How To Pray Effectively - Pray

To pray means to communicate with god and to make your prayer effectly

Prayer is the foundation and life source of a thriving Christian life. Without it, our faith withers and eventually vanishes, yet so many of us today struggle to understand prayer or carve out time to incorporate it into our daily, frenzied lives. Before we determine the method of prayer that suits our specific spirituality and vocation, it’s valuable to explain why prayer is so necessary for the health of our souls.

When we pray, we are encountering God in a heart-to-heart dialogue that involves both listening and an authentic outpouring of what’s in our minds and hearts. Essentially, prayer is an act of love. Much like any human relationship that grows stronger with regular communication, so does our relationship with God become a wellspring of love through prayer. The more we pray, the greater our love, which increases our desire to be with God more often.

There are several different forms of prayer, all of which are useful at various times in our lives or for specific reasons. They include adoration (or praise), contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication (which includes both petition and intercession). Adoration is our expression of praise that is rightfully due to God, in which we proclaim the wonders He has made (perhaps in creation). Praising God often stems from a deep reverence and fear of the Lord, because the more we recognize our fineness, the greater we appreciate God’s greatness. Contrition includes expressing sorrow and remorse for our sins. Through prayers of contrition, we are acknowledging our need for God’s mercy. When we offer prayers of thanksgiving, we are recognizing everything God has given us. Gratitude fosters deeper love for God when we make this type of prayer more habitual. Finally, supplication includes prayers of petition, which is when we ask God for what we need, and intercession, or asking God to grant others what they need.

The Bible is filled with promises, encouragements and illustrations which emphasise the secret of effective prayer. It is said that James had knees that were worn down by his constant habit of kneeling. If so, we have the testimony of a man who had proved the secret of effective prayer in his life and practised what he preached.

Prayer is primarily our communication with the Lord. Communication has purpose, and the purpose usually determines the mode and relevant details