The Art of Prayer: Building a Lasting Relationship With God

In this episode of the Prodigal Daughter podcast, the host explores the power and significance of prayer in a Christian's life. Addressing common questions, the episode delves into what prayer is, how to pray, whether God hears prayers, and why some prayers seem unanswered. Through references to scripture and practical advice, listeners are provided comprehensive guidance on cultivating a genuine, heartfelt prayer life. The host also introduces prayer acronyms like ACTS, PRAY, and SOAP to help structure prayers and emphasizes the importance of connecting authentically with God, rather than reciting routine phrases. The episode concludes with a prayer over the listeners, encouraging them to deepen their faith and relationship with God through intentional prayer.

00:00 Introduction and Importance of Prayer

01:08 What is Prayer?

03:38 How Should I Pray?

04:31 Does God Hear My Prayers?

05:47 Why Aren't My Prayers Answered?

09:43 Is There a Right or Wrong Way to Pray?

11:05 The Lord's Prayer Explained

17:22 The Omnipotence of God in Prayer

19:09 Acronyms to Guide Your Prayer

24:22 The Vital Role of Genuine Prayer

31:15 Conclusion and Encouragement

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Transcript

Hey, y'all. Welcome back to the Prodigal Daughter podcast.  It is so good to have you all here today.  I don't know about you, but the deeper I go in my walk with Jesus, The more I realize just how powerful prayer is,  but I also know that prayer can be confusing.  How do we do it?  What is the right way?  Does God really hear us? 

So today we're tackling some of the most common questions people ask about prayer,  diving into scripture, and unpacking  some practical ways to strengthen our prayer life.  Whether you're just starting with prayer, or you've been praying for years, I believe God has something special for you in this episode. 

So grab your Bible,  get comfy, and let's dive in. 

What is Prayer?

The five most often asked questions about prayer.  What is prayer and why is it important?  Y'all, prayer is just actually having a conversation with God,  just like you would have a conversation with your father or your mother, sister, brother, a friend. an acquaintance.  It's just talking to God.  But there's just a little subtle difference. Because with God,  when we talk to God,  we want to praise Him.  We want to talk to Him about what's worrying us,  what we need,  and what we desire.  Now don't get me wrong.  God knows all of these things.  He is omnipotent.  But the point is that he really wants to have a conversation with you.  He wants you to talk to him. He wants that relationship with him.  And that is how, through prayer, we build an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.  1 Thessalonians 5: 16 through 18 tells us to pray without ceasing.  Showing that prayer, it's not just something that we do once in a while, .  It's something that It's meant to be a lifestyle. It's meant to be something that we do all throughout the day.  Just, keep it real, just  resist the urge to just make it a rote prayer, something that you pray each and every day, the same words, the same wishes, the same desires, all of that kind of thing. You want to talk to God about what is happening with you in that particular moment of the day.  Are you stressed out? Are you worried?  Are you having a great day?  Talk to God. Tell Him about it. Thank Him for that. 

How Should I Pray?

This kind of leads into, how should I pray? That's the second question. And Jesus gave us a model  in Matthew chapter 6 verses 9 through 13   and also in Luke chapter 11 verses 2 through 4  and this is known as the Lord's Prayer.  Now,  this is what I'm talking about, this is not a script that we're supposed to recite day in and day out.  This is a framework that teaches us how to honor God, how to seek his will,  how to ask for our needs, and how to repent of our sins.  And we're going to talk a little bit more about that a little bit later. So hold on.  

Does God Hear My Prayers?

The next big question that people ask is, does God really hear my prayers? 

And the answer is yes, absolutely. God hears our prayers.  No matter what it is that we pray, no matter where we're at,  God can hear your prayers. Okay? Just rest that God hears you.  No matter what, no matter if you feel some sort of response or not, God hears your prayers.  And in 1 John, chapter 5, verses 14 to 15,  John tells us that if we pray according to God's will, he hears us. And in Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 12, God promises.  "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you."  So rest assured that God hears your prayers.  And that leads us into the fourth question.  

Why Aren't My Prayers Answered?

Why does it sometimes feel like my prayers aren't being answered?   In this particular, question,  you've got to understand that sometimes God's answer is yes. And he will open a door or for me, I feel what I call God bumps. It's like goosebumps that just wash over me  when I'm praying or when I'm worshiping and singing a praise song, or when I'm listening to a sermon or reading God's word.   So sometimes you'll get that feeling when you're praying  or something that you had been praying for will  happen. So that's God's yes. 

