The Science of Prayer

God's willingness to answer our prayers

God is eager to help us and give us good things

2 Chronicles 16:9a

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Matthew 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes

Calvary shows us how willing God is

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Pray God's Word

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Jesus' ABC's of Prayer

A. Ask and it will be given to you

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

B. Believe and you shall receive

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

C. Claim the promise by thanking God for hearing your prayer

John 11:41

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man [Lazarus] was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me."

The Power of God's Word

God's word is creative, when He speaks it gets done

Psalm 33:6, 9

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.... For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God can speak of future things as if they already existed

Romans 4:16-17 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did

God cannot lie

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Hebrews 6:18 "it is impossible for God to lie"

Pray in Jesus' name

John 14:14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Pray With God's Spirit

The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 

The Holy Spirit reminds of God's promises

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

God is more than willing to give His Spirit to those who ask Him

Luke 11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

Take time to pause and wait for God's leading

1 Kings 19:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

Isaiah 30:20-21 And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it, ”Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.

John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Focus of prayer: God's kingdom

Matthew 6:13b ...For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Conditions of Prayer

A. Prayer requires faith

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

God gives you faith

Faith is a gift from God

Romans 10:17 ...faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God

Ephesians 2:8b... faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God

Romans 12:3b ...God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Matthew 17:20 ...if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

B. Humble Willingness to Obey God's Will

2 Chronicles 7:14  if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1 John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

God gives you the power to obey

Ezekiel 36:27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

C. Prayer requires repentance from sin

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.

Proverbs 28:9

One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

God gives you repentance

Acts 5:31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

The Holy Spirit you convicts of sin

John 16:8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment

God will forgive and cleanse the sins you confess

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

D. You must be willing to forgive others

Mark 11:25

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

God offers you a new heart filled with love

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

E. Persevere in Prayer

Luke 18:7-8 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled

1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

Romans 12:12  rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer

God will gives you the desire to pray

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

A Time and Place for Private Prayer

Mark 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Praise and thanksgiving in prayer 

Psalm 22:3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Matthew 6:9

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Intercessory Prayer (Praying for Others)

1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men 

Matthew 5:44 "... pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you"

James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Job 42:10 And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

The Power of United Prayer

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Prayer and Fasting

Matthew 17:18-21 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Keep a Journal

Deuteronomy 8:2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Example Prayer of 2 Chronicles 20

Praise God (verse 6)

Thank God (verse 7)

Claim a promise (verse 8-9)

Your present situation (verse 10-12)

Praise God (18-19)