God’s Word gives us specific instruction about prayer. We don’t need to add to those instructions in an attempt to manipulate God’s power or receive answers to our prayers.

We all want our prayers to be “effective,” so much so that when we focus on the “results” of our prayers, we lose sight of the incredible privilege we have in prayer. That people like us can speak to the Creator of the universe is itself an amazing thing. Even more astounding is the fact that He hears us and acts on our behalf!

The first thing we need to understand about effective prayer is that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had to suffer and die on the cross to even make it possible for us to approach the throne of grace to worship and pray (Hebrews 10:19-25).

The Bible offers a great deal of guidance on how we can deepen our communication with the Creator, effective prayer has more to do with the one doing the praying than it does with “how” we are to pray. Indeed, Scripture says:

• “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16)
• The “eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12; Psalm 34:15)
• “the prayer of the upright pleases Him” (Proverbs 15:8).
• Prayer saved the righteous Daniel from the lion’s den (Daniel 6:11)
• In the wilderness, God’s chosen people benefitted from Moses’ right standing with God (Exodus 16–17).
• The barren Hannah’s steadfast and humble prayers resulted in the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20)
• The apostle Paul’s prayers even caused the earth to shake (Acts 16:25-26).
• Clearly, the passionate prayers of God’s righteous children can accomplish much (Numbers 11:2).