When we pray or ask God, we need to stand on the foundation of God’s Word and His Will.

God stands on what He said and Who He is, and these are what all our prayers should be anchored on. Then it will not fall to ground but will be established.

What God said – Word of God

Everything needs bases to stand on. Otherwise it will not be established but bound to fall. Like building a house on sand and not on a rock.

• Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. ²⁶ Everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell—and its fall was great- Matthew 7:24-27 WEB 
  

We can believe in what we pray for and have great faith with actions too. However, if our prayer is only based on what we want or need instead of God’s infallible Word, our prayer may fall to the ground. This is one of the reasons why many prayers are not answered.

But if it is what God said we know that it is firm and will come true.

• Numbers 23:19 KJV

19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

• Titus 1:2 KJV
  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.
• Hebrews 6:18 KJV
  18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us

• Titus 1:2 KJV, In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (KJV). 
• Lord Jesus also made a proclamation in Mark 13 verse 31: “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (KJV).

However, does it just apply for all situations and circumstances?

Context

It is not uncommon to see the verses of God’s Word we claim or quote are based on wrong context. Meaning we have understood wrongly. So we basically are misquoting.

This is why it is important to :

1. Know the Word of God not just on the surface
   1. Sometimes when we read through scriptures we may easily miss out the context of the passage. Although many times it may not harm us much, it may not be right for us to use it to claim as we are petitioning to God.
      1. E.g. Many likes to claim Philippians 4:13 WEB, “ I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me”, and pray that God will give strength so we can achieve whatever that we desire or set our heart on, of which many cases in relation to our success in getting materially blessed and rich.
         However, if we see the verses and chapters before this, we will understand the context of this verse is rather opposite to what many claim for which is to be rich and blessed.
         I believe many who know the context will agree that what Paul means is that no matter how hard, difficult, poverized and lacking situation we are in, God will give us strength to endure, go through and overcome, just like Paul who was writing to believers in prison where he was whipped, and chained.
         
2. Know the Word of God by ourselves and not always relying on others
   1. We are all humans and we can make mistakes and may misunderstand. It is the same for spiritual leaders and teachers. As I stated above I can understand now because I myself have experienced so many such cases. I may have grown to know certain things. However, I am sure without any doubt that there are so many more things that I have yet to discover, to be corrected and to grow. 
   2. We cannot stand on what men say, but we need to be very sure what God said directly by ourselves, and this will also help us come to know God and His Word by experience as God reveals Himself through His Word.
      1. The mistake of e.g. stated in first point was claimed by many because they have heard from others and took in, without looking at the Word and/ understanding it by themselves 
         
3. Know God’s Word wholly and not just partially.
   1. I personally discover what I used to understand was wrong when I come to know other parts of the Word of God. I think the same e.g. of the first point on Philippians 4:13 applies again that if anyone reads the verses before ad after will easily understand better. 
   2. Sometimes we cannot get the full picture of things we see when we only see from one view. Knowing other parts of scriptures sometimes opens us to discover the portions that were missing. Although this may sound hard, in fact, this is what makes it so interesting to know and study the Word of God.
      1. Isaiah 28:13, ESV
         And the word of the LORD will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, 

and snared, and taken.

Above verse reminds me that many have missed the Savior (Messiah) they were looking for because they missed out many parts of the scriptures where it is clearly stated regarding the Messiah Who was to come will have to suffer and die, take away the sins once and for all, etc.
As we look into the Word of God I believe we will discover that many times truly God states His Word “here a little, there a little”. 

When we know God’s Word well, we can truly stand on what God said and pray.

Terms and Conditions?

There are still terms and conditions that apply, or rather basic principles. Of course there has to be. God is a person. Not an imagination, idea or religion that we made up.

Easiest way to understand God, is to picture a good, or rather the best father in the world who loves his children, and wants the best for them. Not one who gives everything that children ask which will result in spoiling the child. But one who really loves and cares for the children.

Will a good father have terms and conditions to govern? Of course.

Many are familiar with the portions of the scripture and claim on the verses like:

• Matthew 7:7~
  “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! ¹² Therefore, whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
• Mark 11: (WEB)
  24 Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.

However, will God really answer anything? In these and many verses, we need to consider God’s Word and Who God is in totality, instead of singling out one or two parts and expecting God will answer our prayer.. 

God will not go against Who He is, or His Word. God is Love (1 John 4:8),

Principle of God

God is :   

• Kind, good, merciful and against evil
  • Will God answer prayer that will harm others?
• Against sin or doing wrong
  • Will God answer sinful prayer?
• Against proud
  • God will not answer prayer for self-exalting, or that will cause prideful hurt

There are many such basic principles of Who God is. Although these are common sense to all, what seems to be common sense is becoming more and more uncommon these days. Also often we complicate simple matters in order to reason out to get what we want.

