WW_Prayer_How to Pray

VI. How to Pray

Matt. 6:5-14: "And when you pray [proseuchomai], you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray [proseuchomai] in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray [proseuchomai], go into your room and shut the door and pray [proseuchomai] to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And in praying [proseuchomai] do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask [aiteo] him. Pray [proseuchomai] then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. [Luke 11:1-4]

Matt. 18:19-20: Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask [aiteo], it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Luke 11:1-13: He was praying [proseuchomai] in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray [proseuchomai], as John taught his disciples." And he said to them, "When you pray [proseuchomai], say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation." And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs.And I tell you, Ask [aiteo], and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Luke 18:1-8: And He told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray [proseuchomai] and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Vindicate me against my adversary.' For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Luke 18:9-14: He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: "Two men went up into the temple to pray [proseuchomai], one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed [proseuchomai] thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Romans 8:26: Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray [proseuchomai] as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.

1 Cor. 7: 5: Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may devote yourselves to prayer [proseuche]; but then come together again, lest Satan tempt you through lack of self-control.

1 Cor. 14:13-15: Therefore, he who speaks in a tongue should pray [proseuchomai]for the power to interpret. For if I pray [proseuchomai] in a tongue, my spirit prays [proseuchomai] but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray [proseuchomai] with the spirit and I will pray [proseuchomai] with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.

Eph. 6:18: Pray [proseuchomai] at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer [proseuche] and supplication [deesis]. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication [deesis] for all the saints.

Phil. 4:5-6: Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer [proseuche] and supplication [deesis] with thanksgiving [eucharistia] let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Thes. 5:17-18: Pray [proseuchomai] constantly, give thanks [eucharisteo] in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

James 1:5-7: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask [aiteo] of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask [aiteo] in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

James 4:2: You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask [aito]. You ask [aiteo] and do not receive, because you ask [aiteo] wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

James 5:13-18: Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray [proseuchomai]. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise [psallo: praise through instruments]. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray [proseuchomai] over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer [euche] of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess [exomologeo] your sins to one another, and pray [euchomai] for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer [deesis] of a righteous man has great power in its effects. [Lit: the inwrought (by the Spirit) supplication of a righteous man avails much (greatly prevails).] Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently [proseuche] [proseuchomai] [lit. “he prayed with prayer] that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed [proseuchomai] again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.

1 Peter 3:7: Likewise you husbands, live considerately with your wives, bestowing honor on the woman as the weaker sex, since you are joint heirs of the grace of life, in order that your prayers [proseuche] may not be hindered.

1 Peter 3:12: For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer [deesis]. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil."

1 Peter 4:7: The end of all things is at hand; therefore keep sane and sober for your prayers [proseuche].

1 John 3: 21-22: Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask [aiteo], because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

1 John 5:14-16: And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask [aiteo] anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask [aiteo], we know that we have obtained the requests [aitema: petition] made of [aiteo] him. If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask [aiteo], and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray [erotao] for that.

Jude 1:20: But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray [proseuchomai] in the Holy Spirit.

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VI. How to Pray

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