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2. Prayer is personal communication from us to God.

3. Adoration Thanksgiving Supplication
Through prayer, we can communicate requests
to God, confess sins to God, and give praise,
adoration, and thanksgiving to God.
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication

5. Reasons for Prayer
God does not want us to pray so that He can
find out what we need.
Matthew 6:8
God wants us to pray so that we become
more dependent upon Him.
Luke 11: James 1:6-8
Matthew 21: James 5:14-15

6. Reasons for Prayer
God also desires that our love for Him and our
relationship with Him will deepen and grow through
prayer.
God also wants us to pray because it allows
us to be a part of a story that is greater than
our own.
Matthew 6:10

7. The Effectiveness of Prayer
When we ask for things in prayer, God often
responds to those prayers.
Luke 11:9-10
Our failure to ask God for things is often the
reason we do not receive what He delights to
give us.
James 4:2

8. The Effectiveness of Prayer
Scripture provides us with many examples of
God responding in response to prayer.
Exodus 32:12
1 John 1:9
2 Chronicles 7:14

9. The Effectiveness of Prayer
Because of sin, on our own, we have no right to
ask God for anything.
However, if our faith is in Jesus, our prayers
will be effective.
1 Timothy 2:5
John 14:6
Therefore, God is under no obligation to
answer the prayers of those that have rejected
His Son.

10. The Effectiveness of Prayer
Because Jesus is the only true mediator between
holy God and sinful man, our prayers should be
based on His authority as a mediator.
John 16:23
1 John 5:13-14

11. Praying in Jesus’ Name
Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will
do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son,
if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.
John 14:13-14
To come in the name of someone means that
another person has authorized us to come on
His authority, not on our own.
Acts 3:6 Acts 4:7 Acts 16:18

12. Praying in Jesus’ Name
Praying in Jesus’ name is therefore prayer made
on His authorization.

13. Praying to Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Should we pray to Jesus and the Holy Spirit?
A study of New Testament prayers indicate
that very few prayers are addressed to
either God the Son or God the Spirit.
There is, however, clear pattern of prayer to
God the Father through God the Son.

14. Praying to Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Should we pray to the Holy Spirit?
There are no prayers in the New Testament
that are directed toward God the Spirit.
There is nothing that forbids us from doing so.
The Holy Spirit is, after all, fully God and is
worthy of our prayers and is powerful to
answer those prayers.

15. Our Attitude in Prayer
We must pray according to God’s will.
1 John 5:14
This requires humility on our part, because
we must pray for what God desires instead
of what we desire.
James 4:6

16. Our Attitude in Prayer
Sometimes, it is easy to know and pray God’s will.
If we pray in line with scripture, we will be
asking God to do what He already desires.
John 15:7

17. Our Attitude in Prayer
Jesus encourages us to pray as though we
believe that God has already decided to give us
what we ask for.
Mark 11:24
Anything in our lives that displeases God will
hinder our prayers.
Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 15:29, 1 Peter 3:12
However, we do not need to be sinless in
order for God to hear our prayers

18. Our Attitude in Prayer
God promises us that He will not leave us
or forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5(b) - 6

19. Memory Verse for Next Week
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18– “Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”