In this post, let’s walk through the Scriptures and reflect on the many passages that teach us how to pray as God would like us to. This post is inspired by a special book called “The School of Prayer” written by my favorite Christian author, Andrew Murray.

So let us begin by humbling ourselves before Our Holy Lord, asking Jesus to teach us to pray and to worship as we reflect on His Words.

Jesus said, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24

What does it mean to worship in Spirit and in Truth?

Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

It is only by being united to Our Saviour Jesus Christ, ‘the way, the truth and the life’, filled with His Holy Spirit that we can worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus, Son of God, ONE with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” Romans 8:26

Jesus instructs us to pray ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.’ Matthew 6:9

As children of God we have a divine privilege to address God as ‘Our Father’. God embraces us as His children longing to teach us and guide us and this process begins with us humbling ourselves before God, acknowledging God’s holiness and greatness and our infinite need for His forgiveness, for His love and His grace.

“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” 1 John 3:10

Living in the holy will of God and pursuing righteousness makes us heirs to the divine promises as children of God; but if we sin we forgo these sacred rights and must return to God by confessing our sins and asking for His mercy and forgiveness.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Let us renew our relationship with God by confessing our sins and turning with trust to Jesus, Our Saviour, who promises to forgive us and fill us with His Holy Spirit.   Let us go to Jesus with confidence knowing that He will teach us to pray, and guide us to fulfill the plans He has for us.

Let us also be mindful of what it means to pray ‘hallowed by Thy Name’.

God says this: “I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.” Ezekiel 36:23

It’s easy to pray ‘words’ in the same way we recite a poem, but true prayer only becomes authentic through our daily lives and choices. In this passage in the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel God is asking us to proclaim His holiness by proving it.

“For it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” 1 Peter 1:16-17

Holiness is only possible if we strive to live in a deep, personal relationship with God, a relationship where we are always connected to the source of holiness, God. To enable this type of intimate relationship, God wants quality prayer time with us.

Jesus tells us to do this:

“When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6

Do you have a special place where you enjoy quiet, private time with God?

Jesus tells us to pray to Our Father who is in the ‘secret place’ and I have discovered where the ‘secret place’ is!

Within the human heart and soul there is a deep sacred, ‘secret place’ that belongs to God alone.

Here’s a mystery that I learned personally:

There was a time in my life when I felt very unfulfilled and incomplete. During that time I was not acknowledging Jesus in my life the way He desired. I would pray only for my own selfish needs and not that regularly.

What I learned is this:

When I began to acknowledge Jesus and tell Him that I needed Him and that I desired that He teach me I commenced down a path that led me to feeling deeply loved and completely fulfilled.

Too often we try to fulfill the longings in our hearts with material things and human relationships, but the truth is that only God Himself can fill the ‘secret place’ in our hearts that is reserved for Him alone, enabling us to feel at peace and complete.

Let’s continue reflecting on the prayer that Jesus teaches us ‘Our Father’.

Jesus teaches us to pray, ‘Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’.

Jesus says, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 12: 20-21

So when we pray ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, we are praying for God to enter, through the power of His Holy Spirit, the ‘secret place’, the ‘sacred place’ in our hearts and souls that belongs to Him alone.

United to Jesus and filled with His Holy Spirit” we will worship the Father “in Spirit and in Truth” as we begin to discern His Holy Will in our lives.

God says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

When we are ready to humble ourselves before God and acknowledge that we need and trust God to forgive us and to fill us with His Spirit of Truth and Love, then we are ready to begin praying and communing with God. Only in this way can we begin to understand what God wills us to do.

God will fill us with the inspiration and grace we need to succeed. So when we pray as Jesus taught us ‘Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’ we can be confident that God will provide for our needs. He will nourish us with the spiritual gifts of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, courage, reverence, good judgment, wonder and awe. God will forgive us and extend His mercy to us and He invites us, His children, to imitate Him.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7

With child-like confidence let us submit ourselves to God with trust and faith, believing in His infinite kindness and love to build us up and to protect us from all temptation and evil.

