How to Pray Effective Prayers According to the Bible

Have you ever prayed and felt like it hit the ceiling? Do you want a more powerful prayer life? The Bible teaches us that there are conditions and promises related to prayer. God is not a vending machine who always gives us what we ask for, but He is a loving father who wants the best for His children. When we get a better understanding of His conditions, we can develop a deeper relationship with God and experience His promises more fully.

In What is the Power of Prayer?, Heather Riggelman points out that prayer is the means to communication with God and is our greatest weapon against the enemy. How do we tap into that power? James 5:16 tells us:

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Righteousness is being right in the eyes of God, so first you must be a Christian, someone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but we must also continue to pursue righteousness in our daily lives. 

If we want our prayers to have power, then we need to know the conditions for effective prayer. So, let’s look at a few of the many examples in scripture.

What are the Conditions for Effective Prayer in the Bible?

In The Condition of Prayer Most People Overlook, Clarence L. Haynes, Jr. notes that alignment with God’s will allows us to walk in the promises of prayer. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us:

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

So, the first step is making sure we don’t have unconfessed sin in our hearts, and then we need to check our prayer requests to see if they align with God’s will as revealed in scripture. The Bible has a lot to say about prayer. Here are just a few other conditions for effective prayer:

• Ask: First, we have to ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7, James 4:2-3). When we ask, we are relinquishing control and admitting that God is the one who has the power. We won’t receive what we don’t ask for.
• Faith: When we pray, we must believe and trust in God’s power to answer prayers (Mark 11:24, Matthew 21:22). If you don’t have faith, then you should not expect to receive anything (James 1:6-8).
• Obedience: Living in accordance with God’s will comes when we abide with Him (John 15:7). If we are daily in communion with God, we can better discern His will for our lives and rest in the assurance that He will answer our prayers in the best way possible.
• Persistence: Praying with persistence is also a key to an effective prayer (Luke 18:1-8). Sometimes answers to prayers take time. Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days before an angel came with His answer, but He told Daniel that God had answered his prayer even as he was speaking it (Daniel 10:12-14). For more on Daniel’s prayer, check out this article.
• Forgiveness: Praying with a heart free from unforgiveness is also a necessity. Jesus told his followers that if you don’t forgive others, then God will not forgive you (Mark 11:25-6). If we want our prayers to be answered, then we need to come to Him with a clear conscience and a pure heart.

 
What Promises are Associated with Prayer in the Bible?

Once we meet the conditions of effective prayer, we can be certain of receiving the promises of God. Paul tells us in his second letter to the Corinthians:

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:20). God will always fulfill His promises to us. Let’s look at just a few of these promises:

• Answered Prayer: God promises to respond to our requests when we ask in Jesus’ name (John 14:13-14).
• Peace and Comfort: God promises a peace that passes understanding through our prayers (Philippians 4:6-7).
• Provision of Needs: God promises to provide for those who seek Him (Matthew 7:7-8).
• Divine Guidance: Prayer opens the door for God’s guidance and wisdom (James 1:5).
• Strength in Trials: God strengthens us through prayer during difficult times (Isaiah 40:31).

 
When we pursue righteousness and abide with God, we can pray to God Almighty and know that we will receive what we ask for if it is in His will. What a reassuring thought. This list is just a small taste of all the promises found in the Bible. To find more, check out 40 Promises of God in Scripture to Cling to Every Day, or do a search of your own.

How Should Christians Apply the Conditions and Promises of Prayer?

If you are still not sure how to pray effectively, given the conditions and promises of prayer, don’t feel bad. Even the disciples weren’t sure how to pray, so they asked Jesus:

So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.” (Luke 11:2-4)

In these verses, Jesus gives us the basic principles of prayer:

• Recognize God and who He is by giving praise and thanksgiving for what He has done for you.
• Ask for God’s will to be done and not your own.
• Ask for daily provisions.
• Ask for forgiveness by confessing sins.
• Make sure you have no unforgiveness in your heart.

God never meant for prayer to be some complex system of rules and regulations. Prayer at its most basic form is communication with a loving Father. It is how we come to know Him better, and the better we know Him, the more powerful our prayers. So, if we want to have effectual fervent prayers, here are a few steps to consider:

1. Pray every day. We get to know each other by talking, and we get to know God through prayer. It’s simply talking to the Father and listening to Him in return. The more we practice anything, the better we become, so make it a daily habit.
2. Pray for God to show you His will. God will not answer prayers outside of His will. We cannot see the big picture, so what we are asking for may have negative consequences. He is a loving Father who wants your best, so you can trust Him.
3. Read the Bible daily. It is God’s instruction book for righteous living. It also includes all the conditions and promises of effective prayer. It’s another way to learn more about God.
4. Pray more for others than you do for yourself. We are to be intercessors for the lost as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ. We gain clarity and perspective when we take the focus off of ourselves.

If we want an effective and powerful prayer life, then we just need to tap into the promises of prayer by meeting the conditions set forth in scripture. God wants us to use our most powerful weapon against the enemy. He wants to draw His children close to abide with Him on a daily basis. The Father is waiting. You just have to ask.

 
Further Reading
What is the Power of Prayer?
40 Promises of God in Scripture to Cling to Every Day
The Condition of Prayer Most People Overlook

 Photo credit: ©Getty Images/FotoDuets

Linda Lyle is a writer, teacher, knitter, and unintentional collector of cats. She has written articles for the Alabama Baptist, Open Windows, Refresh, as well as multiple novels and novellas. Her newest book, 5-Minute Prayer Plan for When Life Is Overwhelming, is set to release in October. She spins yarns on her blog The End of My Yarn at lindalyle.com.