Now, sometimes God says no,  and he will shut a door. You will end up having, something that you were really hoping for a job or a move or a relationship. No matter what it is, sometimes that will just, it will end.    Okay, so for me, I have had a couple of times when that has happened. Especially when I was first getting sick and first started having my health issues,  I would, try and apply to a  position in the nursing field and for whatever reason, I wouldn't get that position. Or  something would happen and  I wouldn't even be able to make it to the interview. And to me, that was God saying, Nope, that's not the path that you need to take. We're going to take a different path.  And then last,  his  answer is sometimes  going to be wait.  And those are the times when  for me, at least,  I really don't  hear anything. I don't get a door that's opening. I don't get a door that's closing. It's just  this  quiet.  And  that's when I feel like, okay, God is telling me to wait. There's something that I need to learn, or something that  he's working on, so I just need to be patient.  And that, being patient, that is so hard. 

But,  don't give up, okay?  Isaiah 55 verses 8 to 9 reminds us that his ways are higher than ours. Remember, God is omnipresent. That means he sees the past, he sees the present, and he sees the future. So he knows things that we don't know. And sometimes his wait is just his way of saying that  It's just not your time yet. I'm not saying no. I'm not saying yes. It's just not your time yet. There's the other things that need to fall in place first.   Romans chapter 8 verse 28  reassures us that God is working all things for our good.   My deepest desire is that  through this episode, you will take away something that is going to help you in your prayer life and help you in those times when you feel like your prayers aren't being answered.

Is There a Right or Wrong Way to Pray?

Okay, and then  the fifth question;  is there a right or wrong way to pray?  The only thing with this that scripture, talks about is in Matthew chapter 6, verse 7, where Jesus warns us against meaningless, repetitive prayers,  but he also In Luke, chapter 18, verses 1 through 8, he encourages us to be persistent,  and, encourages us to be sincere in our prayers. They don't have to be perfect.  Let me tell you, my prayers, they are so far from perfect,  but  I can rest  in God's promise that he loves me.  He died for me  thousands of years before I was even conceived. That is how much he loves me.  So he does not want perfection. He wants you to come as you are  and then allow him to help you change and  create that close relationship with him through prayer. 

The Lord's Prayer Explained

So now we're going to talk about the Lord's prayer. And again, this is found in Matthew chapter six, verses nine through 13,  and  Luke chapter 11, verses two to four.  And it is a beautiful, simple, yet very profound prayer that covers all aspects of our walk with God.  

So it starts out, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name." Okay, so this leads us to worship,  and it is very important to worship God, because he provides us all things.  Remember, this provision, it may not be. Like a direct bread falling from heaven type provision, but Remember, he created the world we live in, so everything that we have and that we get ultimately comes from God. So he deserves our worship.  

Now, the next verse, "Your kingdom come, your will be done."  This talks about us surrendering to God's perfect will.  And that is part of aligning our will with God's  so that our prayers will be  in a line with God's will, and then, therefore, more likely to be answered. Again, remember, God has three ways of answering, yes, no, and wait.  

The next verse says, "Give us this day our daily bread."  This verse shows us that we depend on God. Like I was saying, He provides everything that we have,  and it may not be again that direct manna from heaven type provision, but everything that we have and everything that we create, it all comes from God.

So then the next verse  shows us how to repent and forgive this verse says "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." So the first part talks about repentance. So that is where you  verbalize to God that you realize that something that you have done  is not according to his will. And so that is where you repent. For me, one of the things that I have to repent of on a daily basis is my habit for drinking pop.  It is not healthy for me, I know this, and  it's not taking care of his temple, which is our body. That's where the Holy Spirit lives. So the Holy Spirit temple is our body and we should steward our bodies in the proper way. So I have to daily repent of my poor stewardship through drinking Pepsi.  And then the other part is about forgiveness. So this is forgiving people who  have wronged you in one way or another, whether it is an actual wrong or a perceived wrong due to a miscommunication or something of that sort.  

So then the next verse talks about "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." And this is acknowledging and asking for God's protection  in our lives. And so when we pray like this, in this type of format, we align our prayers and our hearts with God's will.

