How Should We Pray?

Pardizzle · Feb 3, 2024

I know my thoughts on this, but I would like to know how others view this topic of prayer......I thought it might be a good discussion.

A few scenarios to get your mind going.....

1. Do you have to have your eyes closed when praying?
2. Do you have to physically be in a specific (kneeling or otherwise) position when you pray?
3. Do you think a prayer should be have a certain format to it?
4. Where/when can you pray?

These are merely examples to jog your mind...I just want to hear what you think a prayer should be. Thanks!

PaulThomson · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

It's a good approach to ask God what He r=thinks about the issue one is praying about and to find out what scripture has to say about it, so that one is praying according to God's will with the right understanding of His will.

I like to be walking around while praying, so eyes closed and kneeling are out.

We are to pray without ceasing. Having a specific place or format when praying would not seem to accord with that injunction.

BonnieClaire · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

I know my thoughts on this, but I would like to know how others view this topic of prayer......I thought it might be a good discussion.

A few scenarios to get your mind going.....

1. Do you have to have your eyes closed when praying?
2. Do you have to physically be in a specific (kneeling or otherwise) position when you pray?
3. Do you think a prayer should be have a certain format to it?
4. Where/when can you pray?

These are merely examples to jog your mind...I just want to hear what you think a prayer should be. Thanks!

Humbly

PaulThomson · Feb 4, 2024

PaulThomson said:

Prayer is two-way communication, with a dependent attitude with God to rest in His grace and will.
However one is doing that is prayer. It may be in speaking or listening, or silently. It may be body language or interjections that express wonder. appreciation, grief. joy or any other response to desiring or observing God's working in lives, or observing His handiwork.

SunshineGirl · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

For me it depends... At work when 200 kids are fighting it's me running to try to break it up praying "please Jesus help" there is no time for everything else.
At home when I have what I call 'my deep prayer' I normally sit down, eyes are normally closed as it helps me to concentrate.
Format...
I thank God for everything he has done/given me that day. Talk about where I went wrong, talk about family, friends and people, life. Then be quiet for a bit. Then end the prayer in Jesus name.
You can pray any time any place morning, noon and night. God never sleeps and is always listening 🥰

Thunderrr-mental · Feb 4, 2024

SunshineGirl said:

For me it depends... At work when 200 kids are fighting it's me running to try to break it up praying "please Jesus help" there is no time for everything else.
At home when I have what I call 'my deep prayer' I normally sit down, eyes are normally closed as it helps me to concentrate.
Format...
I thank God for everything he has done/given me that day. Talk about where I went wrong, talk about family, friends and people, life. Then be quiet for a bit. Then end the prayer in Jesus name.
You can pray any time any place morning, noon and night. God never sleeps and is always listening 🥰

what about on the seventh day 😋 I herd he likes 40 winks 😂

Shilohsfoal · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

When I first started seeking God ,I had many of the same questions,so I turned to the bible and learned what Jesus taught about praying.The best discission I've ever made was to start learning from Jesus .

Jesus teaches his students how to pray.
Mathew 6

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Shilohsfoal · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

I hope you find what you are seeking.Dont give up.Keep knocking on that door till he comes and answers you .

Luke 11

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Shilohsfoal · Feb 4, 2024

My advise to you is "Do whatever he tells you".

Jesus first miracle

John 2
2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

SunshineGirl · Feb 4, 2024

Thunderrr-mental said:

Well on the seventh day he looked at all he made, looked over to Jesus and said who's the daddy. Jesus replied ya the daddy hehe.
This is what happens when a person works with teenagers, they turn into one...helpppppp 😞

SunshineGirl · Feb 4, 2024

Shilohsfoal said:

When I first started seeking God ,I had many of the same questions,so I turned to the bible and learned what Jesus taught about praying.The best discission I've ever made was to start learning from Jesus .

Jesus teaches his students how to pray.
Mathew 6

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

In church service they always stand up and pray sometimes the prayer goes on for over ten minutes and they wear long robes is this wrong? Many thanks 🥰

Karlon · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

1. No
2 .No, but when you kneel to Jesus, you are displaying 1 of the ways of respect & reverence.
3. Yes. always pray in the name of Jesus. also, if praying for someone's healing, always pray 1st or that person's spiritual healing.
4. pray anywhere, anytime.

