Hello, friend. Welcome back to Authorized Sword Ministries.

We're so glad you're here again.

Where We've Been

In Lesson One, we learned that prayer is talking with our Father. In Lesson Two, we learned the pattern of the Lord's Prayer. In Lesson Three, we learned to come boldly to the throne of grace, and not to give up when answers seem slow.

Today is Lesson Four, the last lesson in this course. It's called "Praying the Scriptures." We'll look at how men and women in the Bible prayed, and how we can learn to pray God's own words back to Him.

Our Key Verses

Here are our key verses. James 5:16-18.

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." — James 5:16-18 (KJV)

"Elias" is the prophet Elijah. And look at what James says about him. "A man subject to like passions as we are." In other words, he was an ordinary man, just like us. But he prayed earnestly, and God answered. "Effectual fervent" prayer means prayer that is heartfelt and real. And it "availeth much." It makes a difference.

Learning from the Prayers of the Bible

The Bible is full of real people praying real prayers. Let's look at a few.

Hannah poured out her heart. She longed for a child, and she was heartbroken.

"And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore." — 1 Samuel 1:10 (KJV)

Later she said she had "poured out my soul before the LORD." Friend, you can do that too. You don't have to hide your tears from God.

Nehemiah prayed on the spot. When the king asked him a sudden question, Nehemiah didn't have time to go somewhere quiet. So he prayed right where he stood:

"Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven." — Nehemiah 2:4 (KJV)

A quick, silent prayer in the middle of the day is real prayer.

Daniel prayed every day. Even when praying could cost him his life, Daniel kept his habit:

"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." — Daniel 6:10 (KJV)

Notice "as he did aforetime." Daniel didn't start praying when trouble came. He had been praying all along. That's why he was ready.

David confessed his sin. After David sinned greatly, he came back to God with this prayer:

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." — Psalm 51:10-12 (KJV)

Jesus surrendered to the Father. The night before the cross, Jesus prayed:

"Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." — Luke 22:42 (KJV)

That's the prayer of a heart that trusts the Father completely.

Praying God's Words Back to Him

Now here's a simple way to grow in prayer. Take a verse of Scripture and turn it into a prayer.

For example, read this:

"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:" — Psalm 103:1-2 (KJV)

Then pray it back: "Lord, I bless Your holy name with all that is within me. Help me not to forget all the good You have done for me." And then thank Him for some of those good things, one by one.

When you pray God's Word, you know you're praying what pleases Him. And it gives you words when you can't find your own.

Praying for Others

The Bible also tells us to pray for other people:

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." — 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (KJV)

Pray for your family, your church, your neighbors, and the leaders of our land. Use that prayer list we talked about in Lesson One.

And here's something wonderful. Before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed for you:

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;" — John 17:20 (KJV)

If you believe on Him, you are one of the people Jesus prayed for that night. And He still lives to pray for His people today.

A Prayer God Always Hears

Jesus once told about two men who went to pray. One was proud of how good he was. The other was a publican, a tax collector, and he knew he was a sinner:

"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon 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 that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." — Luke 18:13-14 (KJV)

Friend, if you've never been saved, that is the prayer to start with. "God be merciful to me a sinner." Turn from your sin and trust Jesus Christ, who died for you and rose again. God will hear you, and He will save you.

Where to Go from Here

This is the end of Learning How to Pray. But your prayer life is just beginning. Pick a time and place, use the Lord's Prayer as your pattern, pray the Scriptures, and keep your prayer list close. If you haven't yet, our Growing in Grace course will help you keep growing in God's Word and with God's people.

A Prayer

Before we go, let's pray together.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this friend who is listening right now.

Thank You for the prayers You've given us in Your Word, and for hearing us when we pray.

Make us like Daniel, faithful every day. Like Hannah, honest with our hearts. Like David, quick to confess. And like Jesus, willing to say, "Not my will, but thine, be done."

Lord, teach us to pray.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Thank you for walking through this course with us.

From all of us at Authorized Sword Ministries, God bless you.