Q. How are we to pray to God?
A. With sincerity, purity, reverence, faith, humility, fervency, submission, perseverance, and thanksgiving.

1. Sincerity.
Inasmuch as there must be affection in prayer, it must be sincere, and heartfelt. David says in Psalm 51:6, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts.” Sincerity does not put forth a show, or pray to be seen by men [Matt.6:5] but if grace has truly filled the heart, and the inward motions of the soul are changed by repentance, so the heart bursts forth with sincere affection for God. Those who pray hypocritically do it that they may have praise of men, and that they may be seen as pious and devout, but he who is godly seeks the honor that comes only from God; and therefore his prayer is justified by the white robes of sincerity.
i. The godly sincerely confesses His sin.
The godly prays with sincerity regarding the confession of his sins, while the hypocrite covers them. David says in Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I have not hidden my iniquity.” The sincerity of the heart is shown in the humble confession of our sins to God, and the petitioning of mercy. In Luke 18, Jesus presents a parable in which the prayer of the godly and the hypocrite are contrasted.
The hypocrite prayed thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men.”
While the tax collector would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but smote his breast and cried, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” Therefore God justifies this prayer, but rejects the other. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” [Jam. 4:6]
The hypocrite covers his sins in self-delusion, thinking himself to be a righteous man, he prays about many things, but never about his sin. He may ask for blessing, prosperity wealth, happiness, contentment, and a bountiful life, and perhaps even thank God for such, but his hypocrisy is seen in his lack of sincerity. He is devoid of spiritual sight, and cannot see the seriousness of his sins. He is unable to see the rope tied to his neck, and ready and waiting to hang him for them. He is totally blind to the weight of his sins, and the reality that the least of them is heavy enough to drag him to an eternity of agony, and misery. But the humble though he may be a sinner is a penitent sinner. And the penitent will receive mercy from the Lord. David says again in Psalm 51:16-17, “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God area broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.”
The gracious soul sees that his sins are too much for him to pay, and therefore casts himself upon the mercy of God. Girolamo Savonarola said, “A thousand times you have pardoned my sins. I do not trust in my own justification, but in Thy mercy.”
We must never trust to ourselves, our works, our prayers, or even our own justification, but must rely completely upon God otherwise we are in eminent danger of hypocrisy.
As the clear water runs through the brook, and into the river, so must our prayers run with the clearness of sincerity that they might pour themselves into the river of grace, and become effectual. A hypocrite’s prayer is like muddy water, casting up dirt and mire, it is profitable for nothing. Therefore if we would have grace, we must pray with heart-felt sincerity, and know ourselves to be unworthy of the mercy of God. We must not only admit of sin, but confess it to God. Yea, a man who does not know himself to be a sinner does not know himself at all, and a man that does not seek pardon for sin is the greatest fool. He is like a filthy man who refuses to be clean. Those who do not have on the wedding garment which is justification by Christ’s righteousness will not be accepted in the courts of heaven where they wear only the purest and whitest robes- but will be cast into the lake of fire with all hypocrites, and hard-hearted men who would not seek their pardon from God. Therefore we see that sincerity is the gold currency that is acceptable to God. Nothing else will do, but truth in the heart. God is a God of truth, and anyone who professes to know Him must know Him in truth, worship Him in truth, and pray to Him in the pure sincerity of truth. God will not accept the prayers of hypocrites and wicked men. Proverbs 15:8 says, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.”
ii. The godly sincerely loves God.
Love for God is the essence of true sincerity. We do not know how to pray sincerely until we learn to love God.
Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-38 that the first and great commandment of the law is to love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind.
That is to say, the first commandment is the sincerity of love. We are commanded to love God truly and from the heart, and this the godly find a most pleasant command. Loving God as we ought to may be the most difficult challenge, but this the godly will do and strive to do so long as he is alive and breathing. He will love God first and best, and before all things, and this will be what draws him to prayer. The godly pray because they sincerely love God, and desire communion with Him. Therefore if we would have our prayers accepted by God, we must come before Him with the sincerity of confession of sins, and the sincerity of love to God for His abundant pardon of them.