As such it is important for us to search the depth and intent of our heart. We need to pray like David did.

• Psalm 139:23-24 ESV
  Search me, O God, and know my heart!
  Try me and know my thoughts!
  And see if there be any grievous way in me,
  and lead me in the way everlasting!
  

However, it is not as easy as we may think. Everyone is accustomed to defend and justify themselves. What others try to justify we see as an excuse, but when we do it, we claim it is a reason.

Therefore, as we touch earlier, right from the start of our prayer, our focus should be God. The God, Who is our very Father who begotten us, loves, and gave everything to save us should be the center of all.

As we look to God, and are found in God, only in light of God, we can see things we can not see otherwise.

• Psalms 36:9, WEB ,
  For with you is the spring of life. In your light we will see light.
• Psalms 119:130, NASB,
  The unfolding (entering) of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple
  

It is in the presence of God, and through His Word (light) that we can see not just things around or outside but more importantly what is inside us. 

Praying in line with Word of God and God’s principle

If we pray for something which God has already spoken against, will God answer? Of course not.

God answers when we pray according to God’s Word and His Will, although it will also have to be the right time for God to answer.

• Elijah prayed and there was no rain for 3 years, he prayed and the fire of God came down, and again when he prayed heavy rain poured after 3 years.
  But it was not so much about Elijah’s prayer, but what God said. Elijah just prayed according to what God told him.

1 Kings 18:1~ (NASB) … the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will provide rain on the face of the earth.” ..
V36, …. that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that You, Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering..

V42, he bent down to the earth and put his face between his knees. ..v45 and there was a heavy shower. 

• God answered Nehemiah’s prayer that God will prosper him because it was according to God’s word, not out of selfish ambition, but for God’s people.
  
  Nehemiah 1:8~11
  Please remember what you spoke in commanding your servant Moses. You said, ‘If you rebel, I will scatter you among the nations[g] 9 but if you return to me, keeping my commands and doing them, even if your exiled people are in the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to establish my Name.’ 11 “And now, Lord, I ask you to listen to the prayer of your servant—and to the prayers of your servants who delight in revering your Name. I ask you, please prosper your servant today by granting him to receive favor from this man

• Daniel too prayed knew God’s word and prayed accordingly
  • Daniel 9:2, ESV,
    .. in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God
    
• 1 John 5:14,
  Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

When we know God and His Word, we will  know what and how we should pray according to God’s Will and desire, and we will be confident (1 John 5:14) that God will hear our prayer and answer us for the best of us and His kingdom. Even if it seems the answer is taking time or even if God does not answer according to our prayer, we will still be confident that God will give us the best at the best timing because God is Who He is… Our Father in Heaven Who loves us and gave His Only Son, Lord Jesus, so that we may have eternal life.

When we ask anything from God, we must believe that He hears our prayer. Furthermore, trusting God, we need to act on what we believe.

Believe and taking action by Faith

Believing is like taking the position but faith is taking the action on what we believe. We can believe and not do anything about what we believe, while it takes faith to act or do according to what we believe. For example, we can believe but do not speak out about it. We can believe in God but never pray, ask, or read the bible to know what God is saying or who God is.

However, it is by faith, we confess and speak out, we go to church, we ask God in prayer, we read the bible, we serve, forgive, love, care for others and so on. 

• Romans 10:10, NLT
  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
  
• James 2:17 WEB

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.

When we truly believe in God, and are convinced, then why would we not pray and ask God? Unless we do not believe that God will hear or answer our prayer, or we are not so convinced, that God will answer our prayer at least.

• Hebrews 11:6, ESV
  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.   

By praying, we are taking action by faith. Still, we need to further believe God heard and will answer us, and stand on God’s goodness that God will give us the best, instead of waverting or doubting.

• James 1:6, 7, But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord – WEB

Of course, many times we are weak, and doubt. So we need to keep reminding ourselves and build our faith in God through knowing God and His Word.

• Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – WEB
  

Also we can ask God, and we know that God who understands our weakness is merciful and gracious to us especially when we cry out to him for help, like unto the father whose son was crying out for deliverance for his demon possessed son.

• Mark 9:23~25, Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
  Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, “I believe. Help my unbelief!”
  When Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!”
  After crying out and convulsing him greatly, it came out of him. 

Believing and Resting in God

When we have prayed, we need to trust and rest in God, Whose name is Jehovah Jireh (God Who will “See to it”), which means not only that God will provide and supply to us but in anything that God will look into it, and already made provisions for us (Genesis 22:8, 13, 14, ram caught in a thicket).