And that's what he's looking for. So remember, you want to start off your prayer, or just make sure that you're including worship in your prayer. Make sure you're including surrender in your prayer  dependence, acknowledging the fact that what we get is from God  and then  repent of your sins.  It doesn't have to be, It's not you have to have some big, horrible sin like murder or theft or anything like that. Anything that doesn't align with God's will or doesn't fall in line with the Ten Commandments, which is, the Ten Commandments are designed to show us how  far away from Christ we are and Jesus is and God's protection and or how far away from God's perfection. We are far from perfect  and there's nothing wrong with being far from perfect. We were born far from perfect.  The thing is we don't have to stay that far from perfect.  As we repent of our sins and ask God to forgive our sins, the Holy Spirit will help you and help me  to  turn away from those sins  and live a  life that more closely resembles Jesus and the way he lived.  And then again, we got to remember the protection part.  Acknowledge that God is our protection. Okay. 

The Omnipotence of God in Prayer

So the next thing that we're going to talk about is the omnipotence of God in prayer. And this is what I was talking about as far as God being, knowing everything past, present, future.

And that's one reason why prayer is so powerful. It's because   we are speaking to an all powerful God.  Jeremiah 32. Verse 17 says,  "Ah, Lord God, it is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power  and by your outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."  And then Matthew chapter 19 verse 26 reminds us, "With man, this is impossible but with God, all things are possible."  And when we pray, we're not just throwing words into the air. We're calling on the creator of the universe,  an all powerful creator  that can do anything. 

So just remember that  whatever your  circumstances are, whatever is troubling you right now,  God is bigger than it.  And God knows,  and he hears, and he is working things out for your good.  Okay.  

Acronyms to Guide Your Prayer

And then  next I want to talk about a few acronyms that are out there that can also help  to guide your prayer.  They're just easy little acronyms that help you to remember,   how to pray if you can't remember the Lord's Prayer.  

The first one is ACTS. A C T S. The A stands for Adoration. And that's the praise, the worship piece.  The C stands for Confession. Repentant of our sins. Acknowledging to God that you messed up. And we all do.  The T is Thanksgiving, and that is expressing your gratitude. And that is, acknowledging that he is your protector. protector, that he is your provider that what we have comes from God and that we're acknowledging that fact. And then S is supplication. And all that means is you're bringing your requests  to God. You're putting,  into words, what you desire, what you need, what you want.  And remember, God is  all knowing. He knows what you need, but he still wants to talk to you about it. Just talk to him like you would a friend.  

For me right now, I'm in circumstances where  I've been separated from my husband, and we're trying to work through some issues and I am currently staying with a family member, which makes me feel very incompetent  because I'm not providing for myself  all of the things that, I need to do live,  and don't get me wrong, I do understand that what I get  to provide for my day basic needs, that is a gift from God. And so I thank him for that and I do thank him for the fact that I have a place that keep me warm and keep me safe,  so  expressing.  Those requests and talking to God about how you feel about your circumstances. God loves that. He wants to hear from you.  

So then the next acronym that you can use to help in your prayer life is the word pray.  Again, this is just a simple, easy way to remember; You want to praise God. You want to repent of whatever sins that you have committed, whatever mistakes you've made. You want to ask God for, what it is that you need and desire,  and then you want to yield to God. So that's where you submit to God's will. 

So some of the things that I want to point out is in these things, you're going to notice that They're not all in the same order,   there isn't a specific order, or  specific words that are going to  just be this magical formula for you.

You just want to remember the basic concepts. Praise God,  repent of your sins,  ask God for forgiveness or whatever, and then yield to his will. Thank him for what he has provided for you and what he's going to provide for you.  You don't know what he has in store for you,  but  that doesn't mean that you can't praise him and thank him for what he's going to do in your life.

And then the last one is the acronym SOAP. SOAP is a way of Bible study,  but it is also a way that you can pray. So you're going to, in S, you're going to read a scripture. Okay.  You're going to read through that, just one scripture,  and then  you're going to, O observe , what  does that scripture say? And then you're going to, A, you're going to apply, how does this apply to my life?  And then you're going to pray, P, talk to God about it.  Okay? 

And these simple guides can help deepen your prayer life.  And like I said, remember, they're not a script, there's not a specific order that you have to pray these things in, and don't flip out if you miss one of them. Okay? It is okay.  You're just talking to your father who loves you.  Okay?

