Three Keys to Effective Prayer

Effective prayer is prayer that works. To know whether our prayers work we need to understand the purpose of prayer. Prayer that works is prayer that positively impacts people, places and circumstances, and produces desired results. Prayer that works is also, perhaps more importantly, prayer that positively changes us and strengthens our relationship with our Father in heaven. If you want to know how to pray effectively here are three keys to effective prayer.

Three Keys to Effective Prayer

Prayer need not be intimidating. These three keys to effective prayer are simple enough for anyone to implement.

Pray

The first key to effective prayer is to pray. This sounds obvious yet many of us can go days or more without dedicating time to prayer. Even though 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) says,

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

but many of us do not consistently pray about what concerns us. Here is a quick rundown of reasons prayer should be a priority for every believer.

James 4:2b says, "...you do not have because you do not ask". In His love, God takes care of many of our needs but there are things we will never receive without prayer. Prayer indicates reliance on God's provision rather than any other source. There are things God has for us we cannot have until our hearts rely on Him enough to handle them. Living day-to-day without surrendering to God through prayer, confessing our sin, or seeking God's guidance, wisdom or protection belies self-reliance.

Over time effective prayer transforms us. We cannot spend time with God in prayer without our desires, habits, and very nature changing.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

We are not instructed to make our requests known to God because God does not know what we want until we do. Matthew 6:8 tells us,

...your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Letting God know our needs is a sign of faith and helps us develop a relationship with Him as Father. Spending time with God through His Word and prayer helps us know Him better. Even if we do not receive the answer we are praying for, time spent in communion with God is never wasted.

Faith is important because the Bible states:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 ESV

• Read Relationship Goals for more about trusting God.

The desire to know how to pray effectively is good but we must not let it keep us from praying. We do not need to wait until we think we have sufficient faith that God will answer, or until we embrace His fatherhood. We activate our faith and develop our relationship with God through prayer.

We also do not have to wait to pray until we believe we know how. It is great to learn from others but we do not need extensive prayer training to start praying. Just like an earthly father, God will teach us how to talk to Him as we go along. The Book of Psalms is an excellent companion to prayer. Within we find words to borrow for our prayers.

• Read How to Take Action When We Don't Feel Ready for more on God's idea of readiness.

If we start by considering prayer as a conversation with our Heavenly Father who loves us, we can confidently talk to Him about our needs.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

Since prayer is a conversation it is vital we listen to God when we pray. Partnering with God in prayer is simply (and profoundly) allowing the Holy Spirit to direct the conversation. The Holy Spirit does not only lead us when we pray for our nation or world issues that seem beyond ourselves. God cares about and wants us to pray His will in every area of our lives.

Pray Consistently

Consistency is another key to effective prayer. God's will is for us to pray; even to, "pray without ceasing" 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

Prioritise prayer by scheduling time throughout the day to talk to God. Make at least one of these times without multitasking. Honour God by giving Him all your focus for a portion of each day.

We get results when we do physical exercise consistently and spiritual results when we pray consistently.

• Read Spending Time with God for unique ways to spend time with God.

Be Specific

Another key to effective prayer is to be specific. Jesus sometimes asked people to tell Him what they wanted Him to do for them. See Mark 10:46-52 or Luke 18:41-43. The blind man was already shouting out a request. Repeatedly cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me" (see Mark 10:47). Mercy could have been money, food, time, peace or a variety of other things. Jesus was aware of all the needs of the man crying out, but which was his priority, which did he have faith for, and which was he ready to receive?

When we pray we can imagine Jesus asking us the same question. What do you want me to do for you?

Until we know what we want we cannot determine whether our needs have been met. When we make the effort to determine what would satisfy our needs we can recognise and appreciate when God meets them. This strengthens our faith. We can also learn about ourselves. Sometimes our desires are an insight to our calling or the areas we need God to work on. As we consider what we want we can also discover why we want it. A desire may seem good but the root of it may not be. James 4:1-4 highlights the need to examine our motives when we pray. Being specific can help reveal the motives behind our requests.

• Read Giving God the Desires of Your Heart to learn more about the purpose of desire. 

Print & Pray Cards

Print & Pray Cards can help you activate these three keys to effective prayer.

Print & Pray Cards

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Pray

Print and cut the cards (there are bonus Scriptures you can print and cut too). Write down what you want to pray about. This could be a person, a situation, nation, or a place like your work, church, or community.

Our prayers need not be complicated. In fact, Jesus said they should not be overly wordy. When we put our prayer requests in writing we are writing our vision for the future. We are recording what we believe will come to pass through prayer. This is powerful.

Be Consistent

We can place the cards somewhere accessible or visible to remind us to pray. Seeing your prayer requests can spark a desire to pray about more people, places and circumstances. Putting them somewhere they will be seen regularly can help build consistency.

Have you ever looked through a journal and found prayer points you have long forgotten about? I know I have! It does not stop God answering them, but it can stop me realising they have been answered and giving thanks to God for that.

Perhaps you could set a daily reminder on your phone, label it "Print & Pray Cards" and use it to remind you to shuffle through the requests and pray.

Be Specific

Use the space provided to record the specifics of your prayer. What do you want Jesus to do for you? Find a verse and write the reference or write out the passage on the card.

Having a predefined space rather than pages and pages in a journal can help us drill down to the specifics of the request.

Print & Pray Cards to prompt us to pray and are a record of our prayers. They also remind us to take action linked with our prayer requests as we remember there is Blessing in Action.

Blessing in Action: How to Pray Effectively

Take some time to consider and write down how you would answer the question posed by Jesus, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

Find books on prayer in the Readers' Corner.