Thus after we pray we should not be in a rush but rest in God that God heard, knows and will see to it in a best way, which may not alway mean what we even prayed for, or at our timing. 

• Isaiah 28:16, He who is believing does not make haste – LSV (or ISV – not act hastily)

Believing Rejoice in God

So believing, we should also rejoice in God, knowing that God will bring it to pass, though at that point of time we may not see with our own eyes yet.

• Psalms 27:13, I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. – NKJV

It is in believing and trusting in God that we can rest in God and our heart can be quietened. As we quieten in God we can be strengthened in His presence and in Who God is.
 

• Isaiah 30:15, In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength (ESV)

• Isaiah 7:9 .. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established (stand at all). – WEB

Believing or rather knowing God knows our prayer, we should also wait with patience, looking forward to God’s way and not our way, God’s timing and not our timing. Remember God Who loved us so much that He sacrificed even His Own Son, Lord Jesus, on the cross, desires to give us nothing less than the best, although we need to still understand that we will only come to the ultimate understanding when we have entered into Eternal Home, in Father’s house, where He will reveal all to us.

• Romans 8:25,
  But if we hope for that which we don’t see, we wait for it with patience. – WEB
• Romans 8:32,
  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Nothing is impossible for those who Believe

As stated above of what Lord Jesus said, 

• Mark 9:23~25, Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
  

We must never forget Who we are believing and trusting in. The very God Who created the heavens and earth, and all things by the power of His Word. That God is all powerful and He is the Almighty God

• Luke 1:37, For with God nothing will be impossible.
• Jeremiah 32:27, “Look, I am the LORD, the God who rules over all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me?” – ISV
• John 11:40
  Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?” – WEB

So Pray, believing and trusting :

• God Hears us and knows us

• God is able
• God will answer or give us the best at best timing, like the best father who love the children and wants best for them
• God will see us through

Asking God, or bringing our request unto God is basically one of the main literal meanings of prayer, and indeed we should. Not complicating ourselves but in a simple sense, we can ask from God, what we need or desire.

God loves to hear us calling on Him and He will answer us. God is glad when we look to Him and put our trust in Him. 

Jer 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know (CSB)

So we can boldly come before God to ask with understanding of Who God is.

Hebrews 4:16, So let us keep on coming boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Ask God, Knowing 

• God loves us and desires that we come and ask Him – Jeremiah 33:3
  
• God knows before we even ask Him.
  • Matthew 6:8, .. for  your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.

Yet God still wants us to come and ask Him 

• James 4:2, You do not have because you do not ask. (CSB)

Asking God shows we are acknowledging God and trusting in God, instead of our own strength.

• There is nothing that God would not do for us
  • Romans 8:32,
    He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? (WEB)
    

We are able to see the future or what is best for ourselves, or even for others. So we should not insist in our own way thinking that we know. But rather trust God that God will grant us according to His way, what is best for us, and when is best for us to have. When God does not answer our prayer, or delays answering, we should resolve that God must be having a better plan or timing. Nevertheless, that does not mean we should just stop asking but press on to continuously bring to God because sometimes God is stretching our faith in Him to make us grow. (See later part, Luke 181~8, Lord Jesus teaching on praying persistently and not giving up)

• God desires to bless us and give us good things
  • Matt 7:7-   Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. Or who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Therefore, whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

• Matthew 7:11, If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (WEB)

• 1 Chron 4:10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. (ESV)

• God honors when we put God first on our lives
  • Matt 6:33, But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.

So How do we ask? 

• Believing, and not doubting
  • Matthew 21:21  So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.  (NKJV)
  • Matthew 21:22 (NKJV)  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
  • James 1:6, But let him ask in faith, without any doubting (WEB)
  • Mark 9:23, All things are possible for the one who believes. (NASB)
  • James 5:15, the prayer of faith will [n]restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. (NASB)

• Persistently with Patience, trusting in God’s timing & His way
  • Luke 18:1~  He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up, … 

Lord Jesus spoke about a judge who is least willing to help anyone but helped a powerless, poor widow. Not because he wanted to, but it was to save himself from trouble since she kept bothering him.
Luke 18:7, Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night…

• God hears us and sends answers but God sometimes allows delays
  Daniel 10:12~  from the first day that you committed yourself to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. I’ve come in answer to[g] your prayers. However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days.
  
