Uggghhh... this is my second time writing this because my computer crashed and lost it all. I'm blaming that on the devil... he doesn't want you hearing this so it must be helpful lol.
With that said, I will try and re-write everything I had previously written......:
Firstly, I do not think there is any "perfect" way to pray. I almost always pray laying in bed at night, that's partly because my knees used to fall asleep, so then I found myself rushing my praying so I could get up. So now I just pray in bed first thing after I lay down. I also write letters to God in the form of prayer. I find that helps me greatly because I can organize all my thoughts better on paper, and that way I don't miss anything. Also, sometimes I'll open the Bible and find verses on some topic that is burdening me and I'll use the Bible to pray about it. But prayer really comes down to your preference and style. Just make sure whatever you do you are comfortable with... not just following some ritual.... because it is then you can be more confident in prayer.
About your second question, I do believe that God heals people still, and I believe He does that through prayer. Prayer is one of our most powerful resources, but when we don't seem to receive an answer it can seem pretty useless. But I believe one of the tricky parts of receiving answers is recognizing them. It could be that God answered, but because of our human minds we fail to see that answer. So pray that God will make your eyes clear to His ways. Also, when it comes to God's will, I don't think we will ever know
why He does certain things until we get to heaven. But is also very difficult to recognize His hand in our own lives because I have found that we can really only understand His ways looking back on the past. It is rare that we realize His goodness in the present, and if often takes a while before we are able to look back and really see why He did something. So pray that He will strengthen your faith and increase your understanding so that you can know His ways.
I was saved 9 months ago, and I have been going through a trial for these 9 months, and I have been fervently praying for guidance and resolution in this trial. I had been praying all my life growing up in a Christian home, but it wasn't until I was saved that I truly realized the power of prayer. And even now, I just recently was taught the privilege of prayer.
I had been fighting a sense of hopelessness and disbelief the past week or so regarding my current trial, so last weekend I prayed for assurance and guidance and faith in this situation. I prayed with all my heart because I was truly in a desperate place. And in response, I believe, the Lord taught me what prayer truly was, and gave me a new sense of faith and confidence through prayer. I learned that Jesus was the reason I could even go to God in the first place, and I realized that it was through Him i was praying, not myself. This really helped me because I always wondered if I was really worthy of God's listening ear. But it is not because of me, but because of Christ that God hears and works in my prayers and life. And I learned that because Jesus is perfect and worthy of all things, so too am I.
So I believe that God answered my prayer for guidance by teaching and telling me to
keep praying, just as the Bible says we are to keep praying. And because it has only been about a week I don't really have any physical results, but I do have an incredible new sense of confidence and faith in my prayers. And I now go to God every night with a new boldness and courage, with all faith that He hears and that He will answer. This trial has been in my life for 9 months now and though I cannot say what is going to happen, or where I will end up, I can say that it will be something that the Lord is working diligently on for my good. It has brought me many tears and great sorrow, but it has also increased my faith greatly. Just yesterday at school I became so overwhelmed with worry and anxiety about this issue that I became incredibly weak and started crying because it all felt so hopeless. So I immediately went straight to the restroom and started praying because I did not know what else to do. The Lord has increased my faith so that I turn to Him first and foremost for any issue in my life, and I completely rely on Him. Prayer is the way I am able to communicate with Him.
I am currently doing a Bible study on this topic because it is a great issue in my life as well. I have wrestled with much doubt and fear and anxiety and hopelessness, but through prayer the Lord has increased my faith. And now He has taught me how to truly use this privilege we have in coming to Him. I am still researching and learning but I will definitely keep you updated if I find anything extra helpful. I don't know how close you are with Jesus, but I think maybe you should learn a little about His role in our prayer lives, and maybe that will help you to be filled with confidence as I have. Another resource I frequently use is Sermon Audio. Here are some of the sermons that actually led me to this new understanding of prayer:
SermonAudio.com - Sermons on pray with boldness
These 3 sermons were so helpful to me, I hope they will help you, too. Also, try searching the site for other sermons on prayer. This is one of the first resources I turn to when I am feeling down or when I just want to learn something. It is helpful to me because I can just plug it into my ipod and listen while I do other things.
So anyway, I pray this helps you. And please don't become discouraged from prayer. Pray tonight asking God to reveal His love and power to you; pray that He would increase and strengthen your wisdom and faith; pray for understanding of His ways, and ask that He open your eyes to His working in your life so that you may understand the blessings He brings. And ask Him to strengthen your obedience and faith so that He becomes your every hope. One of my favorite prayers is this from Mark 9:24, "Lord, I believe, Help my unbelief!" Ask God to help your unbelief.
I do hope this helps. I will pray for you.
God bless you
