“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:7-11)
As a Christian, God wants your prayer life to be successful. He wants you to pray and obtain result! This truth is clearly stated in Matthew 7:8 which says, “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” In other words, God wants EVERYONE who asks or seeks or knocks in prayer to receive appropriate answer to their prayer!
However, for your prayer to obtain result, it must be in agreement with God’s instructions regarding prayer as contained in the Holy Bible. This is because obedience is the number one thing that God demands of you as His child. As the Bible teaches us, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22). This truth is exemplified in the Bible account of Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, who did not obey God’s instruction when they offered incense before God, thereby displeasing God and drawing the wrath of God upon themselves in the process (Leviticus 10:1-3).
The followings are basic scriptural requirements for prayer that pleases God and obtains appropriate result from Him:
Pray in Faith
According to the Bible, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, for prayer to please God and obtain result from Him, it has to be offered in faith. And since the Christian faith comes from the Word of God (Romans 10:17), it follows that prayer has to be offered from a heart that believes God’s Word that is applicable to the particular prayer need. As it is written, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” (James 5:15). Also, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:24). Also, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” (James 1:5-7).
Pray According to God’s Will
Prayer is not for asking God to rubber-stamp your own will. Rather, it is for humbling yourself to submit to God’s will. In fact, central to every prayer there should be a desire to have the will of God done in the circumstance. Jesus emphasised this truth when He taught His disciples how to pray (Matthew 6:5-13). Verse 10 says, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Furthermore, in 1 John 5:14-15 the Bible clearly reveals the truth that God hears and answers prayer that is offered according to His will. There it is written, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Also, we clearly see Jesus praying in submission to God’s will in His own period of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, as it is written, “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:41-42).
Pray In The Name of Jesus
Praying in the Name of Jesus is vitally important because Jesus is our Advocate with God the Father (1 John 2:1). He is our only faithful High Priest who never sinned even though He was tempted at all points of life. Therefore, by Him alone can we have access to God the Father. (Hebrews 4:14-16). This is why the Bible teaches us that everything we do (including praying) should be done in the Name of Jesus (Colossians 3:17). Furthermore, Jesus promised us in John 14:13-14 that, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” Also, “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23-24).
Pray from a Forgiving Heart
Praying from a heart that is free from all manner of unforgiveness is a necessary prerequisite to getting God to hear and answer our prayers. In fact, Jesus always emphasised the importance of forgiveness in His teachings about prayer. This is very clear in Matthew 6 as it is written, “12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:12,14-15). Also, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25-26). The fundamental scriptural truth is that unforgiveness is a form of iniquity, and if you harbour it in your heart God will not hear your prayer (Psalm 66:18).
Pray from a Heart of Obedience and Love
Obedience and love are the foundations of genuine relationship and fellowship with God. These two character attributes are interrelated and cannot be separated from each other (John 14:15, John 14:21, John 14:23). The basic truth is that if obedience and love are not in their proper place in our Christian walk our prayer lives will be adversely affected. God is no respecter of persons! He demands obedience from everyone who walks with Him. Even the prayers of Jesus the Son of God were heard because He reverentially obeyed God the Father! This is clearly stated in Hebrews 5:7-9 where it is written, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;”. Furthermore, the Bible clearly says, “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” (1 John 3:21-22).
Pray with Unselfish Motive
A pure selfless motive is of vital importance in praying and obtaining result from God. Prayer must always be offered from a heart motive that seeks to glorify God rather than self. God has no obligation to gratify our selfish lusts but His own pleasure which is always motivated by selfless love! This is why genuine scriptural prayer always seeks the will of God and not our own! The Bible clearly teaches us that whenever we pray with a selfish lustful motive, we are praying amiss and will not receive answer to that kind of prayer. As it is written, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3).
Pray with Perseverance
One key aspect of prayer that Jesus always emphasised in His teachings about prayer is perseverance. For prayer to successfully obtain result from God, it must be offered perseveringly. In other words, you need to refuse to give up or be discouraged when you are praying to God, no matter how long the answer may seem to be taking. Genuine faith in God never gives up as long as it based on what God has already promised in His Word. In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus encourages us to “always pray and never give up” and illustrated this fundamental requirement for successful praying by the parable of the widow and the unjust judge. Similarly, Jesus taught us the need for perseverance in prayer in Luke 11:5-8 by the story of the importunate friend who would simply not take no for an answer to his selfless request. In verse 8 Jesus concluded the story by saying, “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”
Pray with the Holy Spirit’s Help
For your prayer to successfully obtain result from God, you need to rely on the Holy Spirit’s help. This is because as humans we are limited in knowledge and ability, and therefore need the input of the Holy Spirit Who is omniscient and omnipotent. He is present in us and with us to help us but we must yield to Him receive help from Him. The Holy Spirit never forces Himself on us. He only helps us to the degree that we yield to Him! One key way of yielding to the Holy Spirit in prayer is by praying in the Spirit in unknown tongues. As it is written, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” (1 Corinthians 14:2). Also, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27). The Bible also teaches us that when we rely on the Holy Spirit He can help us receive from God much more than we can do in our own human strength! This truth is clearly revealed in Ephesians 3:20 where it is written, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
Pray with Thanksgiving
The Bible often mentions thanksgiving together with praying. For example, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6). Also, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2). This is primarily because thanksgiving is the highest expression of trust in God’s faithfulness to always hear and answer prayer. Thanking God for answer to your prayer before you receive the physical manifestation shows that your faith and hope in God are both sure. It shows that you are actively expecting the answer to your prayer and, therefore, you are expressing your gratitude to God ahead of time. Thanksgiving is the best way of expressing your trust in God and honouring Him as the God Who never fails to hear and answer the prayers of the righteous (Psalm 34:17&19).