Pilgrimshope · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

Mai think a prayer should be like Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him and the many times he taught them about prayer

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, ……
‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:1-2‬ ‭

the lord in who’s name we pray taught those who believe in him all about prayer not just in Luke 11 but several times he taught many aspects of prayer

One of the most important and consistent things he taught regarding prayer is this

“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:24-26‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Often we reject it instead of accepting it tho

Pardizzle · Feb 4, 2024

Shilohsfoal said:

I hope you find what you are seeking.Dont give up.Keep knocking on that door till he comes and answers you .

Luke 11

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Thank you for your response, I appreciate it! I completely agree with what you have said, and practice this way, I just thought this would make for a great/fun discussion....that's why I started this.

Shilohsfoal · Feb 4, 2024

SunshineGirl said:

They are not praying as Jesus taught.They are praying as what Jesus calls a hypocrite.

hypocrite was a Greek word for a stage actor .Like someone who performed in the roman colosseum in plays.They are putting on a show but according to Jesus ,the show is for man and not God.

Jesus has never steered me in the wrong direction.

CS1 · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

The model of Prayer is found in MATTHEW Chapters 6& 7.

We at what is known as the Lord's Prayer was more for the Disciple than Jesus.

They asked Jesus to teach them to pray.

Jesus did not start with "Our Father."

Jesus started with You are to self-judge and check your heart.

5“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Jesus said You must forgive or you don't have forgiveness.

Jesus said leave your gift and go make it right with your brother.

Prayer is primarily for you to self-examine, repent, restore, and then appeal to God for others.

If Prayer doesn't change you, it will change nothing.

SunshineGirl · Feb 4, 2024

Shilohsfoal said:

I knew deep in my heart it was wrong but for four years I went to that church because that was the place I found Jesus. Looking back now I was so silly. It really makes me sad to know there are a lot of places like this. They are no better than the JW's praying on broken people 😞

Blade · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

To just touch what you said. Have to close my eyes? No never but does it not help with "distractions "? Yeah! Do I have to be on knees again no but there are times.. lol.. how to say this. There are times I am not talking to my Father/Christ but GOD other times I have to be on my face. No fear no worry but ooh His presences.

A certain format? That's hard. Myself I don't get locked into say " ok repent, read the bible for 1h then worship 1h they pray 1h+ and in the spirit yes that is tongues luke 11 13. then wait on lord". I do always repent before.. same if praying for someone. I don't want "anything" between me and God.

He is in each one of us. He is real! Relax let the sweet sweet holy Spirit lead you. Were told to pray about all things 24/7.

GRACE_ambassador · Feb 4, 2024

Pardizzle said:

Precious friend, and then there is Scripture, Rightly Divided:

In prophecy / covenants / law, we find Jesus' [ Son of man, to be their King ]
earthly Words to His disciples, for them and Israel
[ covered in several posts above, so no need to repeat ]

Rightly Divided (2 Timothy 2:15) From “Things That Differ!” (online):

In God's Other Context Of Mystery / Grace, we find Christ's Wonderful
Heavenly Words To The Body Of Christ, of Which He Is The Head!:

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

(Philippians 4:6)

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and

watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all

saints;" (Ephesians 6:18)

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;"

(Colossians 4:2)

"Pray without ceasing, In every thing give thanks: for This Is The Will

of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)

Especially if, in our infirmities, we "know not what to pray for":

"Likewise The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not

what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Itself Maketh

Intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. "

(Romans 8:26)

and, after "all is prayed and done"? Learn from Paul's prayer example:

"For this thing I besought The Lord thrice, that it might depart from

me. And He Said Unto me, My Grace Is Sufficient For thee: for My

Strength Is Made Perfect In weakness. Most gladly therefore will

I rather glory in my infirmities, that The Power Of Christ may rest

Upon me. " (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)

Amen.

PS. "forgiveness"?:

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

Even As God For Christ's Sake Hath Forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32)

PaulThomson · Feb 4, 2024

SunshineGirl said:

It bemuses me when we are singing in a fellowship meeting and the lyrics are, "I bow" or "I lift my hands" or "I kneel" or "I dance" or "I shout" and the congregation does none of those things while singing them..

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