Basics of Prayer: What you must know about the prayer

Description of prayer

Prayer, in a simple sense, is communication with God. Communication usually takes place between at least two parties. So when you pray to God, you establish communication with Him. This shows that you want him to be a part of your life.

There are certain principles of communication. When one person speaks, the other listens. This is very true when it comes to prayer. God not only wants you to talk to him, but He also wants you to listen to him. Listening is a very important skill to learn and master.

Another important part of prayer is how you say it. Do you rush to say a few words or do you take time to pray? What tone and speed of voice do you use? Are you honest?

Jesus gives us a recipe for how to pray in Matthew 6:6.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Prayer is unlimited. You can pray anytime and anywhere. You will choose the right time and the right place for your prayer, unless God chooses it for you. When you decide to pray, make sure you have no other obligations at that time. For example: picking up the kids from school, driving to work, or attending a business meeting.

Prayer should be common for us. The word common in this sentence means that prayer is like something we do regularly. It is not strange for us to pray.

What to expect from prayer

When you start any communication, you expect something in return. Either you will receive a word, information, an idea, or just a normal conversation. The same goes for prayer. Let's look at some Bible verses and see what we can gain from them.

Prayer with fasting makes your belief stronger.

Matthew 17:20-21  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

We should pray as often as possible, because we are the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer;

1 Corinthians 6:19-20  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Expect to receive what you pray for.

Matthew 21:21-22  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Angel/messenger from God can come and give you an answer to your prayer.

Luke 1:13  But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

Free yourself from distractions by choosing a place and time to focus on prayer.

Luke 6:12  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Receiving strength from prayer.

Luke 22:45-46  And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

I would like to encourage you to start praying. This is the only way to improve your prayer habits. If you are already praying, continue and try to change your prayer from natural to supernatural. How wonderful it is when you establish communication with God.