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Prayer's Instruction Manual
Matthew 6:6
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
Whenever I want to know how to do or use something, I always go to the instruction manual. The instruction manual is usually put together by the one who made the product. Likewise, the instruction manual is put together by the one who is in charge of showing the followers how they expect them to conduct themselves. You will never enjoy a product to its fullest if you don't learn to follow the instruction manual.
In the verse above, God gives us an instruction manual on prayer. God wants His people to pray and get things from Him, but they must follow the instruction manual on prayer to get the greatest benefits from prayer. Without following the manual, you may get some prayers answered, but by following the manual you will get more prayers answered. Let me show you several instructions on how to pray.
First, pray at a set time. God says in verse 5, "And when thou prayest..." You will notice that God used the word "when." That means there must have been a set time to pray. I have found in the Christian life that you will do what God tells you to do more regularly if you have a set time. If you want your prayer life to be successful, then you would be wise to have a set time every day to pray.
Second, pray privately. God says in the verse above, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet..." God wants you to have a private time of prayer when you take your requests to Him. Yes, there are times when you should have public prayer, but you should daily have a private time that you spend with God in prayer.
Third, pray like you have a relationship with God. Notice in the verse above God says, "...pray to thy Father..." There is a personal relationship when you are making God your Father. If you're saved, then God is your Father. That means you should talk to God the same way you would talk to your earthly father. Be personal, and never be afraid to tell Him your needs and requests.
Fourth, pray with your heart. God says in verse 7, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions..." God doesn't like it when we are simply repeating something every day, He wants your prayer to come from your heart. When your prayer comes from your heart, then you have a better chance of getting something from God.
Fifth, pray precisely. Notice in verse 7, God talks about the Pharisees praying with "much speaking." God is not as interested in you giving a speech in your prayer as He is about you being precise with your request. Don't try to impress God with your prayer, but rather be as precise as you can be with God.
Last, pray believing. Don't pray with doubt, but pray with faith that God will answer your prayer. Too many times we pray with doubt only to get the answer for which we prayed, doubt. Realize that God can answer your prayer, and believe that He will answer it as He promised.
The greatest weapon that the Christian has, other than the Word of God, is their prayer life. Follow God's instructions on prayer and you will find that He will answer more of your requests.