How To Pray   by Wilma Melendez

These are general guidelines which have helped me grow. Let God guide you to adapt these steps for your situation. Each idea begins with a letter that spells out “Now see God’s will”, because you can be sure that God hears your prayer and takes the best action on your behalf.

Name: Begin prayer by invoking God only in Jesus’ name. For example, “Lord, Our Creator, Blessed is thy name, Omnipotent God, Honorable and Glorious, Beloved Jesus. We address thy name because we know you have the power and the love, and the mercy.”

Scriptural Reference:
Matthew 6:9
Acts 4:10-12
Isaiah 64:8
II Peter 1:17
Psalm 138:1-2
John 14:13-14

Offer thanks. “Thank you for answering my prayer about _________. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you that you always listen to me. Thank – you for my home, my family, my education, thank you that you have given me kindness etc.” Being grateful to God will help you think positive. I have heard about people who were having a period of sadness who got out of it by writing letters of thanks to all the people who had been helpful to them in their lives.

Psalm 105:1
Romans 1:8
1 Thessalonians 5:18
John 11:41-42
1 Thessalosians 5:18

Will: Put all you ask within the safe context of God’s beneficial will for you. “God, I thank you because I know that you will answer my prayer giving me what I want or something better according to your wisdom. Let not my will be done but your will, oh God. May I desire only God’s will for my life. Let me abide in thy will. Let thy Holy Spirit pray for me Lord, because I do not know best what to pray. ” God knows how to give you good things. One time I wrote down all my petitions to God in a diary. I opened it six months later and every wish had come true except some I had changed my mind about. During the six months I had seen that some wishes were not that good for me. It will happen for you too. God promised to answer every prayer. Some prayers make take longer, but God gives a sure answer. Now I write my prayers every day with help from a web site, http://www.prayernotes.org/

Luke 22:40-41
Romans 8:26
Luke 11:9-13

Seek God’s help. Ask God’s help with everything. Make petitions: “Please give me and all my family health. Please help me economically, etc.” Think of specific things: “Please heal my daughter. Please help her lose weight and to feel comfortable, not hungry, and have energy as she loses it.” Tell God your problems. Speak to him as a friend that accepts you as you are.

Mark 11:22-24

Emotional: Ask for something to help you grow emotionally, we all need it. Many people pray only for others to be improved. But we are all imperfect and need to pray for our own emotional maturity. May thy peace govern my heart. Please help me to meet my duties and responsibilities well. Please help me to be a better daughter/sister/father/mother etc. Please help me learn to get along better with ___________, to know what to say, when to say it, and what not to say. May my relationships please you. Lord, examine me and help me to know and overcome weak points. Help me to use the talents thou hast has given me to help myself and to help other people. Make me a happy person.”

Colossians 3:15
Psalms 139:1-4
Matthew 5:23-25
Matthew 25:20-23
Ephesians 4:14
James 1:5

Expertise: Many times we need to ask God what he wants for us. We are always asking what we want of him. Sometimes God has blessings for us that we do not even know about. So we ask the Holy Spirit of God to pray for us in Jesus’ name, because he knows what is best for us. He is our counselor.

Jude 20
Psalm 139:6
Isaiah 9:6
John 14:26
Psalm 119:66
Philippians 1:6

Growth: Request an experience that will help you grow spiritually: “Please help me to be enthusiastic about reading the Bible. Please help my life reflect Jesus. May I be worthy of the purpose God has made me for. May I come to know the purpose of my life and meet it well. May what I say and do please God.”

I Corinthians 11:1
Ephesians 4:1-2
II Thessalonians 1:11-12
Proverbs 16:13
Psalms 141:3

Offer Praise. This step is empowering! For example: “God you are perfect, wonderful, great and caring. Blessed be thy name.” God does not need our praise, but we praise anyway because praise is a form of communication to God. If you love someone, you talk to them. They might know you love them, but they want you to tell them how much you love and appreciate them. Good relationships have plenty of communication. We need to praise God, to acknowledge all his love for us. It strengthens us. If you praise God while you are having problems, you have already won the battle.

Psalm 92:1-2
Psalm 59:16-17

Defend yourself: There is a Devil, an enemy of God who wants us to be sad, to sin, and to be sick. Do spiritual battle. “God, please take away from my life and from my family all that does not come from you. Please rebuke and tie up the enemy, make him leave our lives forever and fill us with thy Holy Spirit. Let thy spirit come upon me and my loved ones and use us for your purpose.”

Matthew 10:1

’Sit down and take your time. Jesus said that when you pray, do not make vain repetitions. Sometimes we pray quickly for something we want and ask for protection on the road and head out the door. If you rush in the morning, make time to pray in the after noon. If you are too sleepy to pray late, pray early. We think that we do not have time, but as Christians believe, so many problems can be fixed by prayer that we save time and heartache by prayer.

Matthew 6:6-7
Luke 6:12

Word: Quote God’s Word. “God you said that everything we ask in your name, you shall give to us… I believe, please help my faith… Thy word is like a double edged sword that cuts through problems”. Read the Bible and attend a Bible based church to find out God’s many promises to you. Then quote those passages in prayer. God’s word is as good as a contract. With a contract, you read your rights and claim them because they are written down. For example, if you have poverty, quote one of the many promises of restoration. “And he [Jesus] lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said ‘blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now for ye shall laugh’ ” (Luke 6:20-21). Read the passage out loud and say, “God I pray these words and claim this promise in Jesus’ name.”

John 15:7
Mark 9:23-24

Invest in forgiveness, yours and others. First confess your sins, faults, or shortcomings and ask for forgiveness from God in Jesus’ name. This is an investment for which you can expect to see dividends. When you admit a fault, it is the first step to changing it. When you tell that fault to God, you taking the second step, you are going to the one who has the power to change you. The last step is God’s- to make you into a better person. “Lord Jesus, thank-you for forgiving me by dying for me. I have ________ weakness. Please forgive me and help me with this. Keep me clear of temptation.” We should all have a goal of confessing to let Jesus make us better. Then you also forgive other people’s sins and faults, this is important, it is spiritually healing. “God ________ person is hurting or annoying to me, help me to have compassion for and forgive ______ person the way you forgive me, Lord”. If you are hurt, God is your avenger. You can let God “be angry for you”. You do not have to be hurting and wanting revenge- that is too painful. Let it go and put it in God’s hands.

James 5:16
I John 1:9
Matthew 6:14-15

List blessings. Make a list of blessings for yourself and others. Here are some general ones: protection, love, joy, happiness, material abundance, prosperity, guidance, spiritual growth, self-esteem, success, wisdom, health. You do not have to wait until there is a problem and then ask for help. Acknowledge the blessings you have already and ask him to keep blessing you and your loved ones. Pray for other people: “God, bless me with all kinds of spiritual blessings and physical ones. Bless my family, co – workers, manager, customers, and suppliers.” Even ask God to bless the people in your family that are hard to love, the difficult ones in your life, and your enemies. Instead of wishing your enemies pain, ask that for every hurt, you receive ten times the happiness or success you have now. Instead of wishing your enemy gets in trouble for foolishness, ask God to give them wisdom. This pleases God.

1 John 1:9-12
Matthew 5:44
Romans 5:10

Love: Pray for your country and for the world. “God, may your kingdom come. Please help our country to do your will. Give wisdom to our leaders and to the leaders of the entire world. Let there be peace in Jerusalem. God, help the abused children, help the hungry. Help those who are addicted to find freedom in Jesus. Liberate the persecuted”.

1 Timothy 5:17
Psalms 122:6-7
Philippians 1:19