• Sometimes we need to patiently wait for God’s timing, for there is an appointed time for everything.
  Eccl 3:11, He has made everything beautiful in its time (BSB) 

• Ask first for God’s Will to be done
  • When we take care of matters of God, God will take care of everything else, Matthew 6:33

• According to Word of God

Both Nehemiah and Daniel prayed according to the what God said in the Word of God, and they were answered

• Nehemiah 1:8~9, Please remember what you spoke in commanding your servant Moses. You said, ‘If you rebel, I will scatter you among the nations but if you return to me, keeping my commands and doing them, even if your exiled people are in the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to establish my Name.
• Daniel 9:2~ I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the LORD to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be seventy.
  So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. (CSB)
  
• Sincere and earnest
  • James 5:16, The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

• In the name of Lord Christ Jesus

John 14:13, Whatever you will ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (WEB)

• In troubled times.
  • Psalms 50:15, Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me. (ESV)
  • Philippians 4:6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. (WEB)

So whatever situation or status we are in, we can come to God just as we are and bring our request unto God, whether it is for healing, help, deliverance, provision, protection, blessing, or any other.

It is God’s delight and not dread to hear and answer our prayer. Then when our prayers are answered, our faith will grow, we will grow in God, and we should give thanks to God, as well as testify to others of how real and good God is.

During prayer time we also need to listen to God, to receive what God is telling us.

This requires us to wait and incline our heart to receive from God 

Prayer is not only talking to God but time of hearing and listening. Many will say so, but it seems the vast majority does not really practice or even realize it.

Prayer is communication, and God never meant our walk with God to be one-way communication. In fact, God desires to speak to us, and not just listen to us. 

Relationship

We can see that God meant for close relationship and communication with God right from the beginning of creation, as in the book of Genesis.

• God instructed Adam, told him to name the animals (Gen 2), and Adam could recognise the sound or voice of God in the garden. He must have been so familiar with the sound of God.
  • Genesis 3:10, He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden.. (NASB)
• God spoke to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3)
• God spoke to Cain (Genesis 4)
• God walked with Enoch (Genesis 5)
• God spoke to Noah (Genesis 6:13~ )
• God spoke to Abraham who was called friend of God, Isaac, Jacob, Moses etc.
  

We may be wondering, why in that case, there seems to be such rare cases in current times. I believe we can also notice from above, that as the time goes, there seem to be fewer people being so close to God, and God seems to be speaking much less.

I believe it just shows us that as sins come into our lives, separating us from God, and as we go further away from God, we, His creations, are just seeking God less, desiring and inclining to hear God less.

Rather than God who does not speak to us, it is us who are not interested in hearing God.

Yet God says to us,

• Jeremiah 29:13~14, You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. 14 I’ll be found by you,’ declares the Lord (ISV)

When Lord Jesus came to show us the way to God, our creator, and our Father, He exemplified about hearing and seeing what Father God shows, and accordingly obeying God. This is because Lord Jesus came to restore our relationship with God, cleaning our sins and getting sins out of the way, and bringing us back to the closeness, and communication with God.

• John 12:49, For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me gave me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak (WEB)
• John 5:19, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise. (WEB)

Waiting on God to Listen

Here is why we should wait on God, and incline our heart to hear God.

• Receive strength
  • Isaiah 40:30~31 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (NKJV)

• Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD. Be courageous, and he will strengthen your heart. Wait on the LORD! (ISV)
• Isaiah 30:15, In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength. (NASB)
  
• Resting in God
  • As we wait on the Lord and quieten, we will be able to enjoy true rest in the Lord. When we look to God, lay all down before Him, God’s peace will fill us.
    
    It is different from yoga or “emptying of mind” etc, although it may seem similar. Emptying of mind can also be dangerous, because we do not want any wrong thing to enter into our mind or soul.
    Rather, when we are waiting on God, we are looking and concentrating on God and inclining on God,  filling our heart with God, which will push away ourself but replacing with God, Who is good..The result will be peace and eventually to joy and strength.

• Cleansing and Healing
  • Just like detoxing for our body, our soul and our spirit too need detox. Day by day we collect a lot of harmful wastes. Negative things of the world, fears, worries, discouragements, hurtful things, anger, lustful things, immoral thoughts, evil ideas, selfishness, pride, and many other undesirable things that we encounter. However, more damaging are those that arise from ourselves, many times as a result of the negative things we receive from the world. Lord Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:11, “It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him; but it is what comes out of his mouth–*that* defiles a man” (WEB version). He was saying it is not physical food etc that defiles us but when we harbor and entertain evil thoughts inside us to a point of speaking out and acting out the evil thoughts, those are things that will make us unclean. It will damage us, and make our spirit and soul sick. 

As we come and wait before the Lord, God many times reminds us of such and we need to let go of those things before God, laying them down and surrendering ourselves to God. When we release those, we will find the cleansing inside us. It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him; but it is what comes out of his mouth–*that* defiles a man.”

