Developing Your Prayer LifeSample

How Often Should You Pray?

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:18 how often we should pray. It says, “Praying always….” The word “always” in Greek is the phrase, en panti kairo, which means at all times, in every season, and at every opportunity. A literal translation of this verse would read, “Pray in every moment, at all times, and at every opportunity.”

Ephesians 6:18 goes on to say, “Praying always with all prayer….” The word “all” is the Greek word pases, meaning every kind, type, and sort of prayer. And when we combined these Greek translations, we get the Renner Interpretive Version (RIV) of Ephesians 6:18, which states:

“Praying in every moment, at any time, whenever you get an opportunity, and doing it with every kind of prayer that is available to use.”

In Colossians 4:2, we are commanded: “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Interestingly, the word “continue” in Greek is the same word used in the phrase “continued steadfastly” in Acts 2:42, and it carries the idea of an addiction. Therefore, when we are told to continue in prayer, it really means we are to be addicted to prayer! Being addicted to prayer is engaging in a persistent, never-giving-up type of prayer. It depicts a person who wants something so desperately that he prays robust, fervent prayers for it. It is the picture of serious praying!

So we are to pray all the time, with every chance we get, using every type of prayer. This lets us know that there are different kinds of prayers. In fact, there are six types of prayer found in the New Testament. There’s the prayer of consecration, the prayer of petition, and the prayer of authority, which is sometimes called the prayer of faith. Additionally, there is the prayer of thanksgiving, the prayer of supplication, and the prayer of intercession. All of these are kinds of prayer specifically mentioned in the New Testament, and the Early Church was addicted to them.

Study Questions:

1. Jesus wants us to pray to the Father and ask for whatever we need in His name (see John 14:13,14). According to 1 John 5:13 and 15 and John 15:7, what should your prayer requests be filled with?
2. What are you promised as a result?