Prayer
We believe in the power and effectiveness of prayer.

REASONS FOR PRAYER*

1. First and foremost, believers are commanded by God to pray. The command to pray comes from the lips of:
1. Psalmists (1 Chronicles 16:11; Ps 105:4)
2. Prophets (Isaiah 55:6; Amos 5:4,6)
3. Apostles  (Ephesians 6:17,18; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
4. Lord Jesus himself (Matthew 26:41; Luke 18:1; John 16:24) 

2. Second, Prayer is the necessary link to receiving God’s blessings and power, and the fulfillment of His promises. Numerous Bible passages illustrate this principle.
1. Jesus for example, promised that His followers would receive the Holy Spirit if they persisted in asking, seeking and knocking at the door of their heavenly Father               (Luke 11:5-13).
2. His followers joined together constantly in prayer in the upper room (Acts 1:14) until the power of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

3. Third, In His plan of salvation for humankind God has ordained that believers be co-workers with Him in the redemptive process. 
1. There are many things that will not be accomplished in God’s kingdom without the intercessory prayers of believers.
2. For example, God desires to send out workers into the gospel harvest; Christ teaches that this will only be accomplished to God’s full purpose through His people’s prayers: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field” (Matthew 9:38).
3. If we fail to pray, we may actually be hindering the accomplishment of God’s redemptive purpose, both for ourselves as individuals and for the church as a body.

REQUIREMENTS OF EFFECTIVE PRAYING*

Several Conditions must be met for our prayers to be effective.

1. Prayer can only be effective if it is made according to God’s perfect will. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14). Jesus models this prayer in the Lord’s Prayer “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) and in the garden of Gethsemane, “…may your will be done”. (Matthew 26:42).
2. Not only must we prayer according to God’s will, be we must be in God’s will if we expect him to hear and answer us. God will give us the things we ask for only if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”. (Matthew 6:33)
3. Our prayers will not be answered unless we have a sincere, true faith. Jesus states explicitly: “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”        (Mark 11:24),  “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23), and James encourages us, when asking, to “believe and not doubt” (James 1:6)
4. Prayer must also be made in Jesus’ name. Jesus himself expressed this principle when he said: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:13-14).
5. Finally, for prayer to be effective we must be persistent. This is the main point of the parable of the persistent widow (see Luke 18:1-7). Jesus’ instruction to “ask…seek…knock” (Matthew 7:7-8) teaches perseverance in prayer.

*Notes taken from the NIV Full Life Study Bible