2. Purity.
Even as our prayers must be sincere, our hearts and life must be sincere also. It is not good to come before a King dressed in dirty rags, nor is it good to come before God in prayer while living in sin. The Psalmist says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” (Psalm 66:18) Purity of heart and life adds beauty to prayer. God desires us to be holy, because He is holy, and our prayers are only as effectual as when we are actively pursuing holiness. Sin stifles prayer. It is like a festering clog in the drain which stops up our prayers. It does this in two ways.
i. By blocking us from praying. When we sin, our consciences are defiled, and we are laden with that guilt. Jeremiah Burroughs said “It is easier to bear a burden on your shoulders than on your conscience.” The guilty soul fears the judgment of God, and hesitates to come to Him for forgiveness and cleansing. Often, a Christian will feel that he is unable to come to God on account of his sinfulness and unworthiness. Therefore sin defiles, and blocks us from prayer. This must be remedied by remembering Christ, and applying His redemption and forgiveness to your soul. The guilty soul says, “I am too great a sinner!” But the essence of faith is apprehending the mercy of God in Christ, and applying His redeeming blood for the forgiveness of sin. Are you a great sinner? Let your fears be banished. Christ is a great Savior. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Rom. 5:20) There is nothing better for the soul that has sinned than to run to the fountain of life to receive forgiveness. God hates the prayer of hypocrites, but pours His love and grace on the humble, and contrite. The saints will battle sin all their life. This is our warfare. But we must press on in prayer, and supplications, asking God to forgive us when we have sinned, and continue on in the way of duty. The faster we repent, and the faster we are returned to a clear conscience, the more God is glorified in us. Therefore let us not allow sin to block us from praying. When a conscience is burdened by sin, and the soul is sensible of its state of misery; when the heart is broken for sin, and the spirit is trodden down by the maledictions and curses of the law, yea, when the mind cannot discern how to mend it, or how to fix this broken heart, where can this soul go, where shall it flee to and to whom shall it fly, but to Christ?
I say to Christ alone, who is the believing soul’s refuge, its sanctuary, its restorer, and the giver of life. He shall not turn you away if you come in humble, brokenhearted faith, for He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit“, and “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” [Is. 55:7]
There is no place for the soul to find the comfort of salvation apart from Christ.
When awakened to your sinfulness, go nowhere save into the loving arms of a gracious Savior who laid down His life, so that those who have no strength might have it, and those who have no hope might abound with it.
ii. By blocking prayer.
Sin also defiles prayer. An unrepentant sinner who does not serve God, yet prays is not heard by God. Shall the devil pray and be heard by God? Then shall the servants of the devil also be heard. Prov. 28:9 says, “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” Their prayers are known, but rejected. They are like smoke to God. He cannot bear them, but will bring all their miseries upon them instead. Sin is treason against God, rebellion against His perfect law, an insult to His majesty, an offense to His holiness, a mockery of His justice, contempt of His mercy, hatred of His love, and despite of His grace. He cannot bear to look at sin, but must destroy those who practice it, and punish them in His burning and fiery wrath. Those who are unbelieving will not be heard. But even saints who live in rebellion, and sin, and do not properly heed the Word or conform to it, but are lazy and indolent will be only be heard as a whisper. All true saints have access to the free forgiveness of Christ, and truly He is our mediator in prayer so that we are always heard, but it is the holy that are heard first by God. 1 John 3:22 says, “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” Those who do not please God and walk contrary to His commandments will not be granted the better gifts. There is a proverb and a riddle here in this verse. John says “whatever we ask, we receive from Him”, because the disobedient children will ask for many worldly things that they will have in common with the world, but the righteous and spiritual minded will have their petitions granted first, for they ask for grace, and mercy, and for God’s kingdom and glory to be advanced in the world. The righteous cry out with Christ, “Father, glorify thy name.” [John 12:28] This is their chief desire, and this petition is granted. In this they are building an eternal substance. Therefore let us apply this, and learn more and more to put off sin, and put on righteousness. If we would be heard by God, and our prayers rise up to Him in the beauty of holiness like sweet incense we must pursue a life of holiness. We must learn to hate sin, and purify our life from the corruptions of the flesh. Sin will stifle prayer, but let that not discourage us from it. Let us press more and more into the kingdom by prayer, and supplication, and plead with God to cleanse us from our sin, for it is only by His Spirit that we are made more holy, and we are at His mercy in all things. Let us pray this request: That we are made into vessels of honor and righteousness, and not vessels to be cast down and destroyed, vessels to be full of grace, and not full of His anger and wrath. “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
(2 Cor. 7:1)

3. Reverence.
One of the most important virtues and graces a saint can be endowed with on earth is the holy fear of God. This is essential to godly prayer- that we come before God in fear and reverence to His name, knowing that He is holy.
