Latest Bible Study mail was useful
1. Position yourself for prayer by reading Scripture first.
2. Follow Scripture’s lead toward what you should pray for. (If prayer’s the train, make Scripture the rails.)
3. Pray humbly, recognizing your utter unworthiness before an all-holy God.
“...prayer and petition in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” (v. 3)
4. Begin by praising God for His attributes, His greatness and faithfulness. Let God’s character provide the context for prayer, so He’s the center of gravity, not you.
5. Confess your sins, taking full responsibility, without rationalization, spin or self-exemption.
“We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.” (v. 5–6)
6. Permeate prayer with affirmations of God’s amazing grace and your profound gratitude—never asking for what you deserve, but thanking Him that He’s given you infinitely better than you deserve.
7. Before bringing your requests, repeatedly affirm God’s worthiness and your unworthiness—never forget who you are, and Who you’re talking to.
8. Never blame God for sin, its consequences or for life’s hardships.
9. Make requests in light of God’s past acts of faithfulness. Rehearse those acts to God, as demonstrated in Scripture, history, and your own personal and family life.
10. Pray for God’s sake, His glory, and His reputation, reminding yourself it’s all about Him, not you.
11. Pray with a heartfelt recognition of God’s undeserved grace on behalf of you and others.
12. God hears our prayers and starts responding to them (when we pray with Daniel’s attitude and perspective) before we can see results, and even when we can’t see results at all.
13. God deploys angels on missions in response to humble, biblically-based, God-centered prayers.
14. Prayer mobilizes righteous angels, who engage in intense turf warfare against fallen angels, with kingdom claims at stake. Answers to prayer may be hastened or delayed as a result of this warfare.
Conclusions
1. Prayer isn’t passive, it’s active. It’s really doing something. Prayer isn’t the least we can do, it’s the most.
2. Prayer is supernatural. It’s reaching out of the visible world into the unseen world, and tapping into powers beyond this dimension. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12).
3. Prayer is never secondary, it’s always primary. It’s not the last recourse, when options run out, it’s the first and best recourse. Prayer is the central work which causes all other work to bear fruit. (No prayer, no power.) “Therefore put on the whole armor of God...take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the gospel.... Pray that I may declare it fearlessly” (Eph. 6:13, 17, 18-20).
4. God’s greatest works, accomplished through prayer, are often invisible to us for now. (What’s visible to us, except in rare moments of clarity, are not God’s greatest works.)
5. We pray now in faith, believing our prayers are making an eternal difference; we anticipate heaven, where we’ll learn God’s breath-taking answers to our prayers, including many that seemed unheard and ignored.
6. There is no greater ministry, no higher calling, no better investment than prayer. (It’s not just right, it’s smart.)
7. Prayer is trusting God that He can accomplish more when I’m on my knees than I can accomplish on my feet.
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