Improving the Quality of Our Prayers

1. What does Jehovah invite his worshippers to do? (See also picture.)

WHOM can we turn to when we need comfort and guidance? We know the answer to that question. We can approach Jehovah God in prayer. Jehovah invites us to do just that. He wants us to pray often​—to “pray constantly.” (1 Thess. 5:17) We can freely approach him in prayer and seek his guidance in all aspects of our life. (Prov. 3:5, 6) Being the generous God he is, Jehovah places no limit on the number of times we can pray to him.

2. What will we consider in this article?

² We treasure the gift of prayer. Yet, with all we have to do, we may struggle to find the time to pray. We may also feel the need to improve the quality of our prayers. Thankfully, we can find much encouragement and guidance in the Scriptures. In this article, we will consider how we can set aside time to pray by examining Jesus’ example. We will also discuss how we can improve the quality of our prayers by including five important subjects.

JESUS SET ASIDE TIME TO PRAY

3. What did Jesus understand about prayer?

³ Jesus understood that Jehovah values prayer. Long before coming to earth, he saw his Father answer the prayers of faithful men and women. For example, Jesus was at his Father’s side when He answered the sincere prayers of Hannah, David, and Elijah, to name a few. (1 Sam. 1:10, 11, 20; 1 Ki. 19:4-6; Ps. 32:5) No wonder Jesus taught his disciples to pray often and with confidence!​—Matt. 7:7-11.

4. What do we learn from Jesus’ prayers?

⁴ By means of his own prayers to Jehovah, Jesus set an example for his disciples to follow. Throughout his ministry, Jesus prayed frequently. He had to set aside time to pray because he was often busy and surrounded by many people. (Mark 6:31, 45, 46) He got up early in the morning so that he could have time alone to pray. (Mark 1:35) On at least one occasion, he prayed all night before making an important decision. (Luke 6:12, 13) And Jesus prayed repeatedly on the night before he died as he focused on completing the most challenging aspect of his earthly assignment.​—Matt. 26:39, 42, 44.

5. How can we imitate Jesus when we pray?

⁵ Jesus’ example teaches us that no matter how busy we are, we need to set aside time to pray. Like Jesus, we may need to reserve time for prayer​—getting up early in the morning or staying up a little later in the evening. When we do, we show Jehovah that we appreciate this special gift. A sister named Lynne remembers how moved she was when she first learned about the privilege of prayer. She recalls, “When I learned that I could talk to Jehovah anytime, it helped me to view him as my close Friend and to want to improve my prayers.” No doubt many of us feel the same way. So let us consider five key subjects we can include in our prayers.

FIVE IMPORTANT SUBJECTS FOR PRAYER

6. According to Revelation 4:10, 11, what is Jehovah worthy to receive?

⁶ Praise Jehovah. In an awe-inspiring vision, the apostle John saw 24 elders in the heavens worshipping Jehovah. They praised God, acknowledging that he is worthy to receive “the glory and the honor and the power.” (Read Revelation 4:10, 11.) Faithful angels also have a multitude of reasons to praise and honor Jehovah. They are in heaven with him and have come to know him well. They see his qualities revealed in what he does. As they observe Jehovah in action, they are moved to praise him.​—Job 38:4-7.

7. For what can we praise Jehovah?

⁷ We too want to include praise to Jehovah in our prayers, expressing what we love and appreciate about him. As you read and study the Bible, try to identify the qualities manifested by Jehovah that especially appeal to you. (Job 37:23; Rom. 11:33) Then tell Jehovah how you feel about those qualities. We can also praise Jehovah for acting in our behalf and in behalf of our entire spiritual family. He is constantly caring for and protecting us.​—1 Sam. 1:27; 2:1, 2.

8. What are some of the many reasons why we thank Jehovah? (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

⁸ Thank Jehovah. We have many reasons to thank Jehovah in prayer. (Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18.) We can thank him for any good thing that we have; after all, every good gift comes from him. (Jas. 1:17) For example, we can express our appreciation for the beauty of the earth and the marvels of creation. We can also express gratitude for our life, our family, our friends, and our hope. And we want to thank Jehovah for allowing us to enjoy his precious friendship.

9. Why may we need to cultivate appreciation for Jehovah?

⁹ We may need to make a special effort to think about the reasons that we personally have to be grateful to Jehovah. We live in an unthankful world. People are often focused on what they want rather than on what they can do to show appreciation for what they have. If that attitude were to rub off on us, our prayers could become a list of requests. To prevent that from happening, we need to continue to cultivate and express appreciation for all that Jehovah does for us.​—Luke 6:45.

10. How did feelings of gratitude help one sister to endure? (See also picture.)

¹⁰ A thankful attitude can help us to endure difficulties. Consider the experience of Kyung-sook, found in the January 15, 2015, issue of The Watchtower. She was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. “This health issue hit me hard,” she admitted. “I felt that I had lost everything, and I was very scared.” What helped her to cope? She said that every night before going to bed, she would go to the rooftop of her home and pray out loud about five things that she was grateful for that day. This caused her to feel reassured and moved her to express her love for Jehovah. She experienced how Jehovah sustains his faithful servants when they face trialsome circumstances, and she came to realize that there are far more blessings in our lives than there are trials. Like Kyung-sook, we have many reasons to be thankful to Jehovah, even if we are in the midst of a trial. Expressing our gratitude to him in prayer can help us to endure and to maintain our emotional balance.

