Do you meed more effective prayer?
Would you like your prayers to be more effective? I sure would. And I think most people feel the same way. But what really makes for effective prayer?
The problem is that sometimes we have a very limited idea of what prayer is and how it works. There are so many different ways to pray. And it’s not so much that one type of prayer is more effective than another. It’s more about what’s in your heart while you’re praying.
Are you praying for what you think is best, for what you want to happen, or just repeating the words someone else taught you but not really thinking about what the words mean?
Or are you praying for God to show you what He wants you to do, for His will to be done, surrendering your own hopes and opinions, and just talking to Him like you would to a friend?
Effective prayer is not just about the words
You can say the exact same words in a prayer, but if your heart is in a different place, it’s not the same prayer at all.
For example, maybe you’ve learned to say in your prayers, quoting Jesus,
…not my will, but yours be done. Luke 22:42 NIV
But if underneath those words you’re really trying to get God to do what you want Him to, you won’t have a very effective prayer because your heart is focused on what you want instead of what God wants, even though you’re saying the right words.
Now, on the other hand, you pray these same words, “not my will, but God’s will be done,” with the earnest and sincere desire to accept and follow whatever God’s plan is for you, it’s a completely different prayer.
Effective prayer is not always, if ever, about the words. Although the words of your prayers are important, the spirit you pray with is much more important.
Effective prayer is not trying to make something happen
Another mistake people often make in their prayers is having the attitude that their prayers make something happen and that if they don’t pray, God won’t do anything about the situation.
First off, let me say, God is not handcuffed, unable to do anything until you pray about it. That would make God dependent on you and your prayers. It’s the other way around. You and your prayers are completely dependent on God.
I know that from one perspective, when you pray earnestly and sincerely and then God answers that prayer, it’s easy to think your prayer made it happen. But there’s actually something much bigger going on.
Here’s a little story that has helped me understand what effective prayer is.
What you can learn from a rooster about effective prayer
Once there was a rooster who woke up early every morning before sunrise and crowed until the sun came up. He thought he had the most important job on the farm. He was convinced that his crowing made the sun rise. If he didn’t crow, the sun would not come up and he was the only one who could do it.
But one morning he wasn’t feeling well and lost his voice, and he couldn’t crow at all. He was frantic and absolutely certain the sun wouldn’t be able to rise that morning. But to his great astonishment, it did come up.
The poor rooster was devastated. He suddenly felt powerless and unimportant. The sun didn’t need him to crow after all, in order to rise. His ego was totally shattered.
But the hens all came to him and told him how much they enjoyed him crowing and that it always helped them get ready for the new day. For them, his crowing was more of an announcement that the new day was here and that it was something to celebrate.
The rooster had to swallow his pride and actually felt a little foolish, but once he finally realized his job was not to make the sun come up but to announce it to everyone, he felt a new sense of purpose.
Now, when he crowed, it was a celebration of the new day, of the light chasing away the darkness, of what was already happening, not something he had to make happen. He no longer felt burdened with the false responsibility to make the sun come up and found a joy he had never experienced before.
I used to think my prayers made things happen
I used to be kind of like that rooster. I thought I had to pray to make something happen. And I would crank out a powerful prayer. I thought I was doing something.
For example, years ago when I was living in Boston, I was scheduled to be on the greeting committee at church one Sunday. Before church, I prayed earnestly for the service and that the love expressed by all the members would bless the community. In fact, I had a little epiphany that the gospel message at the service would reach out and bless the whole world.
Once I got to church, the most interesting thing happened. A family from Venezuela came in and asked if anyone could come to church there. Of course, I replied. But they realized they had an appointment in about half an hour and would miss the service.
But I showed them around and we chatted a bit. They had come to Boston for their daughter to have a medical procedure. I asked if they were interested in spiritual healing and the answer was a definite “Yes.” The daughter’s eyes lit up when I shared a book about spiritual healing with them along with some other pamphlets about turning to God for help.
Just as quickly as they had come in, they had to leave for their appointment.
God rebuked my pride
Later, I was pretty proud of myself. I thought I had prayed so well, that it brought this family into church. I had been praying to bless the whole world, and these folks from half a world away came through the church doors and certainly received a blessing.
