Attitudes in prayer

Here are seven attitudes that help God to hear and answer our prayers.

The more we pray with these attitudes, the more effective our prayers will be.

1. Acceptance

Pray in acceptance that God knows our needs better than we do (Matthew 6:8, Romans 8:26, 2Corinthians 12:7-10).

2. Faith

The blessing of prayer has been clearly revealed to us in the scriptures.

Believe, and pray without doubting (James 1:5-7).

3. Persistance

In Matthew 7:7-8 the Greek carries the idea of "keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking".

Jesus said we should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1-8, 1Thessalonians 5:17, Acts 16:23-25).

4. Right Motives

"You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:1-3).

They were not wrong to ask, but their asking was wrongly motivated.

Example of wrong motives, James and John (Mark 10:35-37).

Example of right motives, young Solomon (1Kings 3:3-15).

5. Harmony with God's Will

If we pray anything according to God's will he hears us and grants that prayer (1John 5:14).

We can find out God's will revealed in the scriptures.

For example when we genuinely repent of sin and ask forgiveness, we know our sin is forgiven because it is according to God's will (1John 1:8-9, Acts 8:18-24, Isaiah 1:15-20, Psalm 51:1-17).

When God's will in the matter is unrevealed, then we pray in the attitude, "If it be possible... nevertheless not my will but Your will be done" (Matthew 26:39).

6. Desire to Obey

Only "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful" (James 5:16).

We receive from God what we ask only when we show ourselves willing and eager to keep God's commandments and do the things that please God (1John 3:22).

7. Thanksgiving

We are to make all our requests to God with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).

God loves the grateful soul. He is not much interested in whingers (Daniel 2:23 Hebrews 13:15, Colossians 4:2, Ephesians 5:20).

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