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God promises to hear us
when we pray in faith |
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God co-opts us in prayer, not the other way round. |
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The ‘arrow’ prayer is a marvellous gift – the idea that in the middle of a busy day we can shoot a prayer up to God – but if it is all we can ever manage it is a sure sign that we are co-opting God into our goals, not vice versa. All prayer begins in the heart of God, not on our ‘to do’ list. |
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Know as much as we can of the character of God. |
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Reading the Bible regularly is a fundamental component of prayer because this is how we learn about God. Jesus said: ‘I will do whatever you ask in my name’ (John 14:13). The word ‘name’ means ‘character’ in Hebrew. So it is the things we ask for in God’s character which get done. |
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Keep a good grip on the goal of prayer. |
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The Lord’s Prayer says that God’s kingdom should come on earth as it is in heaven – and the goal is that it should be repaired. As Hans Kung said in a memorable phrase: heaven is creation healed. |
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Let God’s Spirit move in us as we pray. |
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As Romans 8: 26-27 says: ‘the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.’ This co-operation with the Holy Spirit in our hearts can’t be taught, it has to be caught. It is entirely experiential, but available to all who seek God. |
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Know as much as we can of the situation we pray for. |
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This is more than just a ‘knowing about’ something – it amounts to a costly emotional connection. We should identify with the person or situation we are praying for. To pray for others is not to skate quickly and smoothly over the frozen ice, but to break the ice and dip into the freezing waters below and stay there until we feel the pain too. This is where intercession starts to hurt. |
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Stay with our intercessions until they bear fruit or until God moves us on. |
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The work of God’s Spirit is often not observable, and so we must trust he is doing his work even if we can’t see it – and be prepared to move on from those prayers when we feel he is calling us to. There are however many times when we have the evidence that our prayers have been answered and we find the assurance to move on. |
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Express thanksgiving to God for the good things he does. |
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Ingratitude is unspiritual. As Paul says to the Philippians: ‘in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. |
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... AND FOUR TIPS FOR UNANSWERED PRAYER |
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Some prayers he answers in unexpected ways – we just don’t notice it. |
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Some prayers he answers in ways we hoped for – we just forgot we asked in the first place. |
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Some prayers he delays answering either for a reason that will become clear or for a reason which |
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doesn’t. |
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Sometimes God says no, either because he has another purpose or for some reason we will never |
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know – it is this latter option that is hardest to bear. We have to trust in God’s goodness and love. |