Pray with Purpose: 4 Simple Steps to More Powerful and Impactful Prayers
Earlier this week I went on a prayer retreat. And even though I just released a book about how the Lord has helped me work through so many of my issues about prayer, I still felt a little nervous. Before we arrived, (and before I said “Yes, I’ll go!) I had so many insecurities running through my mind. What would we do? How long would it last? What were the expectations? So many questions.
But I shouldn’t have worried at all. It was SO GOOD! But it all makes me wonder why my first feelings about prayer are always so loaded. (If you could use a little help in this department too you should definitely check out my new book Praying is (not) Hard—because, believe me when I tell you, “a little nervous” is light years ahead of where I used to be)
That’s why, as we sat in the dimly lit sanctuary listening to a teaching from Pastor Nate Ruch, I knew I wanted to share the highlights from his lesson with you! We all want to pray powerful, focused prayers, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. Towards that goal, he shared one the most insightful and practical presentations on how to pray that I’ve ever heard.
Teaching straight from the book of Nehemiah, he outlined a simple four step process. Here it is:
Step 1: Base Your Request on God’s Character
To begin, Nehemiah 1:5-6 says, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer!”
Nehemiah was quick to acknowledge how great and powerful God is, and that he is faithful, trustworthy and true. All his promises and covenants will be fulfilled!
Step 2: Confess the Sin in Your Life
In order to approach a holy God, we need to confess where we’ve fallen short of his standards and put distance between us.
Verses 6-7 give us a template to follow: “I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.”
Step 3: Claim the Promises of God
Check out verses 8-9, as we continue to look at Nehemiah’s pattern of prayer: “‘Please remember what you told your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’”
Nehemiah was reminding God of all that he had spoken and promised to the people of Israel, and you can do the same.
If you’re not sure what his promises are, here are just a few:
His Presence
Peace
Wisdom
The Holy Spirit
Step 4: Be Very Specific in What You Ask For & Be Willing to Be Part of the Answer
You’ll find Nehemiah’s very specific request from God at the very end of his prayer, and I think it’s really interesting. He asks God for success!
You can see it in verse 10: “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”
I hope this outline helps you as much as it’s helped me! If you try it, let me know how it goes for you!
And for more help getting out of your head and finally just praying, check out my new book Praying is (not) Hard! I’ve heard so many incredible stories of how it’s revolutionized readers’ prayer lives! If you really want to pray, but struggle to actually do it, I know it will be helpful for you too!