What Does the Bible Say About Prayer?

What We Should do When We Pray

The next thing to consider is that we are told three things about what we should do: prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. To remember these things, think of the hissing sound “pst” (pssssst) you make with your lips when you are trying to get someone’s attention in a quiet place like a library. Imagine you are approaching God and you say, “Pst, God, I would like to talk to you.” This will help you to remember that we should pray with supplication and thanksgiving.

First, when we are anxious or fearful, we should pray. As we will learn, this does not mean you must learn 16th Century Old English or assume a pose with head bowed and eyes closed. It simply means we should talk with God like we do with a friend.

Jesus emphasized this when he told the disciples in John 15:14-17 that He was not just their Lord, but He was their friend. We certainly would not talk to our friends in 16th Century Old English; they would think we have lost our mind. Instead, talk to the Lord from the heart. Tell Him what is on your mind.

Second, we are told to pray with supplication. According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, supplication means: “Entreaty, humble and earnest prayer in worship, or petition.” When thinking about supplication, think of the word supple. If someone has supple skin, their skin is soft and easily moldable or pliable. It gives when pressed from the outside. Likewise, when praying with supplication, we are praying with the mindset and words that show our willingness to humble ourselves before God and allow our thoughts and actions to be molded by Him.

Third,we should communicate thanksgiving in our prayer. We should tell God that we are thankful for all the things He has done for us and the experiences He gives us good and bad. This is told to us a few verses earlier in Philippians 4:4 KJV “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” We rejoice in the Lord always knowing that He has our best intentions in heart and is allowing us the opportunity to grow to be more like Jesus with the experiences we encounter in life (Romans 5:3-5; Romans 8:28-31; 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:2-5).