The Vital Role of Genuine Prayer

And this is why prayer is essential for our walk with God.  It's not just a routine. It is the heartbeat of our relationship with God.  And here is why it is so vital.  It connects us with God.  James chapter 4 verse 8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." So the more that you converse or pray, it's just a conversation with God, the more you're going to hear from Him.  

It gives us peace. In Philippians chapter 4 verses 6 to 7, it tells us to pray instead of worry and that God's peace  will guard our hearts, okay?  And then it changes things. In James, chapter 5, verse 16.  "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."   The righteous part of that doesn't mean you're perfect. Okay? Righteousness is attributed to us. That is, how Christ has covered all of our sins. Past present and future.  When he sacrificed himself on the cross Jesus's righteousness was given to us because he covered up all of our sins. So God. He doesn't hold them against us anymore. So that is what it's talking about as far as being a righteous person.  And that is why you need to include that repentance piece in your prayer life. You need to  repent  of your sins, whether you've, blatantly done something wrong or whether you are just really mad because somebody did something that upset you. So you need to repent of that anger because we're not supposed to hold anger in our hearts.  And then that part also includes forgiveness. So then  you need to  forgive the person who wronged you, who made you angry.  And it doesn't matter whether they have asked you for forgiveness or not. You are still called to forgive them.  God will deal with them. You deal with your heart.  Okay?  

And lastly, it strengthens our faith.  Mark chapter 11 verse 24 says, "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."  Okay, so again, this isn't saying that you are going to immediately receive whatever you ask for. Okay, you are going to have to  sometimes wait on God's timing. Okay.  But that doesn't mean that you're not going to get what it is that you prayed for.  If we want to grow in our faith, we must cultivate a strong prayer life. Okay.   

I want to talk a little bit before we close about the importance of your prayer being genuine and a heartfelt connection with God rather than just  a routine.  Sometimes,  y'all, we pray out of habit,   rather than out of a deep desire to connect with God.  And I think we've all been guilty of this at some point. Just going through the motions.  

One common example is the mealtime prayer. We sit down and we say, Dear God, thank you for this food. Bless it to our bodies. Amen.  And before we know it, we're already eating without really thinking about what it is that we have just said.  But the thing is, prayer is supposed to be about connection. Not just checking off a box.  Imagine if you only talked to your best friend in short rehearsed phrases without , putting any real emotion into it. Your relationship wouldn't grow.  The same thing is true of God.  

So instead of rushing through a prayer like that,  what if we took a moment to really reflect on God's goodness?  So remember,  that automatic, Dear God, thank you for this food. Bless it to our bodies. Amen.  There's nothing wrong with the prayer, in itself,  but it can become a routine phrase that is said without truly pausing and recognizing God's provision and expressing our genuine gratitude.  When prayer becomes a mere checkbox, it loses its depth and meaning.

So a more intentional approach could be, Heavenly Father, I thank you for providing this meal and for the hands that prepared it.  You are the giver of all good things. And I am grateful for your daily provision.  Help me to never take your blessings for granted. And may this food strengthen me to do your will today. In Jesus name, amen.  

The key difference is intentionality.  Prayer should be an authentic conversation with God, not just words that we're reciting out of habit.  So do you see the difference?  The one is habit. The other is a heartfelt conversation with the Lord.  And y'all, He desires that kind of intimacy with us. He wants our prayers to be real, not rehearsed.  So remember, you don't have to  Say everything in perfect order and perfectly recite a prayer. You want to talk to God in a real authentic way.  Okay? 

Conclusion and Encouragement

So  the one thing that I want you to take away from today's episode is this. Prayer is powerful because the God that we pray to is powerful. And if you've been feeling distant from God, start talking to him today.  It doesn't have to be fancy. It doesn't have to be rehearsed. Just be real with him. He's listening.  He cares,  and he wants a relationship with you.  I encourage you this week, set aside some intentional time to pray.  Try using one of the prayer acronyms that we talked about, or meditate on the Lord's prayer.

And before we go, let me pray over you.  Heavenly Father,  thank you for every person listening today.  Draw them closer to you, Lord.  Teach them how to pray,  how to hear your voice, and how to trust in your perfect timing.  Strengthen their faith and remind them that you are always with them.  In Jesus precious name we pray. Amen.  

So that is all for today y'all. If this episode has blessed you, please share it with a friend. And if you haven't already, subscribe to the podcast so you'll never miss an episode.  

Stay strong in your faith. Keep seeking Jesus, and I'll see you next time on The Prodigal Daughter.