Biblical Posts

The Right Prayers

The Right Prayers

Praying amiss is a real thing. It is very possible to genuinely need something but because you're praying with the wrong intentions or in the wrong way, you're not actually going to get it. Let me give you an example.

I wanted all As in a really important exam once buy my inspiration was completely misplaced. It wasn't really about getting into school or making my parents proud. I just wanted to prove to all the "haters" and people who weren't really supportive that I was smart enough to make it on my own and tough enough to survive at a public school. So, while I was praying about my grades, that was all I had in mind. It was more about me than it was about God. And I guess God knew that if he had let me have my way, I'd have become so proud and overly confident that I'd feel I didn't really need him in that area of my life anymore.

The problem here wasn't with my prayer. Getting all As is wonderful. It opens you up to all sorts of opportunities and gives you the confidence you'll need to write even tougher exams. My motive wasn't the right one. I wanted to be a showoff of sorts. Rub my victories in a lot of people's faces. My mind wasn't even focused on the course I wanted to study or how I could glorify God in the situation.

You can genuinely need money. But praying that internet fraud works out for you is definitely not the right way to go about. You might really need a new phone (real life example here) but praying for one just because your friend has one isn't the right way to go about it.

The bible says in James 4:3 (NLT);

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

Your intentions aren't the only things that can be wrong though. You also need to make sure you get the wordings of your prayers right as well. Does God understand us? Yes always, but you can't get what you don't ask for directly unless God has already promised you or given you something as a gift. This is why the bible says ask and you'll receive. And now for more examples;

Let's say deep down you wanted a car. But you don't think God will give you one, so you start praying indirectly. "God I really need a way to get to work." You might end up with enough money to take the train for the next two weeks but not a new car.

Here's a more common one. "Lord grant me all my heart desires." Sis, the Lord is not a genie in a bottle. He's not going to grant all your heart desires because even you don't actually know what all your desires are.

The bible says:

"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?"

Your heart is oftentimes contaminated by your flesh. It's why you think certain thoughts or act in certain ways sometimes. Your heart is deeper than you could ever imagine. There are some things you want deep down that you might not know yet because those desires haven't been triggered or brought to the surface.

It's because of issues like these that Paul advises us to pray in the spirit. He tells us that when we speak in tongues, we pray with our spirits;

Romans 8:26-27 NLT says "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Sometimes we know what we want but we aren't sure how to put it. Or we really just want to pray and speak to God, but we don't know how to go about it. The holy spirit helps us by giving us a language which comes through divine language. Since its coming from within your spirit you need not worry about finding the right words. The holy spirit will empower you.

To attain the gift of speaking in tongues, I advise you to talk to your pastor or mentor or anyone who is in a higher level of faith than you are. You need to have given your life to Christ to receive this gift as well.

I pray that the Lord continues to help us and give us the right words and intentions to pray with. I pray that he gives us the ability to focus our minds on what is hold and pure and righteous and just. I pray that he gives us understanding not only to pray the right way or for the right thing but also to understand the answers he gives.

~ Anne :)