What will detox us and cleanse us is through the Word of God, and from being with God as we receive Who God is. His love, mercy, grace, faithfulness and many more.
With those rubbish in our lives removed, we will find ourselves being lighter, and joyful, looking at things differently in a better way, and treating others better which can also result in improvement even in a natural realm, for instance, in relationships with others. 

Negative things like worry, fears, hatred, heaviness also hinders us from performing better in our daily activities and even in physical health. However, when those are removed, we will find we will be healthier even physically, and able to be more fruitful in the things that we do, including improving in creativity.

• Gets us aligned to God and His Will
  • Psalm 139:23~24, Search me, God, and know my heart.
    Try me, and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. (WEB)
    
• Soul searching and reflecting
  • As we wait on God in quietness and focus on what God wants to say to us, we will be led to soul searching. The Holy Spirit will prompt us on our inner motives, what is our true treasure in our heart and why we are seeking God.
    • Jeremiah 17:10, “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (ESV)
      
• Pray according to God’s Will
  • When we wait, it should be to hear what God’s will and way is. If we patiently and fervently continue, God will lead us to His will, lead us to have a glimpse of God’s heart. This can lead us to know what and how we should pray for, and give us direction, and teach us what we should do.
    
    Praying is good but our prayer will not be effective, or be answered, if we are praying for wrong things. Praying according to what God said in His word is good but we still need to understand if we are getting the correct understanding and application to our lives. Otherwise, we may go amiss in our prayer.

As such we need to be attentive to what God is saying to us through the Holy Spirit as we wait on God. What is in God’s heart, what is God’s will or direction, and what God means when He said in His Word, and if it is right for us to pray etc

• Priority changes
• As we wait on the Lord and seek God’s way, we will realize Who is truly the ultimate boss. Who we owe all to and should be bowing down to, Who God is. Who we are, and Who is the one who truly loves and cares for us. Who we should be listening to.
  

Many times in waiting on God, I come to realize that it is God Who loved us and gave all, that is His own Son, for us. Then I am convinced that He would want the very best for me. This means if God is letting me go through difficult times, then there must be a reason, and it should be for a better outcome. Because that is what the true loving father would do. The key difference is that God knows the future, whereas no one else including our enemy does. So I better trust and seek God, Who also has the ultimate power over all.
  

• Matt 6:33, Seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well (WEB

• Make us Ready while waiting
  • Habakkuk 2:10,  I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint. (NLT)

There are so many benefits of waiting on God, and personally, it is something I came to enjoy although it still is not easy many times. However, it proved to be such a great blessing that I hope all will come to experience it for themselves..

As we come before God, we need to pray for forgiveness, confessing our wrongs before God, since we all fail often.

1. Ask for Forgiveness from God

Praying, in a simple way of describing, is communicating with God. Yet, one thing that can break this relationship is our sins which we all have. What mends this broken relationship is forgiveness.

As such, it will not be wrong to say this is the most vital part of prayer, that is, to reconnect any broken link between us and God.

God has cleansed our sins and forgiven us through the death of Lord Jesus Christ, if we believe and receive that He died for our sins on the cross.

However, since we continuously tend to fall, make mistakes, and sin, we are to confess to God our wrongs so that God can continue to forgive and cleanse us.

• 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (WEB)

This means if we have sinned and we are aware of our own wrongs but chose not to come to God asking for forgiveness, we will not be forgiven or cleansed. Since sin separates us from God, when our sins remain it blocks us from God. It does not mean God does not want to receive us, because God has already given us the way to come to God, but by not coming clean with God about our sins, we are basically choosing not to come to God. In a way, we are the one rejecting God. 

So we need to come before God confessing our wrongs, and asking for His forgiveness and cleansing for our sins we committed whether consciously or unconsciously.  

Do not let prayers and relationship with God be hindered by our wrongs.

• Psalms 66:18

If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened. (WEB)

God receives those who sincerely come to Him in brokenness and with contrite heart, because God knows when one comes with true repentant heart.
 

• When king David committed horrible sins, God still received him and forgave him because he came to God to confess with broken and contrite heart.
  
  2 Samuel 12:13, So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (WEB)

Psalms 51:1~2 (David’s Psalm after he sinned) Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.

Psalms 51:17, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart. (WEB)

• Luke 18:9~14, Lord Jesus tells us about tax collector (mostly viewed as cheater, and may have been considered a traitor of nation) coming before God confessing sin was received by God more than another man who seemed to have done everything right but exalted himself instead of humbling himself.

Luke 18:13, tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

… went home justified before God. 

Does asking for forgiveness always have to be at the start of prayer?