And so we complete the prayer ‘Our Father’ with the words: “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen”

God is always listening to the prayers of His children:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24

“All things are possible to him who believes!” Mark 9:23

Faith and prayer go together. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

But sometimes when we pray we may feel like God is not answering us, and that may be because what we are praying for is not God’s will or it may be because the timing is not yet right.

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3

“Now this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14

So if you have been praying for more money or a new career and God is not answering, it may be because what you are praying for is not God’s Will or He may simply want you to be patient and wait a little while longer.

God has intricate, sophisticated plans for each of us and sometimes suffering and waiting helps us to acquire the virtues of patience and compassion that He wants us to have.

“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 6:12

Prayer is access to God’s infinite power and grace. Let’s reflect how prayer can change Satan’s grip on souls.

In the Scriptures we read how “Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”   Matthew 17: 18-21

In this passage we learn about the importance of self-sacrifice. To drive out a demon the apostles needed not only to pray but to deny themselves through fasting.

The world today is in a state of crisis in so many ways. With great sorrow I prayed this week for the victims of a shooting in a mosque in Quebec, Canada. I prayed too for the young man who committing these horrible killings. People who commit violence are often possessed by evil, although some are mentally ill. It is the exclusive work of Satan and his demons to motivate murders, wars and hatred and violence of every sort.

Are you willing to pray and fast to help free people from the demonic power of Satan?

It’s tempting to think of prayer simply as us petitioning God for things we need personally, and while God loves to hear His children come to Him with any request, prayer is much more than presenting our needs to God.

Prayer is a two-way street where listening is just as important as speaking. In fact trained communicators teach us that listening is even more important than what we say. For if we do not listen well, how can we even know what to say in a situation.

“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.” James 1:19 “Let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.” Ecclesiastes 5:2

Do you hear God’s voice speaking to you in your heart, communicating His Holy Will?

“To pray in the Spirit, to speak words that reach and touch God and affect and influence the powers of the unseen world–such prayer, such speaking depends entirely on hearing God’s voice.”  Andrew Murray, The School of Prayer

To hear God’s voice we need to have a ‘listening heart’, a heart that is deeply attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit within us.

When we read the Word of God and when we study it we hear God’s voice speaking to us and teaching us what it means to live in an intimate relationship with Jesus.

“The effective prayer of faith comes from a life given up to the will and love of God.  Not according to what I try to be when praying, but what I am when I’m not praying is my prayer dealt with by God…The right relationships with the living God above me and the living men around me are the conditions for effective prayer.” Andrew Murray, School of Prayer

Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14: 12-15

Once more we see some of the ingredients of an effective prayer life: faith, trust, obedience to God and perseverance. If we keep the commandments of God, then we as God’s children, living in an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ Our Saviour can confidently pray in Jesus name’ for His divine assistance.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” John 15:7

We are reminded in this Scripture about the importance of understanding the Word of God. Jesus wants us to live in an intimate relationship with Him, keeping His Words in our hearts as a light to guide our every decision and choice.

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” James 4:8

St. James is reminding us that there is a sacred choice to be made in each of our lives. We can choose to belong to the ‘world’ or we can choose to belong to ‘God’. If we belong to the world we follow the conventional teachings of the world and pursue pleasure and self-gratification, but if we belong to God then we must be ready to live a life for the glory of God, denying ourselves for the good pleasure of God, embracing God’s will in every way.

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:22

Prayer must give glory to God. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Prayer must be rooted in thanksgiving to God for His many blessings. “We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Colossians 1:3

Prayer must also not just be for our own needs. We must strive to pray for one another and be ready to make sacrifices for one another surrendering our will to God’s will.   In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus struggled and prayed as He anticipated His torture and death: “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me; nevertheless not what I will, but You will.” Mark 14:36

If all we do is pray to God for that which we desire personally, is that an effective prayer life?

I think the answer is NO.

We must be ready, like Jesus, to give ourselves to God’s Holy Will completely, being ready to give up everything for Him. We must even be ready to die for God.

