Effective Prayer

Dear Victorious,

I want to be good at prayer, especially praying for others. (I think that may be my spiritual gift - intercessory prayer.) What are the elements of effective prayer?

Tori N. - Tucson, AZ

Dear Tori,

Well, most teachers would point to models of prayer in the Bible and conclude that effective prayer has five (5) specific elements:

1. Praise for who God is.
2. Thanksgiving for what God has done.
3. Repentance (with confession) for any sins committed.
4. Specific requests of God.
5. Commitment to be faithful and obedient to God.

Those are all well and good, but I think there is one more element that may be the most important. That would be faith --- or believing that God answers our prayers. The Bible says that if you ask without believing that He'll answer, then you have no right to expect an answer. (James 1:6-7).

In addition to specific granting of our requests, we should also understand that God uses our prayers to help us in other ways. For example, heartfelt prayer can help clarify the problem we may be facing and put it into its proper perspective. Prayer can help us focus on God's power at work in the situation. Prayer can even help us clarify our role in the resolution of the problem.

When God's people pray effectively, difficult decisions or circumstances fall into their proper perspective and appropriate actions will follow.