“You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.” (Lev. 22:32-33)
“Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.” (Rev. 15:4)
God has revealed His tender love and compassion to the world in the life and death of Jesus Christ, but although He is full of kindness and pity for us, He is also a wonderful and holy God. What terrors and what horror are reserved for those who do not fear Him, and who rebel against His divine authority!? “He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little…”
[Psalm 2:5, 11-12]
When Moses came into His presence, he who was called the friend of God, and whom God spoke face to face with, even he was exceedingly fearful in God’s holy presence, and trembled! [Heb. 12:21]
If we truly know God, we will love Him and also greatly fear Him, because God reveals Himself to us by those attributes which inspire reverence and a dreadful fear of Him.
“Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.  For our God is a consuming fire.”
The fear we ought to have of God ought to straighten every crooked thought, and make us the more careful in our prayers, so that we do not speak rashly, or utter anything flippant or profane before Him. He is Almighty God, and we ought to walk before Him in fear. If we fear God as we ought to, we will have His will and desires in mind and in our hearts when we pray. It is a selfish heart that does not fear God. Therefore the meek, and selfless Christ said, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” [Luke 22:42]
A true and godly fear puts God first in all its petitions and desires. The godly soul loves God, and therefore confidently asks for grace, and fears God, therefore it asks for His will to be done. To have high and exalting thoughts of God is to respect and reverence His Holy name, and give Him the fear He deserves.
We have great need of being in a reverent frame of heart in our prayers, and know that God’s nature infinitely transcends ours. Matthew Henry said, “We ought to approach to God with a solemn pause and preparation; and to express our inward reverence by grave and sober behavior in the worship of God, avoiding everything which is unbecoming the awfulness of the service.” In short, we are to fear God in prayer, and when we come into His presence, it ought to be with the holy adoration that is due Him. “Do not be rash with your mouth,
And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
For God is in heaven, and you on earth.” (Ecc. 5:2)
“I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and My name is to be feared.” [Mal. 1:14]
i. True fear of God acknowledges sin.
If we have a reverent and holy frame of heart in prayer, it will show by our humble fear of the Lord, and the acknowledgement that we are unworthy to come before Him apart from Christ. He is God Almighty, and He is not to be trifled with or taken lightly. Those who pray rashly with no fear or reverence slight God by their presumption.
Edmund Calamy said, “A man of a slight head can never have a good heart; a slight hearted Christian can never be a good Christian; he that thinks slightly of God, will speak slightly of God; and he that speaks slightly of God, will worship God slightly; and he that slights God, God will slight him.” So we must understand our own corruptions to be unworthy of approaching a most holy God, and we must come before Him as it were trembling, and thankful for Christ that we are given access to that which we could never merit nor deserve.
ii. True fear of God adores God’s name.
The third commandment is, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” (Ex. 20:7)
A. 113 of the Westminster Larger Catechism states,
“The sins forbidden in the third commandment are, the not using of God’s name as is required; and the abuse of it in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane, superstitious, or wicked mentioning or otherwise using his titles, attributes, ordinances, or works, by blasphemy, perjury; all sinful cursings, oaths, vows, and lots; violating of our oaths and vows, if lawful; and fulfilling them, if of things unlawful; murmuring and quarreling at, curious prying into, and misapplying of God’s decrees and providences; misinterpreting, misapplying, or any way perverting the word, or any part of it, to profane jests, curious or unprofitable questions, vain janglings, or the maintaining of false doctrines; abusing it, the creatures, or anything contained under the name of God, to charms, or sinful lusts and practices; the maligning, scorning, reviling, or any wise opposing of God’s truth, grace, and ways; making profession of religion in hypocrisy, or for sinister ends; being ashamed of it, or a shame to it, by unconformable, unwise, unfruitful, and offensive walking, or backsliding from it.”
If we are lovers of God, we will be devoted to the fear of Him, and prize His name rather than abuse it. Our hearts will be both knit to Him with the cords of love, and strengthened by a right and holy fear of His name. Therefore when we pray, let us do it with sincerity, and godly fear, knowing that our God is a consuming fire. There is no better preventive to keep us from sinning in our prayers than the fear of God.

4. Faith.
We also must approach God with living faith, knowing assuredly that Christ is our Savior and Advocate, and that God hears our petitions and prayers.
He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” [Heb. 11:6]
Although we ought to have a holy reverence and fear for God’s holy name, yet there is great love and mercy flowing from the fountain of life, and we are called, yes even entreated, and drawn to prayer! “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24) God delights in our prayers, and He desires us to have faith to come to Him with boldness, and the complete confidence that He is a loving and benevolent Father, and desires to bestow upon us all the riches of His mercy and love. Though we are to fear Him, and dread His judgments, yet we are to come to Him boldly in faith, knowing that He is gracious and compassionate, and ready to hear our prayers.
