Key Prayer Principles: Part II

Pastor Gary Oser

I want to continue to share a few important principles regarding prayer.

First, pray with faith.

Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “‘Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe (have faith) that you have received them, and they will be granted to you.’” Faith is a two-sided coin.

The first side is belief that God is able to do what you ask Him to do. It is rather pointless to ask God for something if you don’t think He is able to give it to you. The second side of the coin is belief that God is willing to give you that for which you ask. Again, it is rather pointless to ask God for something if you don’t believe He is willing to give it to you.

To have faith you believe that God is both able and willing to give you that for which you ask. Do you ask in faith, believing as you pray?

Second, confess all known sin.

There is nothing that will short circuit prayer like unconfessed sin. The psalmist said in Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity (sin) in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Isaiah 59:2 adds, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he will not hear” (NIV).

In gas-powered machines and vehicles, the slightest speck of dirt can lead to a loss of power. The same is true with prayer. The slightest little sin you knowingly allow to go unconfessed can hinder your prayer.

Third, pray fervently.

James 5:16b in the King James Version (KJV) says, “…The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Verse 17 gives us an example of fervent prayer: that of Elijah. It says that “he prayed earnestly that it would not rain…” The words mean he prayed with intensity and passion.

A great man of God, RA Torrey, well wrote, “If we put little heart into our prayers, we cannot expect God to put much heart into answering them…When we learn to come to God with an intensity of desire that wrings the soul, then we shall know a power in prayer that most of us do not know now.”

Finally, pray for the glory of God.

First Corinthians 10:31 exhorts us, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” It is easy to slip into ulterior or selfish desires when we pray, but effective prayer must be rooted in a desire for God’s glory.