Brethren, โIs there a right or wrong way to pray?โ. Do you ever wonder if youโre praying the right way? Are you using the right words, the right motions, the right methods? Are your attempts at prayer good enough for God to listen? So many prayer guides and instructions on how to pray are offered by our churches, but which one is โrightโ?
They leave us with many questions than answers like: Do I close my eyes or open them? Do I kneel and bow my head or look up at God? Should I be praying the written prayers of the prayer book or making up my own? Should I include arts or movement in my prayer?
What do I need to say in my prayers? Do I need to use the big โKJV thyโ words or are my own word are enough? Arenโt there some rules Iโm supposed to follow? Where do I start?
What about you? Do you ever wonder if youโre getting it โrightโ?
Wonder if youโre praying the โrightโ way? I wouldnโt say there is a right or wrong prayer or way to pray. The reason being that prayer is not just about the contentโwhat you are asking about, but also about the approach โ the way you pray, the things you donโt even say during your time of prayer, yet they are closely connected with your prayers and can affect your prayers.
PRAYERS ARE VITAL

Prayer is not a religious routine or having something crossed off from our to-do list, Itโs for a close relationship with God (Psalm 42:1-2). We want God to hear and answer us when praying (Psalm 65:2)and also bring glory to Him(John 14:14) Any prayer that wonโt strengthen and build our relationship with God, God wonโt listen to, and any prayer that wonโt bring glory to God is a wrong type of prayer or should I say a wrong way to pray.
Psalm 103:7 tells us that the Israelites were just seeking after Godโs acts; seeking Godโs blessings. They had no real desire or interest in knowing Godโs ways, in having a close relationship with Him. Moses, on the other hand, discovered not just Godโs acts but also His ways. If all the time I come to God in prayer, all I do is ask Him to give me things, all I want is a new car, good job, get married, have children, have more and more money, then I am using God, and it is wrong to use people.
It is wrong to be just a seeker of the acts of God; it is wrong not to be interested in hearing God out; hearing what He has to say about every area of my life, habits I keep that are bad, or decisions I take that can land me in trouble. It is wrong to not care about what God likes, what He dislikes, or about what He needs at every point in time, yet I want Him to fulfil my own needs.
It is wrong to not discuss my life with God, to tell secrets and details of my life to people who donโt have any lasting solution to what I am going through, yet I expect God who I havenโt made an insider to the nitty-gritty details of my life, to be just dishing out blessings to me.
It is wrong if all I want from God is for Him to give me things but Iโm not ready to give Him anything; I donโt give Him my life in worship and surrender, I donโt give Him my time, gifts, skills and resources. This is what I will say is a wrong way to pray; prayer that is one-sided, a prayer where you are just on the receiving side, never on the giving side. Yes, God wants to give us things. He tells us to ask and it will be given to you (Matthew 7:7), but prayer is more than just asking and asking for things; things that will one day fade away.
What was the first thing Jesus said when he taught us how to pray? He said โOur Fatherโโ (Matthew 6:9). So before the give me my daily bread and all those things we come to God asking for, there must be a relationship between Father and child established. Paul also reminds us this in Galatians 4:6 โฆ โAbba Fatherโ.
Where, the Holy Spirit helps us to develop an intimate relationship with God not based on just obtaining material, a temporal blessing from God but helps us to remain standing in the place of prayer even in the face of extreme adversity. Yes, you can ask God to meet your needs, but that canโt be all you do whenever you pray. There must be a place in your prayer for Godโs own needs โYour kingdom come, Your will be done on earthโ (Matthew 6:10).
In Psalm 65:2 says โO You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come.โ We come to God because we believe we are coming to a Living God who hears prayers, we are not just talking in the air to a lifeless God that canโt hear His people no matter how long and loud they shout (1 Kings 18:26-27).
Therefore, any prayer that God does not hear and listen to is wrong(1 John 5:14). Itโs a give in that if what Iโm praying about is in line with the will of God, He will surely hear that prayer. Apart from this, even when what I am praying about is in line with the will of God but my motive for wanting that thing is wrong, I want to hurt others or show off, God wonโt listen to the prayer.
Psalm 66:18, the Bible says โIf I cherish iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.โTo have done things that are offensive to God, then treat them like itโs nothing, act like we havenโt done anything wrong, and just be asking God for things. God wonโt listen to that kind of prayer. The prayer He will listen to is not the prayer of a perfect person who never sins, but of a person who falls into sins, acknowledges his sin, is sorry for the sin and asks God to forgive and wipe away his sin so nothing stands between him and his prayer to God.
Just imagine some armed robbers praying to God that their operation will be successful. This is the wrong way to pray, to pray about things that will not glorify the name of the Lord. (Psalm 115:1).We must never ascribe the glory due to God to ourselves; to our prayer capability and proficiency (Isaiah 42:8), if we want to see more of His glory, more of His power, more of His loving-kindness as we pray if we want to pray aright.
Pastor Nathaniel
Prayers Prayers Prayers Prayers Prayers Prayers Prayers
It edifying and spiritually moving. Thanks
Ameeen, the power is in prayer, Thank you pastor ๐๐
Amen. Prayer is a key that opens every door. Thank you pastor ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐
Good morning family Amen pastor thank you pastor ๐ค
Shalom family. Jaah Pastor, prayer is important in our lives. As a prophet, God is not happy about how we pray. We humble ourselves with pure hearts n Repent so that we should start a new page with God. These days we have more than enough time to pray. Eish, this message hurts me. Nevertheless, thank you Pastor. We will change. Many thanks Man Of God. Hallelujah
Amen man of God ๐๐ป๐๐ป๐๐ป
Amen Pastor ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ
Thank you Pastor๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ
Good morning family Amen thank you pastor ๐
Good morning family thank you so much pastor a lesson is learned. Prayer is important when we connect with God not always asking for things
Amen Pastor ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ
Thank you Pastor๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