The New Testament Way to Pray

➤ by Pastor Andy Fulson

Prayer — Two-Way Communication with God

Prayer or the purpose of praying is to commune, speak with or talk to God. This has not changed between the Old and New Testament ages — even after Pentecost.

Moses stayed with the Lord 40 days and nights, neither eating nor drinking (Ex 34:28-35). Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God (Lk 6:12).

For believers since Pentecost, prayer and its purpose has continued. 

Old Testament prayer relative to the Law of Moses required obedience to the Law, stressing 'thou shalt love the Lord'. By contrast, the New Testament prayers are based on 'have faith', and 'if you love Me, keep My commandments'.

Is there a right way to pray?

Does God the Father hear you when you pray?

Jesus taught 'to seek God's kingdom first — then, what you need would be added to you' (Mt 6:33). Is it working for you?

Jesus instructed Nicodemus that he must be born again, John 3:7, to emphasize the change-over from the Law and the Prophets to renewal by faith with these words: I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me, John 14:6. To say it another way — access to God is not possible except through a confessed belief in Jesus Christ.

Prayer, to commune (speak) with God, is based on being accepted as His redeemed child: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation, Romans 10:9-10.

A born-again believer has the same Father as Jesus Christ, by which we can call Him our 'Abba' (Rom 8:15). 

While 'asking' can be part of 'prayer', it is only one of the many things that 'communing with God the Father' makes possible. When 'asking', there are conditions such as:

  1. Ask in faith
  2. without doubting 
  3. believe you've received

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them, Mark 11:24.

Both faith and unbelief affect receiving: But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways, James 1:6-8.

Overcome doubt by the renewing of your mind (Rom 12:2) since faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God, Romans 10:17.

Learn to trust Him (Heb 11:6). God does not lie nor change what He has said (Jer 1:12).

Prayer since Christ

New Testament prayers spoken with assurance and thanksgiving acknowledge Christ's finished work of grace on Calvary. They impact every area of our daily lives and in preparation to cope effectively with what is to come, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year.

Having Access to God (Jn 3:3):

  • Direct access to the Father through Christ (Heb 4:16)
  • No more separation by sin, the veil was torn (Eph 2:14)
  • Intimate relationship as children, not servants (Rom 8:15)

Knowing our Position by Grace (Eph 2:8):

  • Praying from a position of having been accepted (Eph 1:6)
  • Confident in Christ's righteousness, not our own (Phil 3:9)
  • Seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6)

Redeemed Relationship to God (Col 1:13):

  • "Abba Father" relationship (Rom 8:15)
  • Fellowship rather than religious duty (Jn 14:23)
  • Holy Spirit helps in prayer (Rom 8:26)

Having Been Accepted (Eph 1:6):

  • Coming boldly to the throne of grace (Heb 4:16)
  • Praying according to promises already given (2Cor 1:20)
  • Assurance of being heard (1Jn 5:14-15)

Faith — the key to prayer

To receive according to promises already given (2Cor 1:20), Jesus focused on the essentials of faith, as in, Where is your faith? Luke 8:25. To that, He added, ask in My name!, or in my name you shall...!

Asking to receive can be either from the Son or from the Father:
From the Son: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it, John 14:13-14.

From the Father: Whatsoever ye shall ask the father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full, John 16:23-24.

Communing (speaking, sharing, asking) with God the Father is through faith believing: 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, Hebrews 11:6.

The reward is answered prayer for what was asked (petitioned).

What Prayer will not do

1 - Forgiveness of Sins

While Jesus was the complete sin sacrifice for all humanity, only those who confess Him as the risen Son of God receive forgiveness: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, Colossians 1:13-14.

For those who are born again (Jn 3:3) through confession (Rom 10:9–10), the remission of all sins has been granted by grace (the gift of God): For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8. Asking for forgiveness, as in the Lord’s Prayer, achieves nothing (Mt 6:12). 

2 - Prayer for Healing

Healing is available to everyone through the whipping that Jesus received before His crucifixion. It is a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy about 700 years before Christ (Is 53:5). Of this, Peter bore witness (1Pet 2:24) after Jesus rose from the dead.

Sickness of every type is an act of Satan (Jn 10:10). Jesus Himself prophesied: In my name shall they cast out devils... they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover, Mark 16:17-18. 

To pray, Jesus, heal me, achieves nothing.

3 - Prayer for Deliverance

Deliverance from fear and anxiety is not a prayer request but rather exercising the authority granted to believers (Jn 3:3): Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you, Luke 10:19.

