As a believer of Jesus Christ, we do see very often Jesus prays. Here’s one such verse from the bible
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” – Mark 1:35
Jesus woke up very early in the morning and went to a quiet place to pray, should we also do the same? Is the timing all that important?
While the timing is not all that important, what’s more, important is where you choose to pray, as you can see from another verse below:
“ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone” – Matthew 14:23
So as you can see Jesus prayed during the early mornings and also during the night, the key importance here is during prayer you must first remove all distractions in life and find a quiet place to pray.
Finding A Quiet Place To Pray
While it is not required for you to go to a far mountain or leave the house to pray to seek God but it would be a good idea to do so only when your home is full of distractions during your quiet time and prayer.
Here are some ideas or locations you can pray
- Wake up really early in the morning when everyone is still asleep and pray at your kitchen or living room
- Before praying, find a quiet corner of your house, it may be a spare room or even a spare office room at your workplace
- Lack of rooms in your house, you can consider getting out of your house and walk along nearby parks to pray and seek God
- Come early to church to pray at the sanctuary if that is available
Remember the timing is not important, but when you pray, you want to find a quiet place with no distractions around you and you have all the freedom to express how you want to pray and worship God.
Style of Prayer
Now that you have decided on the right location and time to pray, is there a best practice to pray? Should you be sitting down, standing up, or bowing down when you pray? Should your hands be closed, open or lifted up to God? Do your eyes need to be open or closed when you pray? Will God speak only in church, home or outside nature?
The answer to all this, there is no magic formula if you pray in such a way or style that will help you draw closer to God.
How you choose the style it goes very different for every individual. Some people prefer to pray to kneel on the floor, some prefer to sit down to pray. It really does not matter how you choose to pray, just go with whatever you are comfortable with and God can speak to you as you pray.
It does not mean if you never pray in a certain way God will not hear your prayer. That’s is biblically not right. Regardless how you pray, God will hear your prayer.
What important is your sincere desire to seek God and having a pure heart is more important than the method, place, or timing you choose to pray to God.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” – Mathew 5:8
God Hears Every Prayer We Pray
Often, I do get Christians telling me “God is not hearing my prayer” or “I am not hearing God.” But there is so far from the biblical truth that says:
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” – 1 John 5:14-15
The key idea here is, when approaching God, as you request for anything you have to ensure it is according to his will.
Many times, we make the mistake of having the wrong idea of God’s will as many Christians tend to mix up selfish ambitions and needs more than what God wants.
Oftentimes these selfish ambitions and needs, it goes against God’s will as it encourages sin and sometimes even greed which I will talk about it on another day.
Types of Answers from God
One major element of praying to God and hearing God is many Christians think that God only can response positive “Yes” to every request that we make but that’s not true.
The truth is God answers in three main ways, “Yes”, “No”, “Later” or “Silence”. Most often every Christian is very familiar with God answering Yes to our prayers but is it biblically to think that God can answer No, Later, and Silence too?
“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” – James 4:3
Many times Christians do not realize that their prayer request is asked with wrong motives and that is one possible reason why God will not agree or say No to your prayer request.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6
Often times when we pray, sometimes we do not get the answers we want, God might be telling us not to worry and be patient with Him and trust in God today.
You also have to remember that God’s timing and ways are not our ways so that is time for everything in life as you pray here’s why:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
– Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
So there will be times, God will require you to be silent and wait for Him. There can be times you need to weep do weep. Whatever it may be, be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit guides you to do during your prayer time.
You will know what to do when you learn to surrender and submit yourself in prayer in every session you have praying with God.
So as you learn to seek God and pray to Him today, I pray these resources I shared here will give you a better idea how to pray and hear God today.
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