Prayer is a gift from God. Prayer is a command of God.
Good prayer begins in knowing who God is, what He expects, and what we should expect. Every successful prayer, whether offered by a child in Christ or a seasoned veteran, has many things in common. This booklet looks at the essentials common to good prayer.
Every believer in Jesus has the right be heard by God in prayer. But did you know that there are such a things as useful prayer and ineffective prayer? The Bible shows that prayer has its basic requirements, and poor preparation will result in poor prayer. On the other hand, the Bible also offers direction on effective prayer, and is full of examples of His response to faithful people.
Prayer is a willful effort, in faith. This at least means that we are to labor in prayer, believing and waiting on what God says will happen. But good prayer has its benefits now, as well. Good prayer is a wonderful, rewarding thing. Communing with God, His Spirit stirring in us, knowing we are following His command, living a holy life in constant readiness, laboring with others in Christ, seeing God at work – all of these are benefits of effective prayer.
So, why should we be concerned about these things? So that we can succeed and please God in service, which is also rewarding to us both now and on the Day He will examine our lives for the quality of our labor.