Puritan minister Samuel Bolton writes, “When God has a purpose to give, He stirs up the heart to seek, and this stirring up of the heart to seek is evidence that He has purpose to bestow. He loves to bestow His mercy in a way of seeking, that we may be encouraged to come to Him.” This is our encouragement to constant prayer, that God has abundant pleasure and delight in granting our petitions and providing for us our spiritual needs. This is what we should have confidence in.
Christ has called us into union and communion with Him, and it is by faith that we apprehend the benefits of His love, and open the treasuries of grace and forgiveness.
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.” (Heb. 10:35) Faith is the engine to our prayers. A car may look like a million dollars, but without an engine it fails its purpose. So the prayer of a hypocrite may be elaborate, or eloquent, but without faith it is an empty show.
Faith is the wing that takes our prayers to God, and carries them to His ear.
Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.”
Those that wait on the Lord in faith, trust and perseverance shall lift their prayers to Him with the wings of faith. They shall run in His ways and not be weary and shall walk daily with Him and not faint. See what a miracle true faith can work! It gives wings to prayer, life to the dead, hope to the hopeless, comfort to the brokenhearted, a refuge for the homeless, and grace to the humble.
i. Faith has respect to Christ the Mediator.
Do we have access to God in prayer? It is through Christ and Him alone that we are allowed such a privilege. He has bled and died, and rose again so that we might be enabled and encouraged to come before God in prayer. Unbelief flees from this and dreads to talk to God, but faith looks above the sea of sin, and into the sunlight of mercy.
He walks on the water with Christ and does not fear, knowing that God will not let him drown in his miseries. Faith is the cornerstone of our prayer, and Christ is the cornerstone of faith. Therefore our prayers are heard because of Christ, and not us- by virtue of Christ’s mediation and not by virtue of our faith. True faith looks not to self, but Christ; not to our own faith, but to Christ who is the object of our faith.
Faith respects Christ above all things: above all circumstances, troubles, pains, afflictions, sins, and therefore in prayer has confidence in Him and confesses that because God is in control, and Christ sitting on His throne of glory, there is neither cause nor reason to fear or doubt.
ii. Faith has respect to the promise of God.
It is said of Abraham in Romans 4 that, “ contrary to hope, in hope believed… not being weak in faith… He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” [Romans 4:18-21]
Therefore we see that we should also pray with full assurance that God will fulfill His promises, perform His word, and make sure that all He has ever said to us, He will absolutely and perfectly bring to pass. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)
This promise is a blooming flower in the heart of a faithful Christian, and will provide sweetness and comfort in times of grief or sorrow. But how can a Christian be blessed by a promise if he does not believe? “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” [Mark 9:23] William Gurnall said, “Furnish thyself with arguments from the promises to enforce thy prayers, and make them prevalent with God. The promises are the ground of faith, and faith, when strengthened, will make thee fervent, and such fervency ever speeds and returns with victory out of the field of prayer…The mightier any is in the Word, the more mighty he will be in prayer.”
Let us rest our weary souls upon the sure, and changeless promises of God; for He has promised to love us [Hosea 14:4], forgive us [Isa. 1:18-19], sanctify us [Eph. 5:26], and lead us safely to eternal life. [John 10:28] Let us behold these promises with the eyes of faith, and never forget the cause and reason of all our hope, and joy. Doubt, fears and depression come when we forget the promises of God. Therefore let us have faith.

5. Humility.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.”
(Psalm 51:17)
We must also come to God in prayer with contrition and humility understanding our own sinful nature, and recognizing our absolute need for grace and forgiveness.
