Effective Prayers That Get Results
All people pray. Whether we are believers, or unbelievers; Christians, pagans, or atheists – all pray.
Prayers are powerful. Be it a prayer of an atheist or a prayer of a believer in God, they all get results – for good or for evil.
Prayers can be addressed to a God or to a demon. Both receive result from whom they have been directed.
God is a loving heavenly Father of us all. Whether we believe in Him or not, whether we are a sinner or righteous, God loves us all. Like parents who love their children, even those who are black sheep in the family, God also love us all regardless what. For surely God’s love for us is much greater than the love we have for our children and loved ones.
God always answers our prayer. The answer can be yes, wait, or no. To those who are righteous and who ask according to His will, God’s answers is always yes. And to those who ask in humility, with repentance in their heart, God also grant their petition willingly.
Many people pray without receiving the desire of their hearts. After repeated failures, they become tired of praying, and eventually believe that God is non-existent or God does not care for us at all.
But God do exist. The things around us – the stars, the flowers, the sea, the mountains, the bird – all these are clear evidences that there is an Almighty God that created them all. And God is not selfish. In fact, He designed all conditions, events, time, and space in the whole universe solely for the the comfort and well being of us all. Surely, He answers our prayers, and willingly grant the desires of our heart.
Effective prayers must have one or all of these elements. It is easily remembered in this acronym: FACTS.
“F” stands for faith. All that will come to God must come to Him in faith. He will not grant our wish when there is doubt in our hearts. In fact, doubting is sin.
Most of us doubt the power of God. Probably because we have been programmed since childhood to believe more on what we see. When we do not see, we do not believe. But to believe is to see. It is a living faith.
We have a thousand and one reasons to believe that God grants our prayers. First, He is a very loving God - thousand times more loving than mortal parents to their children. Second, He is a the Owner of the universe – all wealth in it are all His, and He is not a selfish God. In fact, He gives us freely the air we breathe; He gives us the rain in due season, and the sunshine to brighten our day. He is not a poor God – He happily provides our daily needs abundantly. Third, He is an omnipotent God – He can create from nothing, just in case you think He has nothing for you. Therefore when you come to God in prayer, believe that He is able to give you what you ask from Him.
The second element of an effective prayer is adoration. Surely, for a loving and merciful God, our spontaneous feeling should be of adoration. It rightly belongs to Him and He deserves it completely. We should not adore Him because we want something from Him, but because He He has already provided all our daily needs. We should not adore Him or praise Him like a sycophant – He knows all the secret thoughts of our hearts. So let us adore Him from the bottom of our heart without hypocrisy.
The next element is confession. When we confess and truly repent our sins, God willingly forgives us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. For our prayers to avail much, we need to be righteous. And that righteousness is not ours. It is Christ’s righteousness which is freely given to every one who truly believes in Him.
The fourth element is thanksgiving. We have so many things in life to be thankful to God. The air we breathe, the beautiful summer sky, the romantic starry nights, the fresh morning breeze, our family and loved ones, our profession, our work, our strength and our vitality, and our very lives – all these are more than enough reasons to be grateful to God. So, in whatever things we do, or in whatever circumstances we are in, let us thank God always.
The last element is supplication. And it has two sub elements, namely, intercessory prayer, and personal prayer. We should pray for others: our neighbors, our friends, our relatives, the authorities in the government – all, even our enemies – we should pray for them. Because all of them affect our lives, so we need to pray for them. And the last will be our personal prayer or supplication.
Prayer should be as intimate as confiding to a friend. It should not be repetitious, and mechanical. It must be direct to the point, and definite. And most important, when you pray to the Father in heaven, pray in the Mighty Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
effective prayers