Practical Guidance for More Confidence in Prayer
You Can Gain Power and Confidence by Praying Scripture
Many years ago, while searching the Internet for information about prayer I found the following prayer.
The Knots Prayer
Dear God:
Please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart, and my life.
Remove the have nots, the can nots and the do nots that I have in my mind.
Erase the will nots, may nots, might nots that may find a home in my heart.
Release me from the could nots, would nots and should nots that obstruct my life.
And most of all, Dear God, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart and my life all of the “am nots” that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that I am not good enough.
Amen.
Author Known To God
Today I searched again to see if I could locate this prayer in order to give credit to its source. I found this prayer can be found all over the Internet: pinterest, twitter, beliefnet.com, slap-art.com, and a myriad of other websites of bloggers, life coaches, and churches. Clearly, the author did not want to be known because the author is identified only as “Author Known To God.”
Why is The Knots Prayer so popular? Because it expresses what so many people deal with in their minds and lives: feelings of not being enough. These feelings often lead us to believe our prayers and our relationship with Jesus is not good enough.
Recently I asked the Confidence in God family the following question: If you and I were to sit down for coffee, what is the most pressing question you would have for me? One reader submitted the following question: “What are some practical and focused prayers and scriptures to lead you further into confidence and power in your (my) relationship with Jesus?” She continued by explaining, “We are told to pray and we do but at times when dealing with very real issues to overcome, we need practical focused direction and not everyone knows how to do that.” I will respond to this question and explanation from my heart today.
Inability to Pray as We Ought
The first scripture I want to consider is Romans 8:26-27. In this letter to the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul specifically explains we do not know how to pray as we ought. Yet Paul does not demean Christians for their inability to pray. Instead he encourages them by explaining the Holy Spirit comes to our aid by interceding according to God’s will. I often pray this scripture as I start my prayers, especially when I know I am tackling something in prayer that is way beyond my own understanding. Admittedly, I should start all prayers with this scripture because even when I think I have a handle on things, I must confess that I still do not know how to pray as I ought and I need the Holy Spirit’s intercession.
How do I pray Romans 8:26-27? It usually sounds something like this: “Precious Jesus, I thank You today that Your Holy Spirit intercedes on my behalf as I pray. I do not know how to pray as I ought and I depend on Your precious Holy Spirit to pray according to Your perfect will.”
Paul’s encouragement in Romans 8:26-27 is enough to help us rest in the power of our prayers, knowing that the Holy Spirit intercedes in our weakness and inability to pray as we ought. But Paul continues in verse 28. Because the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, we can be confident that all things work together for good when we love God and are working for His purpose. Even when we do not understand what is going on and what we should be doing about it, we can rest on this beautiful truth. As we let the Holy Spirit intercede for us, we can have confidence that everything will work out in accordance with God’s will. We can even express that confidence in prayer by stating something similar to, “And, Lord, I thank You that I can trust You to work all these things out according to Your will.”
Brokenness as a Sacrifice
When we are “dealing with very real issues to overcome,” we so often feel very broken. And in that brokenness, we feel like we have no power in prayer. But I want you to rethink that. When David was being pursued by King Saul, he confessed his feelings to God in Psalm 31:12 stating, “I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.” When we feel that way, we can approach God with our feelings without fear. God loves “a broken and a contrite heart” and your broken spirit is a sacrifice to the Lord (Psalm 51:17). Don’t withhold your feelings from God or let them keep you from praying. He wants to strengthen you and comfort you in your brokenness.
It is also helpful to see how David’s prayer helped him refocus on the goodness of God instead of the situation that caused him to feel broken. If you look at Psalm 31 you will find that David explained in verses 13 and 14 why he felt broken, but that he trusted the Lord. Then he asked God for very specific help in verses 15-18. In verses 19-22 David began praising God for His goodness. You can see the progression of David’s prayer from offering his brokenness, asking for help, and then praising the Lord. But David didn’t stop there. In verses 23-24 David begins testifying to others about the goodness of God and encourages them to love the Lord and hope in Him. This is a great illustration of how we overcome the difficulties in this world. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies (Revelation 12:11). And our confidence in God, our relationship with God, grows as we come to Him honestly in prayer. He refocuses us from our problems to His goodness.
Ask for Wisdom and Guidance
When “we need practical focused direction,” remember Jesus promised the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth and show us things that will come (John 16:13). James explains we should ask God when we lack wisdom; He will give it to us generously without reprimanding or chastising us (James 1:5). David asked God to guide him in Psalms 25:4-5 when he asked God to show him His ways and lead him in His paths and truth. In Proverbs 3:5-6 we are taught to trust God and not lean on our own understanding. As we acknowledge Him, He will direct our paths.