So many Christians have been martyred just because they believe in Jesus. So many people of all different faiths have been affected by violence and wars. There have been so many terrorist attacks that the recently elect president of the USA has issued an executive order preventing refugees, migrants and foreign nationals from seven mostly Muslim countries from entering the United States.

Donald Trump said, “To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting,” Trump said in the statement. “This is not about religion – this is about terror and keeping our country safe.”

I can’t imagine the pressure on heads of state to protect national security while trying to address the great humanitarian needs caused by war and terror.

Let us pray for President Trump and all heads of state that God fills them with the Holy Spirit to know how best to keep us safe while allowing for humanitarian needs and human rights to be protected.

Recall the words of St. Paul: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Let us also remember the Words of Our Lord Jesus:  “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven…”  Matthew 5:44-45  Let us pray that the Holy Spirit comes upon those contemplating acts of violence and terror.  Let us pray that the force of evil within them by silenced by God’s infinite love!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Jesus calls us to pray privately and to join our brothers and sisters in prayer publicly, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

Prayer that is unceasing goes beyond praying in private and praying in our Churches during Mass for example. Praying without ceasing requires that we live continuously in the presence of God through the power of the Holy Spirit seeking to do God’s will in each and every moment.

Our worship in Spirit and in Truth must be uninterrupted as we live perpetually connected to Jesus, filled with His Holy Spirit, nourished by His Body and Blood, mindful of His Holy Will in each moment of our life. Prayer that is unceasing requires that our faith and trust in the power of God’s love for us be unshakeable.  Praying without ceasing means we must be attentively listening to God’s voice speaking in our heart, moment by moment, motivating us to confess our sins, seek forgiveness and forgive others as we desire to be forgiven.

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25

Jesus prayed that His believers be ONE.

 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17: 20-23

This year the protestant churches celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. If I had to describe myself personally I think I would say I feel both Protestant and Catholic. I love the rich Biblical roots of the Protestant faith. I love how my Protestant friends study the Word of God and I enjoy studying with them.  I love how they can cite the Scriptures by heart.  I love how they permit women to have ordained roles in the Church and how they allow their ministers to marry.

And I also love the Catholic Mass! I love to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and I believe in His holy presence in the Sacrament and believe in the Biblical roots of all the Catholic Sacraments. I also really love the Virgin Mary and I do believe she is in heaven interceding for us and I love to pray the Rosary and meditate on its Biblical mysteries. But what I believe mostly is that God is love and that to fail to love someone because of what they believe or don’t believe is wrong.

I love how our Muslim friend calls my husband ‘brother’. I love how we talk about God together as ONE GOD that is GREAT! I love how our Muslim friends love us without conditions.  I love how my Jewish friends smile at me and say ‘Merry Christmas’.  I love how my Hindu friends welcome me into their homes.  I love to read the inspirational words of the Dalai Lama, Budist Leader.  I never want my love for you to depend on what you believe!

I invite you to join The Mercy Movement  that is uniting Christians as ONE Body of Christ all around the world for the glory of God. We stand united daily in prayer at the time Our Lord Jesus died for us, 3pm, each of us in our local time zones. At this time we remember the Passion of Christ and we thank God for loving us so much that He would send His Only Son Jesus to die for us! At this time we pray for all souls on earth, that all may receive the Holy Spirit and come to know and love Jesus! We pray for an end to violence and war and for the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ to change the world, reconciling us to God the Father.

Imagine the POWER of a united Christian world praying together EVERY DAY at the time Jesus died for us, 3pm in our local time zones!

How happy do you think Jesus would be to see His people uniting to pray and remember His Passion every day at 3pm (the time He died for us)?

If you have faith, then have great faith, because all things are possible for those who believe in the power of prayer to change the world, one soul at a time, as we summon the great power of God’s love!

“As image-bearer and representative of God on earth, redeemed man will by his prayers determine the history of this earth.”  Andrew Murray, The School of Prayer