Prayer

We are told that God hears our prayers and answers them. But rarely do we actually put that to the test. Given that the Bible is full of verses regarding the incredible power of prayer, we should really be praying all the time! The apostle Paul tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) Try to imagine what your life would look like if the peace of God were guarding your heart and your mind. Doesn’t that kind of peace sound incredible?? Check out this excerpt from Psalm 107: “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:6-8)

Things grew calm, and they were guided to their desired haven…. wow! Isn’t that what all of us are searching in this life, and particularly now, during these crazy times??! We want you to know that whoever you are, you can find that peace, that calm, that safe haven. You can find it in Jesus Christ. And the way we can interact with Jesus is through spiritual prayer. When you pray, you are brought so close to God; in fact, you are brought into His very presence. “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7)

If this sounds like something you want for your life, then we’d love to help. The easiest way is to fill out the form below. Fill in some contact information, and then you can fill in your prayer request. In fact, go ahead and put as many prayer requests as you’d like! Once you submit your prayer request(s), someone from the Cleveland Heights Church prayer team will be assigned to pray for you and your request(s). At the bottom of the form, there are a few prayer options that you can select. For example, you can request that our whole prayer team pray for your petition. We would also love to pray with you one-on-one (Zoom, phone call, etc.), and if that sounds ok to you, you can select that option as well. Or you can select none of the options and just know that God (and your assigned prayer partner) is hearing your prayer!

Wherever you are in life right now, just know that Jesus loves you, He cares for you, and He hears your prayers. There are no prayer requests too silly or too small or too big; God wants to hear everything you got! “Cast all your anxiety on [God] because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Blessings to you, and we hope to hear from you soon (and maybe pray with you as well!)

See below for some tips and tricks to increase the effectiveness of your prayers!

Tips & Tricks for Effective Prayer

  • Pray in Jesus’ name
    The name of Jesus is powerful… like, really powerful! Check out these verses:
    • “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I [, Jesus,] will do it.” – John 14:13-14
    • As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth – and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:9-11
  • There is power in numbers
    Grab a friend; meet with a prayer group; share your prayer request with other believers. The Bible has quite a few things to say about not being alone in prayer:
    • Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” – Matthew 18:19-20
    • Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
    • Even the apostle Paul asks for prayer:
      Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join fervently with me in prayer to God on my behalf. Pray that I may be rescued … – Romans 15:30-31
  • Pray multiple times for your request
    If you’re serious about your prayer request, then you won’t just pray about it once. If you don’t care about your request, then why should God care? But God does care for you and cares deeply about the things that you need. This interesting parable compares God to an unrighteous judge. Which is weird, right? But in the story, the unrighteous judge eventually gives in to the demands of the widow. So Jesus’ point is essentially, ‘if the unrighteous judge gives in, how much more will God (who is actually righteous btw) answer those who ask him for stuff?’
    • And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” – Luke 18:1-8
  • Have faith
    Jesus speaks really boldly about believing prayer. Faith has tremendous power, and all you need, apparently, is a mustard seed’s worth!
    • And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” – Matthew 21:21-22
    • The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” – Luke 17:5-6
    • … The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months! – James 5:15-16
  • Be real
    This is a broader piece of advice and can have a few meanings. For example, Jesus tells us not to make prayer into a spectacle or use it as a status symbol. He also tells us to keep it simple and to the point; no need to make it sound eloquent or poetic. And above all, be humble; realize that it is God, the creator of the universe, who you are coming to when you pray.
    • “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:5-6
    • “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” – Matthew 6:7
    • But [God] gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” … Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. – James 4:6, 10

We hope these tips help you in your prayers and in your relationship with God. And we are always here to answer any questions you have or to talk with you. Just send us an email at prayer@clevelandheightschurch.org.