James 5:16 

What is a righteous man? Someone who rests in the righteousness of Jesus.

How do you see God?

Psalm 31:19-20
Your understanding of who God is really shapes everything in your life, including prayer.

When it comes to God, it’s not what you think of Him that really matters. 
It's extremely important that you know the real God. 

What is God really like? 
God has many characteristics:

• • He is all-knowing, omniscient, 
• • He is all powerful, omnipotent, and
• • He is everywhere at the same time, omnipresent. 

The Bible tells us 
God is holy. 
God is just.
God is kind.
God is loving.
God is faithful.

It is the goodness of God that gives us peace and hope in prayer. 

Because God is always good, we know three things about prayer:
1.  God's plans for my life will always be good.
God has never made anything without a purpose. 

God's plan is revealed and realized through prayer. 
Psalm 31:19-20
That means intentional thought in advance. 


2.  God always gives me what I need, not what I deserve.
Never approach God on the basis of what you need but on the basis of His grace.

Psalm 103:10
God forgives you, not because you're good, but because He's good. 

Psalm 27:10
Because God is always good, and God is always gracious, when we pray we can always be bold and confident. 

How do I know God is good? Because everything He does in the world is good. 


3.  He does not say yes to every request.
There's nothing in the Bible that says that everything you ask for you're going to get.

When the request is not right, God says no. 

Luke 11:11-13

Let's just be honest. It's easy to trust God's goodness when things are going good. 
The test is, can you say that when everything's bad in your life?

Not everything that happens in the world is good. 
Not everything that happens in the world is God's will. 

Now what does that tell us about prayer, that prayer doesn't work? No, God moves in His wisdom and will.  
Isaiah 55:8-9

The key to prayer is to trust in God’s goodness and to seek God’s will. 


Building a prayer list:
Self

1. Worship
2. God’s will in your life
3. To meet your needs
4. To be delivered from the enemy

Family

1. Hunger for God
2. God’s will for their lives
3. Deliverance from the enemy

Church

1. Souls to be saved
2. Unity of faith
3. Gifts to be used
4. The place where you serve

World

1. Government leaders
2. Peace
3. Repentance of sin

The Pattern for Prayer Part One
40 DAYS OF PRAYER GUIDE

This then is how you should pray.
Matthew 6:9-13

TEN STEPS
Step One: I remember
HOW MUCH GOD LOVES ME 
- Ephesians 3:19-17

Step Two: I tell God 
HOW MUCH I LOVE GOD 
- Psalm 107:15

Step Three: I offer God 
MY LIFE TO BE USED FOR HIS PURPOSE 
- Romans 8:28

Step Four: I Give God 
MY PAIN AND SORROW 
- Mark 14:36


Step Five: I trust God 
TO MEET ALL MY NEEDS 
- Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:34


Next Week: Steps Six through Ten