In this post, I will offer two more types of prayers you can use to enhance your quiet time with God. Offer prayers of petition and prayers of confidence to your time with God will build on your relationship with God.
A Prayer of Petition
Matthew writes, "Keep asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
Jesus doesn't say ask one time; he tells us to keep asking and keep seeking and keep knocking. He wants us to be as persistent as the widow who nagged the judge until she got an answer. That's how we make a connection to God. If we are willing to listen to God as we ask for our needs to be met, we will begin to develop a relationship with him.
As we make it a habit to ask God for our daily physical needs, daily forgiveness, and daily guidance, we begin to build a dependence on God. When we realize we can depend on God for all of our needs, it's easier to give ourselves to God fully. And as we show our faith in God, our faith grows. We often ask God only for the big things, but with practice, we will find ourselves asking God for our little daily needs.
These daily petitions often grow into real conversations with God. And I can attest the closer we are to God, the greater our joy in this life is. And the greater the glory of God will be visible in our lives.
It also cuts down on our time of fretting when we take Paul's advice, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then, you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
Prayer of Confidence
A prayer of confidence affirms God's all-sufficiency and the believer's security in his love. In all honesty, I think any prayer we pray is a prayer of confidence. We wouldn't pray to God asking for his help or asking him to intercede for someone else if we weren't confident that God would answer.
Many of David's psalms are prayers of confidence. He usually begins by telling God his problems and questioning if God is even paying attention. But I've noticed that his psalms always end with words of confidence in God. One psalm that is a psalm of confidence all the way through is Psalm 23. Take a moment and read through Psalm 23 and listen to the ways David tells God that he is totally confident in God's ability to keep him safe, no matter what.
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along the right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley,[a] I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
I often read through the book of Psalms in my prayer times first because I feel the same concerns that the psalmist acknowledges and second because the psalmists' words of confidence remind me of the promises that God has given to me, too.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave, he prayed a prayer of confidence when he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here so that they will believe you sent me." John 11:42
Whenever Jesus prayed to God, he prayed in total confidence that God was listening, that God could answer his prayers, and that God would answer his prayers. I want to pray with the confidence of Jesus. Just one more way that I ask God to give me the mind of Christ each day. Do you pray with confidence in your Father?
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