How often do you pray? What do you pray about? Are your prayers casual or intense? Are you praying for what you want or for what God wants? Are you praying in generalities or being specific? Are you trusting God will answer your prayers? Will you accept his answer?
As we pray, we can go in a hundred different directions and be very general in our prayers. If someone were to listen to them, they may think we are being scatter brained. Our prayers can also be selfish in nature, praying for things we want or outcomes we desire.
Praying specifically is much more effective. Rather than praying for the leadership of our country, pray specifically for your congressman, senator, and president by name. Rather than pray that a surgery goes well, pray for God to guide the hands of the surgeon and grant the surgeon and nurses wisdom and discernment as they perform the surgery.
Not only should we pray specifically, but we should also pray with intensity. We should put our whole heart into our prayer. We may have tears stream down our face, and that is okay. It is when we put our whole being into our prayer that we are most like Jesus. He prayed that way when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane.
This is not to dismiss the short prayer asking God for his guidance as we walk into a job interview or meeting. Those prayers are heard and answered as well. But spending dedicated time to pray specifically for what is going on in our lives, in our community, and in our country with focus and intensity imitates Jesus and brings us closer to God.
I pray we all choose to pray with specifics. I pray we pray with focus and intensity. I pray each one of us will make a list to pray over and spend dedicated time in prayer each day. Pray specific prayers. Pray with focus. Pray with intensity. Make a list. Dedicate time for prayer.
Hebrews 5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
Marty Pressey 
A most important part of prayer you forgot is to pray to the right Person. There are lots of people who pray to their different gods. Even the majority of people who call themselves Christian do not pray often to the God of Christ.
For a prayer to be effective it has to be a genuine talk or conversation to the Only One True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, Who is One and not three or two.
LikeLike