“Prayer is an offering up of our desires to God (Ps. 62:8), for things agreeable to his will (1 John 5:14), in the name of Christ (John 16:23), with confession of our sins (Ps. 32:5–6; Dan. 9:4), and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies (Phil. 4:6)”
— Westminster Shorter Catechism
— Westminster Shorter Catechism
A Few Helps for Prayer
1. "Pray with the grain"
We want to pray to the God revealed in the Bible. The biblical God exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By praying to our one God through addressing Father, Son, and Spirit, we can draw out what each person of the Godhead has done and is doing for us. We pray with the grain of God and the gospel by making our prayers intentionally trinitarian.
Application:
Pray through the praise and prayer of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 1. Observe and imitate how he praises the members of the Trinity for their roles in our salvation (vv.3-14) and his prayer for the church to be ministered to by each member of the Trinity (vv.15-23).
2. Use the promises of God
The pages of Scripture overflow with the incredible promises of God to his people. Use these as a resource to guide you into a richer, more biblical experience with prayer.
Application:
Pray through an individual Psalm by turning the psalmist’s words into your own prayer to God.
3. Pray frontline prayers
Third, don’t just pray “maintenance” prayers; pray “frontline” prayers.
Maintenance prayers are prayers for your own needs and desires. Of course, God wants us to pray for these things and truly hears them, but we also need to engage in prayers that address the frontlines of God’s kingdom (kingdom prayers). Frontline prayers include praying for the church and its needs, the lost around us who need Christ, global missions, and the spiritual battle between the kingdom of heaven and the powers of darkness.
Maintenance prayers are prayers for your own needs and desires. Of course, God wants us to pray for these things and truly hears them, but we also need to engage in prayers that address the frontlines of God’s kingdom (kingdom prayers). Frontline prayers include praying for the church and its needs, the lost around us who need Christ, global missions, and the spiritual battle between the kingdom of heaven and the powers of darkness.
Application:
Every week our elders post a few weekly prayer focuses that address some of these frontline prayers. These can be found in the prayer section of the Generations app. We also post a “Corporate Devotion” that can be found in the Resources section of the app, which includes specific members of our church to pray for. These are great tools for stimulating frontline prayers.