Three Prayers We Need to Rethink

We all want our prayers to be effective. After all, why even bother praying if they aren’t? I don’t mean to imply that we should always get what we ask for, but seeing only minimal or no results can be quite discouraging, can’t it? I know. I’ve been there. This has led me to examine how I pray, and I’ve come to some startling conclusions about some of my prayers.

On closer inspection, I found that some of my petitions were so vague they were practically useless. They even reflected a lack of belief in God’s clear promises. I’m sure God understood what I meant, but I wondered whether my ambiguity revealed that I wasn’t even sure what I was praying for, which in turn made my prayers less effective. Since this discovery, I’ve changed the way I pray. What prayers have I realized I need to be more specific about? Glad you asked! Well, here we go.

• Lord, please be with ….

What has God promised his children? “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁽¹⁾ But if he’s already present in their lives, then what exactly are we asking him to do? I know, I know, we probably mean something more specific. Then why not say it? Does the person need reassurance of God’s presence? Maybe wisdom or comfort in a difficult situation? Or perhaps God’s strength? Then let’s spell out what we mean. And if someone has never repented and trusted Jesus, then we need to pray for their salvation.

• Lord, please have mercy on ….

It’s okay to ask for mercy, but sometimes we pray as though God were reluctant or unwilling to give it. However, the New Testament is clear that God has already poured out his mercy through Jesus Christ. His mercy is available to everyone through Christ’s work on the cross. We don’t need to pray as if we must convince him to give it to us. The problem is not that God is a reluctant giver, but that people are reluctant receivers. Therefore, instead of trying to convince God, let’s pray against whatever keeps people from recognizing, receiving, and experiencing his mercy.

• Lord, please give peace to ….

In John 14:27, Jesus declares that he has already given his peace to his followers. Yet many times we don’t feel God’s peace. When that happens, instead of a generic prayer for peace, isn’t it better to be more specific? Why not pray against the obstacles that keep us from experiencing it? We may need greater awareness of God’s presence or a renewal of our faith in his promises. We may even need to resist the fears and doubts that come against us. At the same time, we should always thank God that he has already given us his peace.

My purpose in sharing these thoughts is not to belittle anyone’s prayers but to challenge us to reflect on what we are truly asking God to do. Simple prayers are fine, but when we can be more specific, why not say so? The spiritual battle around us is fierce, and our prayers need to be well-honed weapons in the fight!

⁽¹⁾ Hebrews 13:5