If we would have high thoughts of God, we must have low opinions of ourselves. However, this is not to mistake the need for grace from the want of it. A truly humble heart will both acknowledge free grace, and accept it. Some in our own days acknowledge it, but do not receive it. For instance, true grace is shown in acknowledgement of and submission to God’s commandments, not the rejection of them. Humility and obedience are close companions. It is to be lamented that the most proud man often thinks himself to be the most humble. I have seen many who say they believe in sovereign grace, but do not submit their lives to their Lord, and Master. This is nothing other than false humility, and it is destructive. Many have said, “I am a wretch! Grace! Sovereign Grace!” and have never tasted of true grace, for they do not love God’s law. They are indeed still wretches, and have need of true repentance which is universally accompanied by new obedience. “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments…. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.” [Psalm 119:6, 59]
As loss is to sorrow, blessing to joy, and rain to the growth of plants, so obedience, and repentance are constant companions and cannot be separated from each other. Humility precedes honor [Prov. 15:33] but does not nullify nor negate it. God bestows grace, and enables men to obey Him. Therefore we see that a truly humble heart recognizes that he is a sinner in need of forgiveness, and then turns his feet to follow Christ in the way of keeping God’s commandments. We are without natural ability to obey God, or mortify sin. “It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh profits nothing.” [John 6:63] We are at His mercy for all our spiritual blessing [Eph. 1:3], and shall not this encourage us, and compel us to pray to Him and ask Him for grace? Humility is what drives us to prayer in the first place, and therefore it is most fitting that our prayers be clothed with humility. A heart truly ready to be blessed asks for grace in humility, and receives it with honor.
When we come to God in prayer, we come to be emptied of self. If our prayers are elevating our view of self, and self-importance, then it is not God we are praying to, and worshiping, but self. We mock God when we pray as the Pharisee prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, I pray, I tithe, I fast…” What foolishness it is to test God so, that we would elevate ourselves in prayer! The man who raises himself up is but a tree profitable for nothing and ripe for ruin, and will be cut down quickly. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Humility in prayer is seen in self-abasement and self-denial.
Self-abasement is the inward apprehension of one’s unworthiness, and inability.
If our prayers would be sweet to God’s ears, they must be blossoming with the fruit of self-abasement. We must acknowledge that we are unworthy to come before Him, that all our good works are as filthy rags before His holy eyes, and that we are in constant and desperate need of Christ in order that we may come before Him acceptably.
What madness would it be to approach a king dressed in filthy garments, and causing the royal courts to smell of refuse, and other foul odors! We must know assuredly that of ourselves, we are nothing, and have no ability to seek God, to know God, to obey God, or to receive blessing from God. All that comes to us by Him is given to us by His free grace, from His own counsel and decree, for His own glory. We deserve nothing. However, let us not be discouraged by our unworthiness, but encouraged by the willingness of God to give grace. If we ask in humility, He will grant in abundance.
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
(Psalm 37:4)
If our delight is firstly in spiritual things, and in the Lord Himself, then all of our requests will be done in humility, and our hearts will not be disappointed when our requests are crossed; for the Lord will grant grace to the humble heart, and He will not withhold any good thing from Him who walks uprightly, or from him who prays rightly.

6. Fervency
“The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)
Let us also pray to God with conviction, zeal, and fervency adding this fire to the altar of sacrifice. This is what it means to wrestle with God in prayer. “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (Gen. 32:26) We must not only pray with faith, and humility, but also passion. As it takes great amounts of speed, and energy to run a race, or to deliver a message (in ancient times, they didn’t have e-mail) so it requires much fervency to deliver our prayers to the Most High.
As Christ sweat great drops of blood, and prayed most fervently, ‘and was heard in that He feared’ [Heb. 5:7] so we must ‘lift up holy hands without wrath or doubting” and fervently seek God’s face. Humble and fervent prayer is a sure sign of godliness. Fervency is not necessarily the sign of discontent. When faith, humility, and fervency are mixed together in prayer, it is a most pleasing aroma that Christ receives. We are encouraged in scripture to ‘continue steadfast in prayer.’ [Rom. 12:12]
Whether our requests are granted immediately, or we have to wait many years for them, yet God hears them, and fervency will fly them quicker and faster to God’s hears.
Augustine’s mother was known to pray fervently for his salvation, and it must have been heartbreaking for her to see him so long in unbelief, and in rebellion to God both in mind, and practice. But truly God answered her prayers, and Augustine was converted, and became one of the most influential theologians ever to walk the earth. So, let us not disregard or neglect this virtue of fervency.
i. We should pray for the lost with fervency.
Are there not millions of souls that are still dead in sin, and awaiting the final judgment?
