What is Prayer?
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 02/23/2025
Foundation Scriptures:
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15 NKJV
1. What is Prayer?
a. Prayer is simply asking and receiving from God.
b. It is pleading our cause in God’s court.
c. We have a righteous and merciful Judge in the Father.
d. And we have a righteous Advocate, Jesus Christ, Who intercedes on our behalf (1 John 2:1).
e. Prayer is seeking help from God and asking Him to intervene in matters that are beyond our power.
f. We come to Him to receive help and forgiveness in and for every situation.
2. A Personal Appeal.
a. Prayer is a personal appeal to an ever-present God, based on His Word and His will.
b. We pray to offer up our petitions to God for the things we desire, that are both lawful and needful.
c. Which means, things that we want that God has already promised in His Word.
d. We can pray with humble confidence that we will obtain, through Jesus Christ, the things we have desired and petitioned for.
e. Answered prayer works for our good and God’s glory.
f. We are the beneficiary of His grace and generosity, and He gets all the glory.
3. God’s Goodness.
a. The Lord is more than willing to manifest His goodness to all those who have faith in Him and who depend upon Him for help.
b. And prayer is co-operation with God’s willingness to do so.
c. James 1:17 NKJV –– Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
d. The gifts that God gives are good gifts—not bad gifts.
e. Gifts that are conducive to an abundant life (John 10:10).
4. A Giving God.
a. Never go to God as if you are afraid or expecting Him to reprimand you.
b. James 1:5 AMPC –– If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.
c. God is a giving God and it makes Him happy when we come to Him to ask for His help.
d. He gives to everyone who asks, liberally and ungrudgingly, with simplicity and without reserve.
e. And He does this without reproaching us or finding fault with us.
f. The only condition is that we must come in faith, expecting an answer.
g. We cannot afford to be uncertain about what God has promised, or double-minded about what we ask for.
h. A double-minded person receives nothing from the Lord (Jam.1:6-8).
5. Come Boldly, Ask Expectantly.
a. Hebrews 4:16 KJV –– Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
b. We must come into His presence to ask for His help.
c. No one can enter the presence of a king without an invitation.
d. If you do, you do so at your own peril.
e. However, we have received an open invitation from the Father, signed in the Blood of Jesus, to come boldly into His presence.
f. What a wonderful invitation!
g. We don’t come arrogantly on our own terms, but we come fearlessly and confidently, based on what Jesus has generously provided for us.
h. We can take comfort and be encouraged, and confidently and boldly declare that “The Lord is my Helper,” because He promised that He would never leave nor forsake us (Heb.13:5-6).
6. Praying According to God’s Will.
a. Do not pray, “If it be Thy will,” concerning healing, salvation, provision, etc., because this is a sinful prayer of unbelief and will not be answered.
b. This type of prayer should never be used in ordinary praying for any of the good things in life that God has already made any promise about.
c. James 4:13-15 AMPC –– Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money. 14 Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]. 15 You ought instead to say, If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing].
d. The only time we pray, “If it be Thy will,” is when we are praying about personal plans that are not specifically mentioned, or definitely promised, in scripture.
e. In these cases, it is appropriate to find out what the will of God is for you, and not to act until you have direction from the Holy Spirit.
f. Do not pray to get God to change or to get Him to agree to your plans.
g. Rather, pray for Him to help you to change and to be willing to conform to His will for you.