VIII. Include Your Whole Body.
C.S. Lewis said, “The body ought to pray as well as the soul. Body and soul are both better for it.” It is good to involve the whole body in prayer and not just the mind. Including all of one’s body may make prayer more meaningful. So, you can:
Include the eyes (Daniel 6:10). Maybe you look to heaven (John 17:1). Perhaps you will be like the publican and refuse to look up (Luke 18:13). Eyes can wonder, so make sure you center their focus on what you are doing. Closing them will help restless eyes.
Include the mouth (Psalm 54:2). Silent prayers are acceptable (1 Samuel 1:13), but it is beneficial to speak out loud to God. The Psalmist “cried to” God (Psalm 30:8). The Hebrews’ writer likely wrote about Jesus’ verbal prayers to God in the garden (Hebrews 5:7). It is wise to speak to God out loud.
Include the hands and knees (Psalm 28:2). While no specific prayer position is commanded, some have either stood (1 Samuel 1:26; Luke 18:11), knelt (1 Kings 8:54), fell on the face (Mattew 26:39), or outstretched their hands (Ezra 9:5). Sometimes it is good to kneel at the bedside, reach for heaven, or lie completely on the ground when talking to God.
No prayer posture makes a prayer more meaningful than another. It is the heart of a man that determines its validity (Matthew 6:5-8). But a man on his knees may manifest a sacrifice of mind. Robert Murray McCheyne said, “What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and nothing more.”
IX. Pray the Scriptures.
Inspired words are the best words. It may be important and beneficial to verbalize prayers from great men of God like David, Nehemiah, Ezra, or even Jesus. Specific words, phrases, or ideas can be prayed from their examples and adapted to one’s own personal prayer life. Do not just read the prayers, make them yours. This practice is not limited to prayers, perhaps specific Scriptures like the Psalms or Prophets can be added to personal prayers. Here are some suggested prayers and Scriptures to read before you pray:
If you need to confess sin, read and use phrases from Psalm 32:1-7; 38; 51:1-12; Daniel 9:1-19; Nehemiah 9:16-38; Ezra 9:5-15.
If you are going to praise God, read and use phrases from Psalm 95-100 or the first few verses of Paul’s epistles (Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Philippians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 1:3; Philemon 4).
If you are going to pray for others, read and use phrases from John 17.
If you are having trouble with enemies, read and use phrases from Psalm 3.
If you are going to pray for wisdom, read and use phrases from 1 Kings 3:6-9.
If you are in agony or distress, read and use phrases from Matthew 26:39-42; 2 Kings 19:14-19.
Add living words to your prayers (Hebrews 4:12).
X. Observe the Power of Prayer.
Prayer does not become more powerful because we recognize its strength, but when we recognize its strength, we tend to see the power that is already there. If only men would fall to their knees, they would see how strong they can be when they stand. Sometimes it seems as though men think God cannot do something, but they forget that they have the privilege of prayer. Prayer is the closest anyone on earth will get to a divine being. It puts one before the throne of God (Hebrews 4:16). Prayer is the act that prompts providence, God’s most powerful tool in the lives of mankind. God commands prayer for a purpose. Evidently, prayer must work, else the Holy Spirit would not have used the word 114 times. James said that the “effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). The Greek word for “availeth” is translated “might” and “strength” in other verses (Matthew 8:28; Hebrews 9:17). Illustratively, James used Elijah’s two prayers as an example of this power (James 5:17-18; cf. 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1). How can we observe the power of prayer in our lives?
Create a list of prayers and write the date of when they were answered.
Share asked and answered prayers with your friends and discuss them.
Remember that God is not limited. Don’t short-change God. Bring Him anything and everything. There is nothing that He cannot handle! Remember, if God won’t do something, it doesn’t mean that He cannot do it (Matthew 19:26).
“The story is told of a little boy who was playing out in his backyard, trying to move a rock which seemed to be in the way of what he was doing. Try as he might, he simply could not budge the stone. Observing his frustration from a distance, his father walked over to his son and asked, ‘Son, have you done all that you can do to move that rock?’ The boy angrily responded in the affirmative. ‘No,’ his father replied, ‘You haven’t done everything…you haven’t asked me to help you.”[5] If only we would recognize how powerful prayer is would problems be solved, answers be given, and peace be afforded (Philippians 4:6-7).
Comments