Personally, I do not always put asking for forgiveness at the beginning part of daily prayer. Of course there are times where I believe it might have to be right at the start of prayer, especially when it is hindering us from coming to God, or progressing in communication with God. Yet, other times I find it is more important to focus on God, what God is saying, and ask for even other things prior to even asking for forgiveness. This is what we find when we look at how Lord Jesus taught disciples how to pray in Book of Matthew 6:9 onwards. But one thing for sure, we should alway remember to ask God for forgiveness and cleanse us from our sins and guilt.

Believe and Receive

When we have confessed our sins and asked for God’s forgiveness, we have to believe and receive it. We need to believe that through the price that Lord Jesus Christ has paid, suffering, shedding His blood, and dying on the cross for our sins, we are cleansed. Father God forgives us as we receive what Christ has done for us, and as we come forth to acknowledge, confess and repent, asking for forgiveness. (1 John 1:9).

However, that does not mean the guilt, regrets, sorrow, feeling like failure and disappointing God will just go away immediately all the time. There may be times it lingers around, and we still do not feel good.
On one hand, it is good that sometimes we are sorrowful, realizing our wrongs, so that we can avoid and shun away from sins. But on the other hand, God does not want us to live in guilt, feeling down and miserable all the time. Especially if those are hindering us from coming to God, then that is not what God desires. 

We need to believe that when we come to God and ask for forgiveness sincerely from our heart, God forgives and receives us. We need to receive God’s forgiveness. God sent His Only Son, Christ Jesus to set us free from sin, and not make us bound by guilt and live in misery.

At times, we may feel horrible that we keep failing. Nevertheless, we need to understand that it is God who can help us overcome our weakness. So we need to hope and lean on God, and not our own strength. 

Remember, the story of a prodigal son, who thought his father would not receive him. Yet, when he returned, the father from far away saw him and ran to hug him. While he must have been unrecognizable, still the father knew it was his son. How? The father never forgot the son. He must have been watching to see if his son is coming back. Furthermore, the son must have been wearing rags and must have smelled the stench from a distance. It must have been unbearable. Yet, the father hugged him and kissed his son.

So let’s remember the love of our God, which He illustrated to us by this parable, and be grateful and joyful for God has cleansed us and received us.

2. Forgive others

God has forgiven and continues to forgive us. However, it comes with another condition, apart from acknowledging our wrongs and asking God for forgiveness. 

We need to forgive everyone who has done anything wrong to us, and should not have unforgiveness in us.

This is because God, in His mercy, has forgiven us by giving His own Son, Lord Jesus, and cleansed us from all sins while we were still sinners.

• Romans 8:5, But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (WEB)

In Matthew 18:21-35, Lord Jesus gives a parable of unforgiving servant, to tell us that we should forgive others no matter how serious wrongs done to us, or how difficult it is, because it is still can not be compared to the way that God forgave us, that is, by laying down His own Son to die for sinners like us.

• Matthew 18:35 (NKJV)  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

The key to having forgiveness in our heart is not about trying our best to convince ourselves or force ourselves to forgive. It is in looking unto God, and realizing how great a sinner each of us are, and that God had given up His Son on our behalf just to forgive us. It cost God, His own Son, Lord Jesus, Who willingly forsook Heaven’s glory, riches, and status, and took our sins, shame, and rejection.

• Philippians 2:7~8
  emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross (WEB)

If God did for us, and them, we ought to forgive them, just as God forgave us.

We need always to remember that unforgiveness can cost us the eternal life God has prepared for us through Lord Jesus.

• Matthew 18:35 (NKJV)  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

So we need to pray :

• Remembering God has forgiven us, and thanking God
• Come clean hiding nothing before God, remembering God already knows all things, yet is merciful to forgive us
• Forgiving all others
• Asking God for forgiveness for all our wrongs

When we do this, our enemy (accuser, deceiver), will not have any ground in these to accuse us before our God.

Start prayer with giving thanks to God.

When we come to God acknowledging Who He is and praising God, we may naturally be led to remember what God has done for us. Even if we are not automatically led, it is always good to make it a point to remember and to show our gratitude for all things God has given to us.

Psalms 103:2 – Bless the LORD, my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits (NASB)

Why is Thanking God important? Why give thanks?

• Show our appreciation for what God has been good to us, acknowledging that it is God Who has done and provided for us and not ourselves or others
  • Psalms 115:1, Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy and faithfulness (NAB)
    
• It is a rightful thing to do, because all us being weak and having sins, do not deserve any good, but to be punished. Yet by God’s mercy God gives us good things.
  • Psalms 103:10, He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities (NKJV)
  • Matthew 5:45, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (WEB)
    
• Builds faith in us to pray and ask God as we are being reminded that God Who is good, has done it, will do it again. It leads us to pray with greater faith, persistence, and patience, trusting in God.
  • Romans 8:32, He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? (WEB)
    