11. Why did Jesus’ disciples need boldness after Jesus returned to heaven?

¹¹ Ask Jehovah for boldness in the ministry. Just before returning to heaven, Jesus reminded his disciples of their assignment to give a witness about him “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:46-48) A short time later, the Jewish leaders seized the apostles Peter and John and brought them before the Sanhedrin, demanding that these faithful men stop preaching, even threatening them. (Acts 4:18, 21) How did Peter and John react?

12. According to Acts 4:29, 31, what did the disciples do?

¹² In response to the threats of the Jewish religious leaders, Peter and John said: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves. But as for us, we cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19, 20) When Peter and John were released, the disciples raised their voices to Jehovah in a prayer that focused on his will. They prayed: “Grant to your slaves to keep speaking your word with all boldness.” Jehovah answered that sincere prayer.​—Read Acts 4:29, 31.

13. What can we learn from the example of Jin-hyuk?

¹³ We can imitate the disciples by continuing to preach even when secular authorities demand that we stop. Consider the example of Jin-hyuk, a brother who was imprisoned because of his neutral stand. In prison, he was assigned to care for some prisoners in solitary confinement, but he was not allowed to talk to them about anything unrelated to that assignment, including the Bible. He prayed for boldness and tactfulness to speak the truth at every opportunity. (Acts 5:29) He says: “Jehovah answered my prayers by giving me the courage and the wisdom to start many five-minute Bible studies right at the cell doors. Then, at night, I wrote letters that I would give to the inmates the next day.” We too can be confident that Jehovah will help us to accomplish our ministry. Like Jin-hyuk, we can pray for boldness and wisdom.

14. What can help us when we are dealing with problems? (Psalm 37:3, 5)

¹⁴ Ask for Jehovah’s help to deal with problems. Many of us are coping with physical or emotional challenges, the loss of a loved one, a difficult family situation, persecution, or some other problem. And such things as pandemics and wars have made many of these challenges even harder to deal with. Pour out your heart to Jehovah. Tell him about your situation just as you would tell a close friend. Be assured that Jehovah “will act in your behalf.”​—Read Psalm 37:3, 5.

15. How can prayer help us to “endure under tribulation”? Give an example.

¹⁵ Persevering in prayer will help us to “endure under tribulation.” (Rom. 12:12) Jehovah knows what his worshippers are going through​—“he hears their cry for help.” (Ps. 145:18, 19) A 29-year-old pioneer named Kristie found that to be true. She unexpectedly began to have serious health problems. As a result, she fell into a deep depression. Later, she learned that her mother had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Kristie says: “I prayed intensely to Jehovah to give me the strength to get through each day. I tried to stick to a good spiritual routine by attending meetings and doing personal study.” She adds: “Prayer got me through the dark moments. I knew that Jehovah was always there, and that thought was a tremendous source of comfort. Although my health problems weren’t resolved right away, Jehovah answered my prayers by giving me inner peace and a calm heart.” May we never forget that “Jehovah knows how to rescue people of godly devotion out of trial.”​—2 Pet. 2:9.

16. Why do we need Jehovah’s help to resist temptation?

¹⁶ Ask for Jehovah’s help to resist temptation. As imperfect humans, we have a constant struggle against the temptation to do what is wrong. Satan is doing all he can to make that struggle as hard as possible. One way he tries to corrupt our thinking is by means of debased entertainment. Such entertainment can fill our mind with unclean thoughts​—thoughts that defile our inner person and can lead to serious sin.​—Mark 7:21-23; Jas. 1:14, 15.

17. How can we act in harmony with our request to avoid temptation? (See also picture.)

¹⁷ We need Jehovah’s help if we are to overcome the temptation to do what is wrong. Jesus included the following petition in the model prayer: “Do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.” (Matt. 6:13) Jehovah wants to come to our aid, but we must ask him for his help. We must also act in harmony with our prayers. We can take practical steps to minimize our exposure to the wrong thinking and ideas popular in Satan’s system. (Ps. 97:10) We can fill our mind with wholesome thoughts by reading and studying the Bible. Attending meetings and taking part in the ministry will also safeguard our thinking. Jehovah, in turn, promises that he will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.​—1 Cor. 10:12, 13.

18. With regard to prayer, what do we all need to do?

¹⁸ Each of us needs to pray more than ever to remain faithful to Jehovah during these difficult last days. Set aside time each day for heartfelt prayer. Jehovah wants us to ‘pour out our hearts before him’ in prayer. (Ps. 62:8) Praise Jehovah and thank him for all that he does. Ask him to help you to be courageous in the ministry. Beg him for help to deal with any problems and to resist any temptation that you may be facing. Do not let anything or anyone stop you from regularly praying to Jehovah. How, though, does Jehovah answer our prayers? We will consider that important question in the next article.