God created all things, including prayer. All of His creations are governed by laws. Universal or spiritual laws.
1. Sowing and reaping. Galatians 6:7-8
2. Giving and receiving. Luke 6:38
3. Covering and confessing. Proverbs 28:13
4. These laws would come under the heading of asking and receiving. Matthew 7:7
These laws are not made by man. How man knows and relates himself to them, determines his spiritual condition and God’s blessings.
Will God bless sin? In any person? In any form? Does good or bad intentions nullify any law or invalidate it? NO! Does ignorance alter the laws of God? NO
The main truth is seen in the law of salvation. How many ways does God save a lost sinner? John 3:3; new birth. Revival is governed by spiritual laws. 2 Chronicles 7:12-14. Prayer is governed by spiritual laws ordained by God. I believe there are some things God will not give his people, apart from prayer. Not that He can not give. God is God, but God has chosen prayer as the means by which He wants to give.
Man in his relationship to God should do three things: Think, Work, and Pray. You cannot substitute prayer for work, or work for prayer. Doing one does not free a person from the other. Now the Christian who is ignorant of the spiritual laws governing prayer is dismayed and disheartened when he prays, and nothing happens. He quits over time. What are the basic laws that govern prayer?
I. For the Glory of God.
1. Philippians 2:11
2. John 14:13
3. All prayer, as well as all acts and thoughts of life should have for the end result glorifying God.
4. Do we pray to gratify our desires, or pray to bring to pass our own will and goals?
5. It should be what God desires.
II. In the Name of Jesus.
1. Ephesians 2:18; 3:12
2. The bible teaches that prayer must be offered in the name of Jesus. And this teaches two things:
a. Prayer exists for the benefit of those who know Jesus as personal Lord and Savior.
1) For a person to be on praying ground he must be in Christ.
2) 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Timothy 2:5
b. Only the name of Jesus guarantees prayer access to the Father.
1) John 15:16; 16:23-24
2) Mark 16:17-18; Acts 3:6
III. According to the Will of God.
1. 1 John 5:14-15
2. Prayer offered according to God’s will is both heard and answered.
3. You and I cannot foresee the future with accuracy.
a. If we evaluate a situation in the light of the knowledge we possess and pray accordingly we still don’t know the future thus don’t know how to ask.
4. Examples:
a. Pray about a job.
b. Pray about my health. (Paul and the thorn)
c. My baby is about to die.
5. Let's pray positive. Hebrews 4:16
a. I can pray for God's will in a job, my health, my baby.
b. I can pray for your faith to fail not. Luke 22:32
c. I can quote Romans 8:28
IV. Pray with Intense Desire
1. Romans 9:1-3; how our heart feels.
2. Intense desire, we would not forget what we asked for the day before.
3. Example of intense desire is blind Bartimaeus. Mark 10:46-51 What he desired in his heart, he received.
4. Hannah, another example, 1 Samuel 1:10, says “She was in bitterness of soul, prayed unto the Lord and wept sore.
V. Pray by Asking.
1. James 4:2; why ask if God knows our need?
2. Jesus knew Bartimaeus needed his sight, but he made him ask for it.
3. God knew Hannah wanted a son, but she had to ask for him.
4. Matthew 7:7-8 ask, seek, and knock.
a. Jesus promised that asking, seeking, and knocking would produce results.
5. What is the value of asking?
a. Not by the words spoken nor the manner.
b. Not to inform God, he already knows.
c. God wants us to evaluate our own needs and thus see what we need. We need to see where we are at when we ask, we are confronted with our problem or weakness.
1) Perhaps to show us our limitations versus his greatness.
2) Peter walking on the water. Lord save me!
VI. Pray with Faith.
1. Hebrews 11:6; James 1:6-7
2. Luke 17:5-6; not quality but quantity.
3. Faith is a 2-sided coin.
a. The first side is the belief that God is able to do what he has asked us to do.
b. The second side is knowing that God is willing to do this.
4. Faith believes that God has the power and willingness to produce action in life. Mark 11:24
5. Now what have we said? If we want God to hear our prayer, we must pray God's way.
God's way is:
For the glory of God.
In the name of Jesus.
According to the will of God.
With an intense desire.
By asking.
In faith.
