Four Important Aspects of a Rich Prayer Life

“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”Romans 8:26(NLT)

by Alexandra Copeland

In 1Tim 2:1 (KJV), the Apostle Paul gave Timothy, his right hand man, some wonderful instructions regarding prayer. He said, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;” It is good for us to notice that the Apostle does not tie his brother, Timothy, to instructing others in a formalized or prescribed prayer, but provided that in general, the body of Christ should make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. They really didn’t need any further guidance than this, because they had the scriptures and the indwelling Holy Spirit to direct them. So today, we’ll look at these four important aspects, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, as they relate to developing real intimacy with God and helping us to grow in our walk with Christ.  

SUPPLICATIONS
The word supplication means to ask humbly and earnestly for something. Most often we think of it as a very specific request to God for help. The mere meaning of the word suggests to us that the attitude of our minds and hearts is very important as we approach the throne of God in prayer. Hebrews 11:6(KJV) says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Faith gives us the proper attitude of approaching God, because it conveys that we understand a little bit about His utter and complete omnipotence.

As sons and daughters of the Most High, we have to give God His proper place in our minds and hearts. Hebrews 11:6 says that we do this by first believing that He exists, and then by believing that God is a rewarder. God is the Supreme Giver. He has all power in His hands, and there isn’t anything that any of us can do without Him. He is the glue that holds our lives together, and He is always willing and able to help us. Knowing this really cements the attitude of humility that is necessary to enter into the presence of Heavenly Father, and make our supplications known before Him.

PRAYERS
To pray is a privilege, and it is a practice that draws us closer to God. This is really good news! To think that you and I have a way to commune and fellowship with the Almighty Creator…well, nothing compares to this. It’s just overwhelming. God deserves our devotion; and prayer, as it is referred to by the Apostle Paul in 1Timothy 2:1, is our outward speaking to God. It is a form of our loyalty, attachment, and commitment to the Father.

If a person is devoted to his or her family, they make sacrifices and do whatever they can do to show love and support. There’s an intense commitment there.  As Christians, we have a responsibility to demonstrate an even greater level of commitment to our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ gave us a wonderful example of this in Mark 1:35. It says, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” If anyone could have been exempt from prayer, it would have been our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but Mark 1:35 informs us that he made this intimate prayer time with the Holy Father a habit pattern.  So the bottom line is that prayer should be our expression of love and devotion to the Father; it is a precious time to get into the presence of God.

INTERCESSION
The word intercession in 1Tim 2:1 is translated to mean falling in with, meeting with, or a coming together. This conveys our responsibility to pray for others and to intercede on their behalf. Not only are we to pray for ourselves, but we are to make intercession for those who have a need—for those who may not know how to pray or even think to pray for themselves. We are even instructed to pray for those in power, so that we can continue to live quiet and peaceable lives; because this is what pleases God.

An incredible way to intercede on behalf of others in prayer is to speak in tongues for them. Speaking in tongues is intercessory prayer of the best kind. Romans 8:26(NLT) says, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” The indwelling Holy Spirit is our helper and teacher. He is our direct line to Heavenly Father through Christ, and through him we can speak in tongues and pray perfectly about a situation. We sometimes are not aware of all the details of a crisis or circumstance, but as we set our intention to pray for others, the spirit knows and will pray accordingly.

GIVING THANKS
Giving thanks is one of the most important aspects of living a Godly life. Philippians 4:6 (KJV) says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  Our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to worry about anything.  He doesn’t want us to be riddled with anxiety about the cares of this world, because nothing is too big for Him. With every obstacle, difficulty, and challenge we face, we are to bring it to Him with an attitude of faith and thanksgiving.

Our faith gives God the proper glory, honor, and reverence that He deserves. It conveys that we know in our heart of hearts that He exists and that He alone is God. It also signifies our trust that He is both willing and able to help us. So, not only do we thank Him for all the many blessings that He has bestowed upon our lives, but we also come into His presence with a feeling of expectation and thanksgiving. In other words, our faith in God should be such that we thank Him for doing and bringing to past the thing that has not yet manifested in the natural realm. A heart of thanksgiving blesses God with confidence that He will give us the desires of our hearts. If we will rely upon Him, He will bless us.

The four important aspects, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, make for a rich and fulfilling prayer life for any Christian. No one part is more important than the other, and each aspect works hand in hand to both satisfy the requirements of faith and duty to our Christian obligations. So the bottom line is that our intimate and personal time with God testifies that He is faithful. Our communion and fellowship with Him is cemented through supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. It’s not to show us how great we are, but it is our privilege and method of attesting to His eminent greatness.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.