[195] The Assumptions of True Prayer
Prayer helps believers to do the work God requires. True prayer assumes God is personal and actively rules his creation.
[196] Revere God!
Prayer that is acceptable to God must be reverential. We owe all honor and respect to God and we should fear him as well.
[197] Love and Revere the Risen Lord Jesus
The resurrection of Jesus confronts us with the fact that physical death is not the end of our existence. We must love and revere God for his power, justice and love.
[198] Pray with Humility, Persistence and Submission
We must pray with humility, persistence and submission to the will of God for our prayers to be acceptable to God.
[199] Pray with Faith
For our prayers to be effective, we must believe that God is willing and able to answer them and we must pray in his will.
[200] Pray in the Name of Jesus Christ
For our prayers to be effective, we must be united to Christ by faith and pray in his name, which means on the basis of his saving work.
[201] Some Errors to Avoid in Prayer
We will never be worthy to pray, so pray now! God is good and he is trustworthy. We must also strive to have right motives.
[202] More Errors to Avoid in Prayer
While it is good to turn to God in times of trouble, we must do so properly. We must seek to know what he is teaching us and to be holy.
[203] Prayer is Fellowship with God
We lost fellowship with God because of sin, but it is being restored through Christ. Prayer is an important element of fellowship with God.
[204] Pray with Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication
Our prayers and lives should be infused with thanksgiving to God. We should also pray with adoration, confession and supplication.
[205] The Preface to the Lord’s Prayer
Christians can approach God as our heavenly Father, but we must always do so with holy reverence.
[206] Our Prayers should be Theocentric
A true Christian’s prayers are primarily focused on God’s kingdom.
[207] May God’s Kingdom Come and His Will be Done
The Kingdom of God has already come, but is not yet complete. Christians work for its completion by the obedience of faith.
[208] Our Daily Bread
We must humbly recognize our dependence on God and ask him to provide for all of our daily needs while being content with what we have.
[209] The Forgiven, Forgive
God has forgiven the infinite debt of all those whom he has regenerated and they will, therefore, forgive others.