One of the books I am currently reading is Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem. This is the condensed version of Bible Doctrine which is the condensed version of his book Systamatic Theology an Introduction of Bible Doctrine One of the chapters I read this morning was “What Is Prayer?” As I read I was encouraged by the simple and powerful definitions of prayer. Below are some of the points I highlighted. They were a real encouragement to me.

What is prayer?

“One of the ways God allows His creation to stay involved with Him is through prayer. Prayer, which is personal communication from us to God, not only helps us know about God but also helps us truly know God.”

The Reason for Prayer

“God does not want us to pray so that He can find out what we need…instead, God wants us to pray so that our dependence on Him can increase.”

“God does not just desire that our trust in him will grow through prayer; He also desires that our love for Him wand our relationship with Him will deepen and grow.”

“…God wants us to pray because it allows us to be a part of a story that is greater than our own.”

The Effectiveness of Prayer

“Our failure to ask God for things is often the reason we do not receive what He delights to give to us.”

“God is under no obligation to answer the prayer of those who have rejected His son.”

“Jesus did not mean that we must tack the phrase ‘in Jesus’ name’ onto every one of our prayer. Instead, He meant that our prayers should be prayed based on His authority as our mediator and in accordance with His character.”

Our Attitude in Prayer

“Praying according to God’s will often requires humility on our part, for it requires that we pray not simply for what we desire instead for what God desires.”

“…if we pray in line with a direct command or declaration of His will in Scripture, then we will be asking God to do what He desires to do and asking for things that please Him.”

“…where it isn’t abundantly clear what God’s will is. At these time, we should pray in line with the general principles of Scripture…”

“…realizing that we are asking God to work only if it is in line with His will. Sometimes God will grant what we ask. At other times, He will deepen our understanding of the situation.”

“…we do not need to be completely free from sin in order for God to hear our prayers. If God only answered the prayer of perfect, sinless people, then God would only answer the prayers of Jesus.”

“When we do sin, God urges us to use His gift of prayer to seek His forgiveness. When we confess our sins to God, it restores our day-to-day relationship with Him.”