Prayer is an important part of the Christian faith, but it’s not unique to Christianity. Every major world religion has some form of prayer or meditation. Today, we’ll look at what makes biblical prayer distinct and effective.
Does it matter how you pray? The short answer is, YES! The Bible is clear that there are certain types of prayer that God does not accept. These include:
Prayer With Unrepented Sin, Injustice and Oppression (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 1:15–17)
Arrogant Prayer (Luke 18:9–14)
Prayer With Meaningless Repetition (Matthew 6:5-15)
Prayer for Show (Matthew 6:5-15)
Prayer With Doubting (James 1:6-7)
Prayer to Gratify Our Lusts (James 4:3)
Prayer That’s Not Submitted to God’s Will (1 John 5:14–15)
So what kind of prayer does God accept? What does the effective prayer of a righteous man sound like?
The prayer of righteous men and women is humble. It’s both personal, and communal. It’s intimate, and not for show. It’s honest, full of faith, and ultimately submitted to His will.
While many faiths have some form of prayer, it’s only in the Christian faith that we can pray to our Father in the name of the Son.
When Solomon had finished building the temple in 2 Chronicles 7:13-15, God told him that He might cause times of hardship for Israel. He tells Solomon exactly what to do in those times:
13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attend unto the prayer that is made in this place.”
