When You Pray

Many people are convinced that prayer is a wonderful gift from God, but they just can't figure out what He wants them to do with it. They try to use it, but it frustrates them. Sometimes it seems to be wonderful, but sometimes it seems to be more of an irritation or a burden than a blessing. They can't get rid of it. But, try as they might, they also can't seem to be blessed by this gift, and the more testimonies they hear about how wonderful it is, the more frustrated and disillusioned they become.

As we look at prayer in this passage and then again in the model prayer Jesus gave to His disciples, there is a possibility that you will discover that some of your own long-held beliefs about prayer are flawed. Don't be frightened, though, because I believe that you will find that what Jesus actually teaches about prayer is both simple and liberating. Most things man comes up with on a subject so close to the heart of God as prayer are just the opposite: complicated and burdensome.

1. How and Where Not To Pray (5)
2. How and Where To Pray (6-7)
3. Why You Can Pray Sincerely (8)