• It is an act of Faith. By giving thanks we are basically telling that we believe God will see us through. So it is basically thanking God in advance for what God is going to do even though we do not know what or how exactly
  • Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.
  • Lord Jesus thanked Father God first before the miracle of feeding five thousands..
    • Matthew 14:19~, he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and gave the loaves ..They all ate and were filled…  twelve baskets …left over from the broken pieces.
  • Story of Geoge Mueller and giving thanks for food for 300 orphans
    • When man of faith George Mueller was running an orphanage, and one day when there was no food for the 300 orphan children, he had them sit on a dining table prepared for food. Then he prayed and thanked God for providing food for them. Right after he ended thanksgiving, the baker brought bread to give them saying he just could not sleep and kept baking bread. Then the milkman came telling them to please take all the milk because his cart wheel just broke  and he did not know what to do with a cart full of milk now stuck right in front of their door. 

• We are confessing that we are trusting in God even though things may seemingly be hard; that God is able to turn the situation around for the good of us
  • Rom 8:28, We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose (WEB)
    
• Giving thanks to God and praising God Help us in coming, seeking and worshiping God, entering into the presence of God, as it reminds us of God’s goodness towards us
  • Ps 100:4, Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name (NAB)
    
• Reminds us that we are God’s creation and children, and that God loves us
  • Matt 7:10,11, who is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? …
    how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (WEB)
  • Ps 103:13-14, As a father has compassion for his children, so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him (ISV)
    
• As we ascribe thanks and glory to God, we are showing our humility and submitting to God that it is all God’s goodness and not our own effort or good doings.
  • Psalms 115:1, Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory, for your loving kindness and for your faithfulness (NHEB)
    
• It is a right attitude and we are placing ourselves in right position to receive answer and blessing
  • Luke 17:17~ Jesus answered, “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you.”
    

• Praising God exalts and declares about God. It helps us to focus on God regardless of circumstance and situation that we are facing, while giving thanks involves us and relates us to God as we are reminded and say to God what it means to us.
  
• Giving thanks lets us reflect and opens our eyes to God’s goodness towards us, that It is not someone else’s story, as if God is far away. It will not have much meaning to us if it is a third party’s story, and experience. But thanking God makes us realize God’s greatness and goodness is towards us, individually and personally, and not just someone else. 
  
• As we do, it will lead us to see God’s goodness and we will become positive, and with hope, and strength, instead of feeling down and hopeless. This in turn will change even our behavior and our better behavior and attitude will produce better outcomes and consequences even in the natural realm. 

So there is no harm but only good outcome by giving thanks to God. Then why don’t we start, continue and even do more?   

What to Thank God?

We can thank God for what God has already done first of all, but also for what God is doing currently and continuously. Then we can believe and trust God, and by faith thank God for what God will be doing and already has in store for us.

• What God has done, is doing, and will be doing
  • First and most of all, God has given us His very best, that is Lord Christ Jesus. His only Son.
    • John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life (WEB)
  • Given us life
    • If we believe it is the right thing to thank our parents for bringing us to this earth, we sure need to thank God Who
      • Made us, and gave us the breath of life
      • Gave us new life as new creation in Christ ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 )
      • Prepared for us the eternal life through Christ Jesus (John 3:16)

Here is a verse that can remind us every time of what things to thank God for. It will be good not just to read but memorize

• Psalms 103:2~14  (NASB) Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget any of His benefits;
  • Who pardons all your guilt,
  • Who heals all your diseases;
  • Who redeems your life from the pit,
  • Who crowns you with favor and compassion;
  • Who satisfies your years with good things,
    So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
  • The Lord performs [b]righteous deeds
    And judgments for all who are oppressed.
  • The Lord is compassionate and gracious, 
  • Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
  • He will not always contend with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.
  • He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds.
  • For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him
    As far as the east is from the west,
    So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.

Take Action Today

• Start remembering and give thanks
  • If we can not remember, just go through the list above on what to thank God for
• Do it everyday  

I believe it will change something in us, and can turn our Despair to Hope, Fear to Faith, Sadness to Rejoicing, Weak to Strength

God loves to bless us. So let’s get ourselves ready by starting with giving thanks for all God has done and in all circumstances, trusting in God’s love and faithfulness, that is by Faith. 

• Rom 8;28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.

1Thess 5;16~18 Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.

The very first step in prayer is to Come to God. < Check out – Come to God >

For myself, when coming to God, I found the most efficient way of praying is to first acknowledge and declare Who God is, that is, every time come to God to pray.

Why?

I used to wonder why when some pray  they always begin with a lot of great things about God. Many who are listening already know that so why do so every time? Is it to brag about what I know? Or to make my prayer sound great? I still don’t know about some others. But I’m quite sure some do for the same reason that I do now for a few years ago.