One way to pray for this guidance and wisdom with confidence that God will answer is by combining these scriptures into a prayer. It might sound something like this: “Lord, thank You for Your precious Holy Spirit that guides me and shows me what to expect. I admit I do not understand this situation and do not know where to go or what steps to take to resolve it. I am asking You for wisdom because I know You will give it to me generously. Lead me, Lord, down the paths You would have me take. Show me Your ways and the truth in this matter. Precious Jesus, I acknowledge you in this situation and I trust you to direct my paths.”
Trust Him
As we realize the power of our prayers is not our responsibility, but is a result of the Holy Spirit’s intercession on our behalf, we can confidently pray and trust that God will direct our paths. We can come to Him in our brokenness, confusion, pain and know He will love and guide us. Our relationship with Jesus increases as we depend on and trust in Him.
My very first blog post was titled Do You Lack Confidence in God? In it I shared how God guides us and holds us by the hand. He doesn’t hold our hands so that we walk side by side. Instead, He holds our right hand in His right hand so we stand face to face with Him. He does this so He can guide us with His eyes and keep us from being distracted by the things of this world, including the real issues we need to overcome, the pain, the confusion. I encourage you to read that first blog post to help build your confidence in God.
As you acknowledge God, He will direct your path. You do not need a lightening bolt to strike or an audible word directly from God in order to know He is at work in your life. Go to God in prayer, willingly place your hand in His hand, and let Him direct your steps. Take the steps you believe He is guiding. He will not let you walk out of His will when you are sincerely acknowledging Him and seeking His guidance. Submit to His unfailing love and guidance.
I trust these sample prayers and the scriptures I’ve shared will help you increase your confidence in your relationship with Jesus and the power of your prayers. There are no more powerful prayers than those prayed in the Spirit according to the Spirit’s intercession. And there is no closer, confident relationship with Jesus than the one built on prayer and acknowledging Him in all areas of our lives while we walk with Him with our right hand voluntarily placed in His right hand.
You can have confidence in your prayers and your relationship with Jesus.
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8 Comments
Kristen Ellis
Another excellent, thought provoking post Julie- thank you! I recently was studying for a lesson (for GU, our midweek Bible study) and found out that in the verse referenced earlier, where Paul said “we see through a glass darkly”, the commentator explained that at the time Paul was writing, glass mirrors were not used. They used mirrors made of bronze! This makes it even more “clear” how limited our understanding is and what Paul was trying to convey. You answered a profound question with great insight AND Biblical truth!! Appreciate you and the work you are doing for the Lord.
Julie McGhghy
Thank you for your comment and the further explanation about “seeing through a glass darkly.” It is always great to see the Church come together, sharing knowledge and perspective for the benefit of the Body of Christ.
Angela Roth
Jesus was answering me all through your writing. Thank you so much for being so sensitive and obedient to Him. You were without doubt sent by Him to encourage me. Thank you!! I am so glad that Jesus connected us years ago at that motorcycle show in Cleveland.
Julie McGhghy
Angela, I am so glad you found this post helpful. Thank you so much for submitting the question. In the next post I will share some prayers from the Bible and show how to analyze them to determine how to pray them for other people. Please keep the questions coming! I so enjoy researching scripture and helping people find more confidence in God.
Khammir David Pérez Mora
Amen Sis. Julie, thank you for your advices and teachings.
God Bless you!
Julie McGhghy
You are welcome, Khammir. I am glad you found the teaching beneficial. Dios le bendiga hermano.
Bethany Zink
God desires that we partner with him rather than face life’s challenges alone. I love the references you have brought together in your writing. It is a beautiful reminder that when we lack confidence it is often because we have taken our eyes off of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (often referred to as the “love chapter”) says that we only see things partially, imperfectly now. But when we are face to face with God is when we will have a clear picture and understand the reality that He is Lord over all. In this we can be confident. Thank you for sharing this and inviting me to follow your blog. God knows I need this focus in my life – thank you for being obedient to His call. I look forward to your next post. Thank you friend!
Julie McGhghy
Bethany, I am so glad you enjoyed the post and appreciate your reminder that we see things more clearly as we stand face to face with God. In addition to the Word being quick and powerful (Hebrews 4:12), it is such a treasure as it focuses us on His face.