Prayer is talking to God, and when I’m in a good mood I talk to Him.  I also talk to Him when I’m not in so good a mood.  I talk to Him about the things I need His help with, and especially when I need answers.

Over the years, I have observed that people talk to God in various ways.  Two of those ways I do not recommend. One is pretty irreverent and arrogant where people actually give God orders, demanding that He do something.

Another type is done by those who feel very unworthy and so they act like a beggar.  There is however another way to pray which I think is a much better approach, and it is biblically sound.  But first, let’s look at the other two.

Arrogantly Demanding

For some people, their prayer life is giving God a list in the morning and then expecting Him to complete it by the end of the day.  “Here, God, these are the things I need and want You to take care of for me, and I need You to do it right now.”  They may not say it exactly like that, but their manner and method sure implies it.

When they pray they tell God what He must do, how He is to do it, and when He is to have it done.  “Oh God, I need five hundred dollars and You need to provide it for me today.” “I’m going to talk to my boss, and You need to have him give me a bonus and a raise.”  Isn’t that a bit arrogant?  Irreverent?

I Don’t Deserve Anything

Others feel that if they can somehow gain God’s pity, He’ll then feel so sorry for them, and then bless them, but just a little.  They lack trust in God, and come to Him in prayer feeling unworthy and acting like a beggar.

“God, I know I don’t deserve anything, and all I really need is a few bucks to get me through another day, but after all the sins I’ve committed, I don’t blame You if my prayer isn’t answered.  And, if You don’t help me, well, then I guess it must be Your will that I suffer.”

If my kids ever petitioned me like that I would really need to sit down and talk with them. I would tell them how much I loved them for no other reason than because they were my children. I would tell them how I would do whatever I could for them, and how they should just come and sit on my lap and tell me what they need.  Would God, who is our heavenly Father, do less than that?

But feelings of guilt, shame, sin-consciousness and condemnation stifle one’s confidence in God.  The Bible says that if our own heart doesn’t condemn us, then we will have confidence toward God; be able to speak freely to Him.  If our own heart does condemn us, just the opposite: we will have no confidence toward God to speak to Him freely.

We ought to accept and believe Jesus Christ paid the full and complete price for all sins, and because of that, we have now received God’s forgiveness.

We ought to accept and believe we really are God’s children; He is our loving heavenly Father.

We ought to accept and believe nothing can separate us from His love.

We don’t need to grovel like a beggar when we approach our wonderful loving Father.  And we really shouldn’t arrogantly and irreverently give orders to the Almighty.  There is a much better way to pray.

Confidently Asking With Reverence

Many times in the Bible the words translated “bold,” and, “confidence,” are from the same root word, and it means to speak freely, holding nothing back; speaking all that is on your mind.  You can read a number of instances in the Scriptures when wonderful men and women petitioned God with great boldness.  They held nothing back, including how they felt, but their cry to God still included reverence and respect for Him.

You can read about King David, who endured great trials.  He wrote many of the Psalms and in some of them you can see him crying out to God for help.  You see Him asking God why his prayers had not been answered yet.  You also see his great trust that God would indeed answer and provide.

Jesus Christ is noted in the gospels as praying on many occasions.  He got up early in the morning to pray, and, he prayed late at night. It is even recorded that he spent all night in prayer on occasion.  When you read what is written about his prayers, it is easy to see his boldness to speak, and his reverence for his heavenly Father.

In teaching his followers to pray, Jesus told them to ask, to knock and to seek.  He said that we ought to “always pray and not faint.”

The Bible says that God’s ears are open to our prayers.  In other words, He not only hears all our prayers, but He is the One who decided that He wanted to hear them all! The door is wide open; the Scriptures say that we ought to come to God’s throne room of grace with boldness (speaking freely) to obtain His mercy and find His grace to help in time of need.

When you go to God in prayer, speak all that is on your mind.  Tell Him how you feel and what you are going through.  Do what the Bible teaches by letting your requests be known unto Him and casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.  Talk to God with reverence and respect.  Then, knowing He hears all your prayers, put all your trust in Him, and look for and expect an answer.