we receive that which we ask (Mark 11:24).

Prayer point

Let’s thank God for Today’s word and also ask Him for help to be doers of it.