Is there not a need for the gospel to reach the lost, both where it has not been heard, and where it has not been accepted? We should be praying for the gospel to reach lost souls, and for the gospel to change lost souls. Truly, there is much need for the gospel here in America. Our own nation is turning its back on the Lord, and is in desperate need of Christ’s saving work. Shall we see the world around us give itself to all manner of wickedness, and shall we not pray for their repentance? We should be daily on our knees petitioning God for the souls of the lost. Do not mistake your role in this, O, Christian. Perhaps you were not called to be a preacher, but by God’s regenerating grace you were called to be a prayer. Therefore petition God with fervency, and beg Him that His gospel would transform the nation, and transform the world. If we see things get worse and worse, do we immediately think that the end is upon us? How much more reason to pray and ask for His mercy? 1 Peter 4:7 says, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be sober and watchful in your prayers.” These are times of apostasy, and moral degeneracy, but so was the era before the Reformation. Many times in history God has brought salvation and revival to the world and the church, and shall we doubt that He has the power to do it again? Therefore, be zealous in prayer, O saint and be on your knees in prayer, begging and petitioning for the souls of the lost to see the truth.
ii. We should pray for personal growth with fervency.
It is only the valiant and sober Christian that brings down Satan’s strongholds [1 Pet. 5:8], and the idols of the heart. We must lay the axe to the root of the tree. We must cry out to God for Him to root out of us all pride, laziness, lust, envy, and whatever sin doth so easily beset us. There can be no burnt sacrifice without this fire of heated fervency. Therefore let us burn our sins out with this fire from above.
There are many sins and faults that we struggle with in life, and perhaps a great deal of them are continued and left un-mortified because we have not yet prayed for them to be removed! And we must not only pray for them to be removed, but we must zealously plead with God that He would remove them and make us pleasing to Him.
When our prayers are offered with godly zeal, and fervent affection, then it is, “a sweet smelling aroma, well pleasing to God.”

“O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” (Dan. 9:19)
The devil is building his fortresses all over the world, and strengthening his borders. Backsliding, rebellion, and apostasy is widespread in the church, and the day of doom could be well approaching. Is this not cause for zeal in devotion? Shall the devil have a multitude of men bowing to his image, and women weeping for their abominations, and shall the godly have no devotion to outmatch them? We serve the living and true God, and is He not worth our time, and energy? Prayer is the pouring of the soul out to God, “Arise, cry out in the night, At the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord!” [Lam. 2:19] But where is our show of faith if we keep it bottled inside? God has purchased this Communion with the precious blood of Christ’s passion, and shall we who are alive in Christ be dead in passion and fervency? This ought not to be so.
“The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” A dead prayer avails nothing, but a prayer that is sparked and heated by love to God, and enflamed by sincere desire to see His judgments in the world avails much, and will be loudest in His ear.

7. Submission.
“Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” (1 Peter 4:19)
Above all these things, we ought to be submissive to God in everything. Sufferings or diverse afflictions should never shake our resolve or dim the bright light of our prayer. Prayer in itself is submission to God’s will, so how much better when we learn to pray with submission. When we pray to God, it is with the understanding that He is God, and we are not. He is all powerful, and infinitely good and righteous, and He has promised to turn all of the evils that come upon the righteous for good, and our duty is to believe Him, and submit to His will. Seeing that God’s divine will has been decreed from eternity, and will come to pass apart from our own will, we have great reason, yes a necessity is laid upon us to submit to that will, and delight in it above our own.
How foolish are we when things go against us, to become discontent, disgruntled, or disheartened!? Should we not rather kneel to the King of kings, instead of shaking our fist at Him? Should we not rather delight in a perfect will rather than a will tainted by selfishness and sin? Should we lose sight of an eternal kingdom for a crumb of material prosperity? And what if we suffer? Are we not still God’s children, and has He not promised to do good to us? What is a moment of suffering compared to eternal glory?
Let us not lose sight of the prize, beloved. The prize is eternal life.
“Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” (Heb. 11:26)
Therefore let us submit to the will of God, whether we are in adversity, or prosperity, afflictions, or promotions, and let us look to God and not ourselves, for He will bring all to pass according to His perfect will, and whether we submit or not, He will do all His good pleasure. In prayer there is an exchange of will. We sacrifice our own, and trust in God’s. Whatever we pray for should be petitioned in humility, received in thanksgiving, and if it is rejected, accepted with submission. God is infinitely powerful, and can give to us all the riches in heaven and earth in a moment’s notice. However He does not, but often gives His children diverse afflictions, and fierce trials. But which is better?
God shows Himself more wise than you. You ask for wealth, He gives you a cross to bear. You ask for a stone, and He gives you bread. You ask for a serpent, and He gives you a fish. Instead of giving you a stony heart of unbelief, He has given you the bread of life in His Son Jesus Christ.  Instead of passing worldly riches which are like a serpent’s poison, and will bite you, He has caught you in His net by the preaching of the gospel, and drawn you into Communion with Him.
