Christians need many things. Instruction in prayer may be one of the greatest felt needs for believers. I don’t talk to many followers of Christ who don’t feel the need for greater urgency and greater capacity in prayer.

Jesus’ disciples certainly felt that way. They asked Jesus to teach them to pray as John the Baptist had taught his disciples. Jesus’ response is what we know as the Lord’s Prayer or as the Model Prayer (Luke 11:1-4).

Jesus certainly modeled prayer for His disciples. It was His modeling of prayer that prompted one of His disciples to ask Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus often went off to a deserted place to pray. As He faced arrest and death, He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene. The intensity of that prayer was such that His followers could say that he sweat great drops of blood.

James gives a great definition for prayer and a great encouragement to spend time with the Father. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results” (James 5:16).

What does this say about prayer?

We must pray in righteousness. James instructed believers to confess their sin to one another and to pray for one another. In order to spend time with God, we need to remove those areas which hinder our relationship with Him. It’s the earnest prayer of a righteous person that has great power.

Long before the time of James and Jesus, the prophet Isaiah reminded the people of the problem: “Listen! The Lord is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. But there is a problem–your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore” (Isaiah 59:1-2, it would be helpful to read all of Isaiah 59).

God desires righteousness in His people. We are not perfect, but we can confess our sins and turn toward Him. Doing so will make your prayer time more powerful and your time in God’s presence more meaningful.

Thanks for reading. Tomorrow’s post will discuss additional areas of prayer. If you would like to receive each of my daily posts, please subscribe at the top of the page. It’s easy and it’s free.