Prayer, what is the best way to do it?

I was asked this question on the internet and I gave the best response I thought to give, and thought it would be encouraging to post it on here. Here you are.

The way we think or speak prayer, there may not be a best way. I think if I approach this answer by the heart, the rest of your question will be answered. May God use my limited mind to express his will and a portion of his greatness.

I would view prayer as: Communication with God. But its far more than just saying that.

prayer begins by having a mediator.

We cannot go to him on our own.

This is the most essential and critical thing in approaching prayer. Without Jesus being our mediator, we could not approach or even think to speak with God unless we would be completely destroyed by his holiness in light of our immense evil within us (Gen 6:5, Romans 3, Hebrews) . Jesus taking our punishment and giving his righteousness through his blood is the only way we can even approach God (2 Cor 5:21, John 14). When you go to pray today, even that prayer that you speak is washed in the blood of the lamb. Thats how dependent and in need of a savior that we are in. We have to see this when we approach it. Any other approach other than the cross of Jesus paying for my debt will bring about pride and self righteousness.

There is definitely a proper topic that we discuss in our prayer to God, we dont just pray about whatever we desire to pray about and ask for everything that we think is proper to prayer for. I hope that makes sense. What I mean is that I am not going to pray to God and tell him about me pooping in the bathroom. This doesn't mean that we cant talk about small things with him.

You and I do not know how to pray, this truth will humble us if we really believe it. Most people think they know how to pray the best or think that their great that they pray the best or most passionate or cover the best topics. This is an improper approach which is a form of self-worship. (reading matthew 6 is a good thing that describes this)

If you can recall Jesus's parable of the tax collector who prayed and the pharisee who prayed, you would see the distinction. Our hearts tend to move toward the way the Pharisee prays, where he praises himself before God because of how put together he is and spiritual he is compared to other people. Our approach to God should be of the tax collector, who says in brokenness "Have mercy on me, a sinner". Time and time again, this should be our heart, because we are vile in our flesh and are in need of a savior.

Prayer begins with humility. (Isaiah 66:1-2, Isaiah 6) Humility begins from us seeing God as his greatness and his perfectness and preciousness, to then in comparison see our smallness and unworthiness and filthiness.

We see his love and grace in our small and his greatness, because of the gospel. Again, you dont approach prayer with complete sadness, although there should be a healthy sadness over our sin. But there is this fear or divine awe that we cannot simple make up for myself. It must be founded in the gospel. (Ephesians 2, Titus 3, 2 Corinthians 5, John 17, John 14, Lev 17:11, Psalm 53)

As a Christian, God is definitely a friend of ours, but cannot be considered like a human friend we have. He is the King of the Universe and has called all men to turn from their tendency to sin and turn to God their life, confidence, and death in most instances (Luke 9:23-24, Matthew 28:18-20)

Good passages to look in about prayer

1 Peter 5:6-7
Philippians 4
Titus 3
Isaiah 6
Isaiah 66:1-2
John 17
Psalm 16
a lot of the psalms are prayers

Jesus gives us a sweet prayer, this is not a prayer to simply quote, but shows the topics that would be great to cover in a prayer. Matthew 6

I could break apart The matthew 6 prayer, to show what Jesus was praying about to help you see what are some good things to think through and pray through when you communicate with God?

Does that help?

I hope that these answers wont intimidate you whatsoever, but will aid you in thinking how big God is and how small we are in light of him. And God can change our views of himself. This is what God has been doing in me for the this past semester, is showing me a greater picture of how big he is and how I ought to fear and revere him and not approach him lightly. We can approach him because of Jesus, and our viewing of Jesus on the cross in prayer is super helpful in how we engage prayer.