• Focus – on What or Who really Matter

Start praying by acknowledging and declaring about God to lead us to focus on God instead of ourselves or situation.

• Look to God, turn our eyes off things around such as :

• Negativity, tiredness, weariness
• Distraction – what is around, what I hear, see, or feel
• Worries and fear
• Past experiences, present situation, concerns of future and uncertainties 
• So many more…

• Acknowledging God, turns our attention away from ourselves
  • Our failure, mistakes
  • What we are facing, feeling, experiencing
  • Our incapabilities, what we can not do, our limitation, impossibilities
  • Our capabilities, what I think I can do, what I did and what I can try. My own ideas and plans instead of asking God in prayer
    • Past success may be worse than our past failures, because past success can deter us in the wrong direction, bring about a greater failure, or can lead us to disasters
    • As we come to God, we need to decide if we want God’s way or our own way.
      

Afterall, do all these things really matter so much? What really matters? What or Who can change the things around? Even from death to life?

Who has the Power? Who is the One Who made all, Who also can destroy all, and even Rebuild all?

If we are not believing or at least hoping, we would not even think of praying. So since we pray believing, then let’s do so knowing, acknowledging, and declaring Who God is, more than our situation, or difficulties.

2 Chron 14:11 NKJV

And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”

1 Sam 14:6 NKJV
For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few

• Encourage us and lift our spirit to Believe and Trust God as we Pray
  • Continue and Not give up
  • Especially keep us to Continue to focus on God’s Faithfulness and sovereignty in times of difficulty or when situation / circumstance goes the other way….
    
• Lead me to Praise and Thank God rather than Complaints
  • Recollecting all the good things that God has already done for us or given to us, no matter how small or insignificant it might be, not only lifts up our spirit but also leads us to have faith to believe for more and greater things.
  • What is praise?
    It is basically an expression or admiration of a good thing that the other person has done. It is not about ourselves, of how we feel, and it may not even be linked with anything of ourselves. It is all about the good things about the person.
    As such, when we praise God, automatically we are concentrating and focusing on God. We are exalting and magnifying God and not the situation or our weakness, but God’s greatness which we need to recognise to thrust in to believe and have faith to continue praying knowing God is able. 

Book of Psalms

Check out the book of Psalms and consider. We will notice that many of the Psalms starts with the writer (mostly David but others too like Asaph) starts with fear, frustration, and feeling down, but as they praise God and look to Who God is, we can find they slowly gets the strength, and end with rejoicing and full of hope and strength to fight. Why? Because they start to reflect and realize Who God is. God’s power, mercy, and goodness, that He never failed. 

2 Chronicles 20:21

Right on time, as they began to sing and praise, the Lord ambushed[d] the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of[e] Mount Seir[f] who had attacked Judah, and they were defeated.

• Pray efficiently and effectively
  • Instead of wasting time feeling down, defeated and helpless, as we acknowledge God’s power and His love for us, we focus on God and lift up our prayer 
  • Leads us to rest in God’s love, and pray according to God’s will and God’s way

I am very certain that there is so much more we will find as we start with focusing and declaring Who God is.

Also for each of the above, there is so much deeper we can dive into, but we will leave that to next time. We bound to touch of those later on as we continue to Walk with the Lord

So How Do I Go About?

Write Down Who God is. What God’s Name is and reflect on What it Means 

Start Declaring God. Speak out and confess. As we Speak and Hear it ourselves, we will feel the Peace, Joy, Strength, Positive Energy, and Start to See the Situations Differently for the start, and as we see the situation differently and gain strength from God, we will thing and act differently, which will cause the situations to change many times. 

But not all things will change in such a way of course. However, there are countless testimonies that prove that as we press on praying and trusting in the Lord, God will see us through. God will “See To It” ( Jireh, in Hebrew. Jehovah Jireh, one of the well known Names of Godmeaning God will See To It or God has made Provision for it already, or simply God will Provide ), when we ask and look to God, and not give up, though at times it take a long time. 

Also at times it will not be according to what we wanted or prayed for but the end result many times (at times only many years later we can understand) shows God’s way is better and the best. 

God Is :

• Powerful
• Merciful
• Faithful
• Compassionate
• Gracious
• Just
• Defender, Protector
•  ….

God’s Name is :

• Elohim – God Who is Great, One and only God, The Creator God which means owner of everything including ourselves
• El Shadai – God Almighty
• El Elyon – Most High God, and the possessor of all things
• El Roi – God Who Sees.

Each of these names of God has a whole lots of meaning that will speak to us in a very practical way as we discover what God is saying to us through His Name next time.

Start 

1. Coming to God 
2. Acknowledge, Declare, Praise God, telling God of Who God is