Therefore in all your prayers, learn contentment, and submission to God’s will. For His decrees are made in perfect wisdom, and affectionate love, and in the end you will find that God was giving you a weight of glory by taking an earthly comfort, and gave you more, when you thought less.

8.  Perseverance.
“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)
Now hear what the unjust judge said, and shall not God who is righteous and holy, abounding in lovingkindness and tender mercies avenge those who cry out to Him day and night? I say, He shall help them, and if not for their prayers, then He will for their persistence and perseverance. Matthew Henry comments,
“It is our privilege and honor that we may pray. It is our duty; we ought to pray, we sin if we neglect it. It is to be our constant work; we ought always to pray, it is that which the duty of every day requires. We must pray, and never grow weary of praying, nor ever think of leaving it off” Seeing beloved, that we have great reason and motivation to pray with fear, reverence, faith, love, affection, zeal, and fervency, submitting ourselves to the will of God, let us do so with perseverance, not losing hope or becoming discouraged along the way.
“For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.” (Heb. 3:14) We become partakers of Christ when we endure to the end, and our prayers lay hold upon the promise when they are kept with perseverance and faith until the end. We may be encompassed by fear, or beset by temptation or corruption, but none is too difficult for God, and though He may not answer immediately, yet if it be according to His will, He will answer us indefinitely.
We are never so ready to receive God’s blessing as when we pray for it with diligence, faith, and perseverance, never doubting that God is delighted to perform His will for our eternal good.
Let us therefore pray and not lose heart, for the moment we lose heart; we lose the hope of receiving the blessing from God’s hand.
“For you have need of patience, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Heb. 10:36)
i. Perseverance in afflictions.
Are you long time in affliction, O saint? Has the Lord’s hand been mighty to press you down, without much lifting up? Are you beset by doubts, fears, terrors, and uncertainties about His love? Do not lose hope, beloved. You are bought with the precious blood of Christ, and shall be received into glory. Let our prayers therefore ascend to glory before us, and pave the way for us, and let us persevere in prayer whatever our circumstances may be. For the time will come when all that is painful and ill will be done away with forever, and eternal joy, and pleasure will be yours. Do not lose heart in the face of adversity, brethren. The Lord’s hand chastens, and scourges those whom His soul loves. It is but His turning our faces toward Him from the vanities of this world.
Shall we not thank Him for this? Yes, and praise and glory in Him with all perseverance. Let us not lose hope because of trial, but let this be the test of our perseverance. Shall we cease to pray because God gives us pain? Should our love grow cold by the very means God wishes to heat it? Yea, in all things let us be well pleased with the will of God, and persevere in prayer, and supplications. We are more fit for heaven when we ask to grow by our afflictions than when we ask to be delivered from them. To be delivered of them is a ten-fold mercy, but to grow to adore God in them is grace a hundred-fold. A Christian may pray thus, “Lord, thy hand is heavy upon me, and I am pressed down sore. It is too difficult to bear, and I ask for deliverance.”
But the battle-hardened, godly saint who is moved and renewed by the Spirit, even when pressed sore by pain and trial says with David, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.” (Psa. 16:6)
The godly are calmed and brought to the still waters of contentment by looking to the end, and therefore they persevere in their prayers, and do not waver, continually asking God for grace and mercy, and putting the cares of others before themselves.
They are like a tree beside the still waters that cannot be moved by adversity or affliction.
They have a good inheritance in heaven, an eternal substance, an unshakable kingdom, and for this cause their resolve is also unshakable.
Let us learn then to be godly in prayer, and ask God to do His will, rather than bereave us of the hour of trial, for with perseverance in trial comes a much more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
“[Jesus] fell on his face, and prayed, saying, ‘O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’” (Matt. 26:39)
ii. Perseverance in the world.
There are many present evils in this world that undo the stoutest heart. The malignity of the wicked and the transient success of their endeavors are a continual grief and vexation of mind to the righteous. It is said of Lot in 2 Peter that when he sojourned in Sodom he was, “vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds;)” (2 Pet. 2:7-8)
“But”, says Peter in the next verse, “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly, and reserve the unjust for the day of punishment.”
Therefore we continue steadfast in prayer, knowing that the Lord will come and render to every man after his works: the righteous with eternal life and the wicked with damnation. We ought not to be vexed over much or distraught because of the world, but persevere in prayer, and rest our heads on the perfect sovereignty and wisdom of God.
