How to Pray with Power

3 Secrets to Praying with Power:
1. The first secret of powerful prayer is found in Acts 12:5 “Peter therefore was kept in
the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.” This prayer
prevailed with God, and had great results.
The first thing to notice in this verse is the brief expression "to God." The prayer that has
power is the prayer that is offered to God.
But some will say, "Isn’t all prayer to God?"
A Your Christian Life Kit Report: “The Biblically Grounded Path to a Better Life”
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No. A lot of so-called prayer, both public and private, is not to God. In order for a prayer to
be really to God, there must be a definite and conscious approach to God when we pray. We
must have a definite and vivid realization that God is bending over us and listening as we
pray. In a lot of our prayers there is little thought of God. Our mind is taken up with the
thought of what we need, and is not occupied with the thought of the mighty and loving
Father from whom we are seeking it.
Oftentimes it is the case that we are occupied neither with the need nor with the One to
whom we are praying, but our mind is wandering here and there throughout the world.
There is no power in that sort of prayer. But when we really come into God's presence,
really meet Him face to face in the place of prayer, really seek the things that we desire
from Him, and then there is power.
If we want to pray correctly, the first thing that we should do is make sure we really get an
audience with God; that we really get into His very presence. Before a word of petition is
offered, we should have the definite knowledge that we are talking to God We should
believe that He is listening to our petition and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him.
This is only possible by the Holy Spirit's power, so we should look to the Holy Spirit to lead us
into the presence of God, and should not be hasty in words until He has actually brought us
there.
If we want pray right, these two little words must sink deep into our hearts, "to God."
2. The second secret of powerful and effective praying is found in the words "constant
prayer."
We read in Hebrews 5:7 that "He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and
petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and
having been heard for his godly fear," Much of our modern prayer has no power in it because
there is no heart in it. We rush into God's presence, run through a string of petitions, jump
A Your Christian Life Kit Report: “The Biblically Grounded Path to a Better Life”
© 2011 Scott Admer - All Rights Reserved. http://www.YourChristianLifeKit.com
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up and go out. If someone asks us an hour later what we prayed for, a lot of times we
couldn’t tell. If we put so little heart into our prayers, we cannot expect God to put much
heart into answering them.
But how can we put more heart into prayer?
Not by trying to work ourselves up into it. The true method is explained in Romans 8:26, "In
the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we
ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be
uttered." The earnestness that we work up in the energy of the flesh is a repulsive thing.
The earnestness in us by the power of the Holy Spirit is pleasing to God. Here again, if we
would pray aright, we must look to the Spirit of God to teach us to pray.
3. A third secret of right praying is also found in this same verse, Acts 12:5. It appears in
the words "by the assembly to God for him."
There is power in united prayer. Of course there is power in the prayer of an individual, but
there is vastly increased power in united prayer. God delights in the unity of His people, and
seeks to emphasize it in every way, and so He pronounces a special blessing upon united
prayer. We read in Matthew 18:19, "Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree
on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is
in heaven."
This unity, however, must be real. Two persons might agree to ask for the same thing, and
yet there be no real agreement about the thing they asked for. One might ask for it because
he really desired it, the other might ask for it just to please his friend. But where there is
real agreement, where the Spirit of God brings two believers into perfect harmony, where
the Spirit lays the same burden on two hearts; in all such prayer there is absolutely
irresistible power.
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