Jesus habitually prayed on bended knees very fervently according to the will of God as described in Luke 22:39-44. His prayer teaches us how we should pray in terms of the right attitude and mind-set. Although Jesus is the Son of God, He prayed earnestly demonstrating a good example of prayer. Then, how should we pray as God's children?
Elijah the prophet prayed so earnestly with his heart that he bent down on the earth and put his face between his knees. His prayer brought down the answer of a great downpour which ended a period of drought. When we offer up such earnest prayer with our hearts, we can receive answers and blessings.
Pray with Heart
Abraham had unwavering and perfect faith in God, so he neither doubted the Word of God nor disobeyed. For he believed God the Almighty who can revive the dead, he obeyed God when He told him to offer up his only son Isaac as a burnt offering (Hebrews 11:19). So, God named Abraham the 'father of faith' and gave him all kinds of blessings including children, good health, wealth, and honor.
Many people doubt, disobey, and complain when things don't go in accordance with their thoughts. Some say they believe, but they turn and begin to doubt. Others are wavering between belief and unbelief just like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:6-8 says that for that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Cry Out in prayer
Jeremiah 33:3 reads, "Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." 'Calling to God' means that we should cry out in prayer to God with an earnest heart. When we cry out in prayer calling to God, we can't have idle thoughts and can't feel drowsy in prayer and we can naturally pray with our hearts.
Just as we eat bread by the sweat from our faces, we can receive answers by crying out in prayer (Genesis 3:19). Prayer has to go through the camp of Satan, that is the prince of the power of the air, and reach the throne that stands in Heaven. Through such prayer, we can be filled with the Spirit. Trials and afflictions can be driven away and problems can be solved. When we cry out fervently in prayer we can receive the power of the Spirit and become the true witnesses of Jesus Christ.
Pray in Faith
In order to have faith, we need to put in our own efforts. But more importantly, we should receive faith from God. This God-given faith is spiritual faith that is accompanied with deeds. If we have this spiritual faith, the assurance in receiving answers will come as written in Mark 11:24, saying, "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."
God gives answers to each and every one according to their own faith when they pray. If we grow up in faith and pray with unwavering faith in any kind of situation, then God sees our faith and He gives us answers and causes all things around us to work together for good. By piling up prayer along the way, strength comes from above so that we can fight against sins, cast them off, obey the truth, and finally come to have God-pleasing faith. Such believers with perfect faith are followed by signs. That is, they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18).
Pray with a Goal
If we set a specific goal in anything, we will push ahead with it more actively and it will lead to quicker achievement. On the contrary, with a vague goal, we can't set the right direction and it will be easy for us to get skeptical about why we started it when we are faced with even a tiny problem.
When we pray to God, we should have a specific purpose. If our heart does not condemn us and we have confidence before God by acting in the truth, God promised to give whatever we ask Him of (1 John 3:21-22). If our goal and purpose of prayer are specific and clear, we will pray more earnestly and with more patience. To have confidence before God with a specific purpose, we should keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is because God knows our need beforehand. When He searches our hearts that have nothing that can condemn us, He can fulfill our needs.
Pray with Love
Hebrews 11:6 reads, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." As written, if we believe that our prayer will be answered and become rewards in Heaven, we will not feel tired in prayer nor feel that it is difficult to pray. Moreover, if we pray with love for souls, just as Jesus prayed fervently to sacrifice His life for all people, we can also offer up earnest prayer.
The prayer of love that God wants is the prayer that seeks the kingdom of God and His righteousness first and the prayer for the church, the shepherd, and souls. The prayer offered up by the genuine love towards God, with hunger and thirst for righteousness, is the true prayer of love. It is to pray with spiritual love that is borne perfectly in the heart with realization of God's will for extending the kingdom of God. It is a prayer with the heart of the master.
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