Blaise Pascal, the mathematical and spiritual genius, believed that "all the troubles of life come upon us because we refuse to sit quietly for a while each day in our rooms." Oswald Chambers agreed: "Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible's idea of prayer is that we may get to know God himself." How can we know our Father more fully, by praying more effectively?

How to pray

Jesus' instructions on prayer are so simple we can all follow them: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Mt 7:7). With this promise: "everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (v. 8). There is no such thing as "unanswered prayer," if only we will ask, seek, and knock.

Note the progression. A child asks for his mother's help. But he cannot find her, so he seeks her. He still cannot find her, so he knocks at her bedroom door until she opens and answers. So with us. We ask, but when it seems he does not hear, we seek him. When it seems he is not to be found, we knock. It may seem that the door is closed, but it is not. Your Father will always open to you: "The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" (Is 30:18). He wants to hear your prayer even more than you want to pray it.

So pray with urgency. Jesus' words are imperatives, not options but commands. Charles Spurgeon advised: "He who prays without fervency does not pray at all. We cannot commune with God, who is a consuming fire, if there is no fire in our prayers." So pray urgently, and continually. Jesus' words are in the present tense: pray and keep on praying.

How do we pray with continual urgency?

Begin

. Make an appointment to meet with God. A man put on his calendar each day, 7-7:30, prayer. But he kept missing his appointment. Then he changed it to say 7-7:30, God. That's harder to neglect. Keep a specific prayer list, and note the ways God answers your requests.

Pray in Jesus' name: "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (Jn 14:13-14). To pray in Jesus' "name" is to ask by his merit, to draw on his "account." If I write a million-dollar check and sign it with my name, the check is worthless. If I sign a billionaire's name, the check is good. To pray in Jesus' name is to ask the Father's help by the merit of his Son. He never refuses such a request.

Pray according to God's will: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him" (1 Jn 5:14-15). He will give us what we ask, or something better.

Pray for God's glory: "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father" (Jn 14:13). Do you seek your glory or his?

Pray with a clean heart: "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my prayer" (Ps 66:18-19). Is anything blocking your fellowship with your holy Lord? If you're not sure, you may ask him.

If God seems silent, check yourself by these biblical standards. But know that your Father wants to hear you even more than you want to be heard. So pray. Let nothing stop you. Meet with him today.

Why to pray

Now we come to a hard question: why? Why pray with continual urgency? If God is omniscient, he knows what we need. If he is omnipotent and all loving, he can and will do what is best. So why pray?

God has given us free will, and will not violate it. As a result, when we need him to act in ways which require our permission, we must first give that permission. Prayer doesn't change God, but it changes us. And it positions us to receive that which God wishes by his grace to give. Know that he will always give you what you ask, unless he can give you something better. Like any child, you may not understand your Father's will at the time. But his loving purpose is always for your good and his glory.

When God seems silent

When you pray but God seems silent, consider several possibilities. Perhaps he is still preparing you for his answer-you need more time in prayer to be able to hear him and obey his will. Perhaps he is still preparing your circumstances. You're praying for a job, for instance; God must move the person in your job to their next place so you can take theirs. He's not done with what he must do to answer you.

Perhaps you're not obedient to what he is saying; maybe sin clouds your eyes and ears, and you need more time in prayer to be right with him. Often he has a better answer than the one for which we are asking. He has already answered us, but we must keep praying until we see that he has.

Prayer is spiritual breathing. So "pray continually" (1 Thes 5:17). There is much we can do after we pray, but little we can do until we pray. Is your Father waiting on you now?