In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words…                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                     Romans 8:26 

When it comes to talking to God, scripture gives us some valuable insight. Consider these prayer principles:

Prayer Principle #1: We are to ask!

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

                                                                                                               Matthew 7:7-8 

Jesus makes it very clear…as believers, we are to ask. Jesus’ declaration is powerful, “Everyone who asks receives.” So we should be speaking to God about every aspect of our lives, asking Him for guidance.

Prayer Principle #2: Private prayer is rewarded!

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 

                                                                                                                         Matthew 6:6 

Private prayer is rewarded by God. What we do in the quiet of those moments with Him is vitally important. Private prayer is where we get to meet with the God who loves us, sent Christ to die for us, and provides us with everything that we need to be an effective, productive believer. It is our time spent with the Savior that provides us with wisdom, insight, and spiritual power.

Prayer Principle #3: We do not have to plead with God!

And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

                                                                                                                   Matthew 6:7-8 

One of the most exciting things about prayer is that we are talking to a God who cares and is ready to meet our every need. We do not have to use repetition in order to secure His attention. He already knows what we need before we ask but desires to hear from us, His children, and takes great joy in the communion that we have with Him in those quiet moments. 

Prayer Principle #4: We have to believe without any doubting!

And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”

                                                                                                                 Mark 11:22-24 

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

                                                                                                                        James 1:5-8 

This is what separates those who experience answer to prayer and those who do not. Jesus and James both cover this indispensable part of praying. We must believe that God will answer us. We have to believe in what we are asking and trust in His character and nature when presenting our requests to Him. When we doubt, we are really proving ourselves to be double-mined and unstable in our prayer life. Faith is essential in prayer!

Prayer Principle #5: Prayer changes things!

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                     James 5:16 

We have biblical examples in which God has changed His mind over a situation because of the prayer of a particular individual. Consider the prayer of Moses and the prayer of Hezekiah (Exodus 32:11-14, Isaiah 38:1-6). In both cases, God was moving in one direction but because of the prayers of these two men, He moved in a different one. Prayer changes things! It is really that simple. Our prayers can alter what is going on in a particular situation because we are asking God to intervene and become involved in that circumstance.

But even with all of these wonderful prayer principles, Paul still makes the assertion that there are times when we still do not know how to pray. Today’s passage tells us that when this happens, the Spirit of God actually comes to assist us in our prayer. There is a huge difference in praying our own thoughts and praying the thoughts of God. When we pray in the Spirit, our prayer life begins to move into an entirely different level, one that many may fail to ever experience. When the Spirit intercedes for us, words cannot even begin to express the fellowship and unity that we experience with God in Christ.

So how do we ensure that the Spirit is participating in our prayer life? One great way to achieve this is to pray scripture. When we pray scripture back to God, we are using His words and not our own. Taking the magnificent promises found in the Bible and making them a regular staple of our prayer life will bring the power of the Spirit into our thoughts and into our lives. In other words, when we pray scripture, we are thinking, meditating on, and believing in the very thoughts of God. This is a far superior way to pray than simply going through a list that we manufacture.

How would you rate your prayer life? Why not begin incorporating the use of scripture into your prayer life today? When the Spirit drives our prayers, we begin to experience spiritual power that comes from meditating on the thoughts of God!