But God rebuked me for the pride in my heart. I had been just like the rooster who thought his crowing made the sun come up. I finally realized that my prayers had not made this family come into church, but had allowed me to see it. I could have been in a different spot when they came in and missed them all together. But God put me in a place where I could see what He was already doing.
The bad news is that it has taken many such events in my life for me to finally realize my prayers did not make something happen, but allowed me to bear witness to what God is already doing.
But that’s also the good news, because God has continued to open my eyes to see more of what He is doing and I have grown spiritually as a result.
Jesus’s approach to effective prayer
As in everything, Jesus sets the best example for effective prayer. And this was his approach as well, to see what God was doing.
I quote this verse from John all the time on the podcast. It’s part of the my spiritual theme song.
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. John 5:19 NIV
Jesus had enough humility to realize he couldn’t do anything without God’s help and without God doing it first.
If anyone knew about effective prayer it was Jesus. So, how did his approach of seeing what God was doing show up in his ministry?
Remember when Jesus healed the man who had been born blind? You can read the whole story in John, Chapter 9.
His disciples were trying to figure out whose fault it was. But Jesus basically told them that was the wrong question.
Everyone else saw a man who was blind from birth. What did Jesus see? Well, the real question is what did Jesus see God doing? How did Jesus see God seeing this man?
How did Jesus heal the blind man?
Jesus came preaching the good news that:
…the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17 ESV
How did Jesus know this? Jesus could say the kingdom of heaven is at hand and could see the kingdom of heaven at hand because God had revealed it to him. Jesus could see what God saw and did and was doing in the kingdom of heaven.
He could see that God saw no blindness in the kingdom of heaven, because no blindness can exist in heaven. Jesus saw what was true in heaven, what God revealed to him.
Jesus saw so clearly that this man, who was born blind on earth, could not possibly be blind in heaven. This clear vision of Jesus was a light that allowed everyone around him to see this as well. And the man was healed. He was able to see for the first time on earth. But he had never been blind in heaven.
Jesus, on his own, didn’t make this man see. He simply saw what God was doing, what God had already done in heaven, that this man was whole and could see clearly.
The most effective prayer you can possibly have is to follow Jesus’s example when you pray.
What you see God doing is an effective prayer
Can you say with Jesus: I can’t do anything by myself? It’s easy to say those words, but to actually live them 24/7 with the big things and the small things, takes a total shift in your thinking.
And what about doing everything you see the Father doing? Can you see God solving a problem, healing someone, or providing resources to someone who appears to have nothing? Oh, yeah, I know, it’s easy to say the words, “I see God doing all these things.” But it can’t just be an intellectual process.
Can you actually see, with your spiritual vision, God healing, providing for, and protecting someone, or resolving some situation? God is always doing something. Just imagine everything God is constantly doing. How much of what God is doing can you see Him doing? Again, I don’t mean imagine Him doing, but what can you truly see God do?
Over the years I’ve had lots of experiences where I realized I was trying to make something happen when I prayed. I often prayed for what I wanted or what I thought was right, and maybe it was right. But most of those prayers weren’t very effective.
Other times my spiritual vision has been clearer and I could see more of what God saw.
My literal thorn in the flesh
For example, one time I got a thorn in my finger. When I pulled it out, blood started spurting all over the place. Instantly I shouted “No!” That’s the only word that came out my mouth. But it was the absolute conviction in my heart that was the real prayer.
For several days before I literally got that thorn in my flesh, I had been thinking about the risen Christ. It was the week before Easter and I had been pondering deeply the resurrection. I felt so close to God. I’d been getting a much deeper sense of Jesus’s victory over sin, all evil, and the flesh. This gave me a solid conviction of who I was as a child of God, made in God’s image and likeness.
It was actually Good Friday when this happened and what I saw in an instant was that even though Jesus’s flesh could be pierced with thorns, nails, and a spear, the spiritual essence of his being, his Christly, eternal nature, could never be touched or penetrated by a thorn or anything else.
