What makes for effective prayer?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament sacrificial system foreshadows Jesus' work on our behalf. In the Jewish temple, there was a room called the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:33-34). Only the high priest could enter this room, and only once a year (on the Day of Atonement). The room was blocked by a large veil. When Jesus was crucified, the veil was torn (see Matthew 27:45-54). This signaled that sinful humanity can now approach our holy God through His Son. We can approach Him through prayer.
• Solomon’s dedication prayer in the temple he built for God started with praises and included pleas for God’s attention to the future prayers of His people (1 Kings 8). The prayer acknowledged the people’s sinfulness and pleaded for God’s forgiveness.
• Both Nehemiah’s (Nehemiah 1:4-11) and Daniel’s respective prayers (Daniel 9:3-19) showed the attitude of humility that believers should have when approaching God in prayer. We should always recognize that we are addressing our almighty Creator who loves us. We can reveal our pain to Him.

from the new testament

• Hebrews 10:19-23 alludes to the torn veil, allowing our access to the Lord, and Hebrews 4:14-16 tells believers to “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace.” Believers can approach God boldly in prayer because we know Jesus.
• We can pray only because of Jesus; we approach God based on that merit. God has promised to grant requests that are in line with His will (1 John 5:14-15). God is all-powerful and capable of anything (Luke 1:37), deeply loves people, and desires them to come to Him (2 Peter 3:9).
• We come to know God and His will by His Word(2 Timothy 3:16-17) and through prayer. Prayer itself doesn’t hold the power; God does. He can cause earthquakes (Acts 16:25-26), raise people from the dead (John 11; Acts 9:36-43), and more.
• Being righteous—that is, following His commands and guidance—underlies effective prayer (James 5:16; 1 Peter 3:12).
• The Bible also teaches that we are to persist in our prayers, (Luke 18:1-8), pray with faith (James 1:5-8; Mark 11:22-24), be thankful (Philippians 4:6), be forgiving of others (Mark 11:25), pray in Jesus' name (John 14:13-14), and have no unconfessed sin (1 John 1:9). Our prayers should be focused on God's glory, not our own selfish gain (James 4:3).
• God tells us to pray continuously and in thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We also rely upon the Holy Spirit both to guide us in prayer and to intercede for us (Romans 8:26-27).
• Prayer is part of the armor of God that helps us to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" and "be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" (see Ephesians 6:10-18).

implications for today

To pray effectively, we must know God. A relationship with God is available only through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6). When we put our faith in Jesus as the perfect God-Man who lived a life without sin, died on the cross as payment for our sins, and rose again victorious over sin and death, we are forgiven of our sins (John 3:16-18; Ephesians 2:8-10). God applies Christ's righteousness to us and we become God's children (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

The more we pray, the more we'll want to pray. We'll come to know God more deeply and see His faithful responses to our prayer. Our hearts will become more like His and our prayers will be more "effective."

Again, these guidelines aren't about our performance in order to get God to give us what we want. For example, we might persist in a prayer and God can still say "no" to our request. Rather, these guidelines testify to our relationship with God. We cannot expect God to answer our prayers if we refuse to walk in His ways or if we disbelieve Him. If our hearts are not aligned to His, our prayers will probably not be aligned to His will. Accomplishing His will becomes our deepest desire, and our prayers are offered toward that end.