Jesus spoke to a crippled woman saying, Woman, you are loosened from your infirmity — laid His hands on her, and right away she was made straight (Lk 13:11-13.)

To pray: 'Jesus set me free', achieves nothing. He has qualified you to deal with it.

As a joint-heir with Christ, you have been given the same authority to totally overcome ALL the power of Satan (Lk 10:19). By the renewal of your mind, learn to understand what prayer is and what it's not.

Choosing Appropriate Prayers

Often people feel unsure about how to pray for themselves, their family members, or others. Paul's prayer for the Colossian church is an excellent example and can be applied to oneself or others.

To the Colossians:
9 - For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray [ask] for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 - That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 - Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 - Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [prepared] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 - Who hath delivered [freed] us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 - In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, Colossians 1:9-14 (brackets added).

A closer look at Paul's prayer reveals:

  1. Purpose for prayer
  2. Outcome of prayer

Verse 9: 

  • Purpose - to be filled with the knowledge of God's will
  • Outcome - might gain insight into all wisdom, and spiritual understanding

Verse 10:

  • Purpose - that ye might represent (with hope or expectation) the name of the Lord
  • Outcome - excel in faith, be effective as Jesus was (Jn 14:12), and increasing in the knowledge of God

Verse 11:

  • Purpose - to be strengthened with all of God's glorious power
  • Outcome - develop all patience, enduring hardship with joyfulness

Verse 12:

  • Purpose - giving thanks to God the Father with gratitude
  • Outcome - being qualified to share in the promises of the inheritance for all saints

Verse 13:

  • Purpose - acknowledge having been set free from Satan's power
  • Outcome - were moved into the Kingdom of God's Son

Verse 14:

  • Purpose - to know that we have been redeemed by Christ's blood
  • Outcome - assurance of having been forgiven for all sins

The prayer outcomes are the changes from glory to glory (2Cor 3:18), which God began and will continue until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6)

  1. Be fruitful in every good work (Col 1:10)
  2. Have patience and long-suffering with joy (Col 1:11)
  3. Give thanks to the Father (Col 1:12)
  4. Rejoice, you are qualified for the promised inheritance (Col 1:12)
  5. Believe that you are delivered from the power of darkness (Col 1:13)
  6. Remember, by having confessed Jesus as Lord (Rom 10:9-10), you are accepted into His kingdom (Col 1:13)

The purpose of prayer to God is to communicate, share, speak your mind, get help, receive and grow in spiritual understanding of God's power for practical outcomes in your life.

The same prayer for the Colossians church (Col 1:9-14) is valid with substitution for 'ye' and 'us', with I, family, children, wife, husband, Sam, local church, or other appropriate variations.

For example, if praying for Sam, (or family, children, wife, husband, Sam, local church), the prayer would be:
For this cause I also, since the day I heard it, do not cease to pray for Sam and to desire that Sam might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That Sam might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made Sam meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered Sam from the power of darkness, and hath translated Sam into the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom Sam has redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, Colossians 1:9–14 (Bold for emphasis).

This method allows for personalized prayers tailored to specific individuals or groups, while staying rooted in Scripture.

To the Ephesians:
A similar prayer, in the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul describes his prayer for the church:
I/we...Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1:16–20.

As before, any bolded pronouns can be replaced with specific names or groups:
I/we...Cease not to give thanks for Sam making mention of him in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto him the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of his understanding being enlightened; that he may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to him, who believes, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1:16–20 (Bold for emphasis).

The Ephesian prayer, requests God's help to receive:

  • the spirit of wisdom and revelation
  • understanding of God's will
  • insight to what is the hope and purpose of Christ's redemption
  • understanding of the joint inheritance
  • know Christ's assigned power to believers

Prayer - a time to learn

The greatest hindrances for effective prayer are doubt and unbelief.

It is essential to know that to override the will of an individual being prayed for, who does not agree with your intention or does not want it, will not work (Mt 13:58). If God were to override our will, there would be no need to repent or to pray.

Be expectant of effective prayer outcomes (Mk 9:23). Develop your own prayer/devotional time — it has a purpose, just like salvation.

Avoid Elizabethan English or changing your voice tone — be yourself. The Holy Spirit will make you aware of what is appropriate — be willing to learn. Keep in mind that your heavenly Father knows what you intend to say before you say it (Ps 139:4).

A key resource to consider is the following link: A Better Way to Pray 

Enjoy praying. It's powerful. It has purpose.

It will move mountains, but be willing to listen to how God will reply to you (Hab 2:1).


Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:19-20

Unless stated otherwise, all Bible passages quoted in orange are from the KJV translation.

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