Therefore, as was spoken earlier, let us earnestly beseech God on behalf of these poor lost souls, and ask that He would grant them repentance, and the knowledge of the truth. For although they seem to flourish, their time here is short, and their destruction does not slumber.
“Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had almost slipped; for I was envious of the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Therefore pride compasses them about as a chain; violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.”
(Psalm 73:1-3, 6-7, 16-18)

9. Thanksgiving.
“Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:17-18)
In everything give thanks, and especially in prayer. This verse binds these two last practical points together marvelously, because after perseverance comes thanksgiving.
“Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.”
Thanksgiving is the frame of heart which every true believer should have when offering requests and suppositions to God Almighty. Whether our requests are granted, delayed, or it seems our prayers are not even heard, in everything give thanks. We ought to thank God for His Person, His attributes, His works, His mercy and love toward us who are but sinners, we ought to thank Him for His provision, His care, and also His rod.
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Psalm 100:4)
Truly to have access to the presence of God is something to be thankful for. We once were aliens, strangers, foreigners, and hopeless, without God in the world. But God has opened the gates of salvation to us, and granted to us the inestimable honor of coming before Him in prayer. Even above this He is pleased to dwell in us, and have Communion with us, and are not these two supports alone strong enough pillars to build a house of praise upon? Are not we very foolish when we are unthankful to Him for allowing us to come before Him in prayer? He has opened up the fountain of life, set His love upon us, demonstrated His love to us at the cross, and poured His love into our hearts through His Spirit, drawing us into Communion with Himself.
He came to the earth as a man, humble and obedient to His Father, and paid the penalty for our sins, such a debt that would have drowned us in eternal misery, and agonizing torment. He has delivered us from so great a death, and has changed our rags into robes of righteousness. He exchanged our bondage for the most glorious liberty-even obedience to His commandments, and He has changed our old inheritance which was death itself (for the wages of sin is death) into an everlasting Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and serenity, the joy of which will erase every thought or memory of sorrow from our minds, and fill us with the boundless and endless love of Christ forever- world without end. Is this not, beloved, cause for thanksgiving?
Yea, even amidst persecution, affliction, or temporary agony, this is cause for unspeakable rejoicing, and thanksgiving. Therefore we ought not only be content in sufferings, but thankful also, always abounding in thanksgiving, for the love which He has shown toward us so abundantly.
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:6-7)
When our thanks abounds, the fruitfulness of our prayers will likewise abound. We are never so sinful as when we are unthankful to God. Is this not the root of sin in a believer: ungratefulness to His mercy, and love? We ought rather to thank Him by living for His glory, and praising Him in prayer. Whether our estate is secure or we are in difficult straights, we have infinite reason to give thanks to God.
i. We are to thank Him for what we have.
As spoken of earlier, God is our Benefactor, and has distributed to each one of us a portion of goods, and a reasonable estate. We have food, clothing, and shelter. We have friends and family, yea and does not all this flow from God’s own hand? We should be thankful for everything wherein in this life we are sustained and comforted. The godly pray with thanksgiving that God has given them so much, even if what they have is not considered much by the world around them.
But let us also be thankful for what we have within us. God has not only greatly blessed us outwardly in giving us shelter and food, but inwardly by giving us light, and love.
By His Spirit He conveys to us all the treasures of Christ when we apprehend Him by faith. He has opened our minds to understand the gospel, opened our hearts to receive His love, and amended our walks that we should walk for, and to Him, and not according to the principles of the world. He has given us spiritual enlightenment, security, protection, and an enduring inheritance through Christ, and therefore we should never cease to give Him thanks. His mercies never end, and neither should our thankfulness to Him.
ii. We are to thank Him for what we do not have.
What God does not bestow upon us, we should also thank Him for. Are you deprived of a Christian family? Thank Him for what grace you do have, and pray for the salvation of their souls. Plead with them constantly to repent and come to the truth. Perhaps God is testing your resolve to stand up for His name. Do we lack daily bread, and hunger from it? Thank God for this, and pray rather to be sustained by the bread that comes down from heaven. Jesus said, “Do not labor for the meat that perishes, but for the food that endures to everlasting life.” [John 6:27] “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 14:17)
Do we lack companionship, and godly friends to converse with and build us up in confidence? Thank God even for this, and pray for the comforts that come from His Spirit. Is there anything God cannot do, or any trial He cannot grant you comfort in?
Pray, and cease not to pray with thanksgiving, for this is our due service to Him that has granted us more than we could ever ask or think, and much more than we could ever deserve in giving to us His Son Jesus Christ.

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21)