Immediately after I shouted “No!” I rinsed my finger off under the bathroom faucet. There was no more bleeding. I couldn’t even find the spot where my skin had been punctured. I even prodded and poked it and no more blood came out.
I know this is a tiny little example, but the point is that my prayer was not to make something happen or change. I had seen more clearly than ever before what God had done with Jesus and the resurrection. That clear vision was basically a very effective prayer for me.
Previous episodes about effective prayer
There have been lots of other times in my life when I had to quit trying to fix something with my prayers and just step back and watch what God was already doing, and what was already true in the kingdom of heaven.
I’ve done a couple of previous podcast episodes that talk about this.
- Episode 46: Are You Working to Establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth or Are You Bearing Witness to the Fact that it’s Already Here?
- Episode 190: Quit trying to change something when you pray
I think you’ll find some helpful ideas.
Effective prayer for current problems
There are some pretty serious problems in the world right now. And you may have some personal challenges of your own. How can Jesus’s approach to more effective prayer apply to some of these modern day situations?
Let’s come back to this idea of what you can see God doing?
When you think of these global problems of wars, over population, terrorism, financial crises, and so much more, do you think of God as ignoring our prayers for help and letting us wallow in the problems mankind has created for itself? If that’s your concept of God, then you won’t be able to see what He’s actually doing.
The reason others couldn’t heal like Jesus did, in his day and can’t today, is that they don’t actually see who and what God is and what He is doing and has already done. They only see their own or others’ fears and limiting belief systems. They don’t think God is able to heal or solve problems the way He did in the Bible.
For effective prayer, we need to see past these limitations and personal perspectives and open our spiritual eyes to see more of who God is and what He is doing.
King Jehoshaphat’s effective prayer
In thinking and praying about some of the global conflicts going on right now, the wars and oppressive governments, I’m reminded of what happened when Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, was told that enemy armies were coming to attack Jerusalem. He realized how outnumbered his troops were and he turned to God with a powerful and effective prayer, which he concludes by saying,
Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV
Jehoshaphat realized he and his army were powerless to defeat the enemy forces. He admitted they didn’t know what to do and that they would keep their eyes focused on God. That’s exactly what Jesus did. He was always watching to see what God was doing.
That is a very humbling position to be in, but it’s also a very powerful mindset because it’s where you realize only God can help you.
As it turns out, the invading armies ended up destroying themselves and Jerusalem didn’t have to fight at all.
Praying for peace today
Is there anything to keep this from happening today? When countries provoke war, as countries so often tend to do, are we helpless? Are our prayers powerless to bring peace?
If you think your prayer is responsible for making wars stop and bringing peace, then it’s going to be a frustrating process. But, if we can take the attitude of King Jehoshaphat of realizing our own inability to solve so big a problem, we’ll be headed in the right direction.
And add to that Jesus’s approach that freely admits you can’t do anything by yourself, but you can only do what you see God do, you are definitely on the right path of effective prayer.
What can you see God doing on the global scale among the nations at war? What is God doing right this moment in heaven with all these people? Does He allow or promote war in the kingdom of heaven? Does part of God’s kingdom fight against other parts of His kingdom? Of course not.
In your prayers for peace, can you see God as creating and maintaining peace in heaven? Then you’re ready to look at the world and what God is able to do here and now in the light of what He is doing in heaven.
In your prayers for solving a personal problem, are you trying to make something happen or will you pray to see how God sees the situation in heaven and what He is already doing?
Seeing what’s already true in heaven
It may seem a bit counterintuitive, just to pray to see what’s true in heaven, and not ask God to change anything here on earth, whether it’s a war or a personal problem your dealing with. But the more clearly you see what God is doing, as Jesus did, the more effective your prayers will be.
Think of something that needs to be healed in your life or a larger problem going on in the world and embrace the mindset of Jehoshaphat and Jesus. The most effective prayer in any situation is to acknowledge you can’t do anything on your own, that you are totally dependent on God, and then to bear witness to what God is already doing in heaven and on earth.
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Luke 22:42 NIV
42 not my will, but yours be done.
John 5:19 NIV
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
Matthew 4:17 ESV
17 …the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV
12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.
