8 Powerful Reasons That We Can Pray Boldly

I have been a Christian for most of my life. But, no matter how long I have had faith in Christ, I sometimes forget that I can pray boldly. 

Last week I was sick with the flu. It was the sickest I have been in a very long time. Since I have been a Christian for a long time, you would think that I would have prayed for healing right away. 

But the truth is, I didn’t. 

It wasn’t until the end of the week that I realized that I had not asked for healing. I had taken my relationship with God for granted and figured that He would heal me without spending time in prayer. 

I have now realized that this was arrogant. 

No matter what stage in life we are in, how long we have known God, He still wants us to come to Him with our prayers. 

In Hebrews, the Bible says: 

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. ” Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)

In this post, I want to share with you 8 reasons why we can pray boldly. 

8 Reasons That It Is Okay For Us To Pray Boldly

1.  God hears our prayers

This may seem obvious. Why would we pray if we can’t be heard? But it’s a good reminder that when we pray, we are not just talking into the air asking for good vibes. (Note, all parts of the Bible in bold are for emphasis).

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13

“I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. …God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” Psalm 66:17-20 

Since God hears us, we can have bold prayers knowing He listens to us. 

2. Our prayers make a difference

Sometimes, when I am feeling discouraged in my Christian walk, I fail to pray because I believe satan’s lie that says: Your prayers don’t make a difference. 

This is one of the biggest lies we can fall for.  

Our prayers do make a difference and there are many examples of that in the bible.

Four examples of Prayer Making a Difference in the Bible:

A. Our Prayers change our life

“Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14 

When we pray, God listens and will take action.  He will answer each and every one of our prayers.

B. Our prayers change our perspective

When I am walking through life, I sometimes wonder: Where is God in times of trouble? I don’t know what God would have me do or why bad things happen. Instead of leaning on my own understanding, I ask God for wisdom. 

When I  pray about my life and its circumstances, He will give me the wisdom to know how to live.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5 (NIV)

C. Our prayers change our emotions

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)

When we pray, it changes how we feel about a circumstance and we are given peace and joy. Those are all things we would not have received had we not prayed. 

D. Our Prayers can change God’s mind

One of the biggest mysteries to me is how God knows all things, has created all things and yet can still change His mind. I am not sure how all that works together, but we know that it’s true from reading scripture. 

In Genesis 18:16-33 , The Lord and Abraham are talking about the city of Sodom. God looks at the city and sees only evil and wants to destroy it. His original plan was to kill everyone in the city. But Abraham pleads with God. First, he asks: Genesis 18:24“What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?”

God considers this plea and says that He would spare the city for 50 men. 

When I read that, I see that Abraham’s conversation (prayer) changed God’s initial plan. He listened to Abraham’s plea. 

God and Abraham go back and forth. Abraham continues and asks boldly if God would save the city for 45 people, then 40, 30, 20, and then 10 people. 

Abraham had the faith to ask God these questions. In return, God listened and relented His plan to destroy the city. In the end, the city is destroyed because God could not find any righteous men. But even then, God saved Lot because of Abraham. 

This story reminds me of the saying: you don’t get unless you ask. 

There is no sin is approaching God and pray boldly. 

3. Jesus Blood covers our Sin

In the Old Testament, the Jews were not allowed to enter into God’s presence because they were covered in sin. But, our sin was taken care of on the cross. 

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,” Hebrews 10:19 

The Blood of Jesus cancels our sin and we are holy in the sight of God. 

Since we are made holy, we have no separation between us and God and can pray boldly.

4. We have been given access to His Presence 

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” Hebrews 10: 19-23 (NASB) 

As a Christian, we have been given access into His Presence. Since we have been given access, we should take it. 

Imagine your favourite artist is coming to town. One day, you are given an all-access backstage pass. Do you take it? Or do you pass it up? 

The same can be said about God. 

5. Our Requests Are Inline With God’s Will

When we pray according to His will, we can be confident that He hears us. 

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15

These verses can be a bit hard to understand. When I read these verses, I do so with the context of the whole bible. 

When we pray, we should be praying for His will and not ours. We can’t be asking selfish prayers and expecting God to answer them. But, when we pray according to His will– He will hear us and He will answer. 

The Difference is this:

• Prayer according to my will: God, please heal me
• Prayer according to His will: God, please heal me according to Your will 

The difference is subtle but so important. When we pray according to His will, we are leaving space for God to work in us and to do His will.

When we pray according to what we want, we leave no room for what God wants.

If we want to live our lives the way God wants us to, then our prayers have to reflect that. 

6. We are commanded to do so

God has a great desire for us to come to Him in Prayer. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

These verses that we should be coming to God with EVERYTHING!! No prayer is too small, too big, or too stupid to pray. 

God wants a relationship with us, to come to Him in prayer so that we can rely on Him and His word. 

7. God is able to go beyond what we request.

When I pray, I hardly ever know how that prayer will affect my life. But, I can have the peace to know that God can take my prayer and do so much more than I could ever imagine. 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Knowing that God can work in such a way, makes me feel like I don’t have to worry too much about the details of my prayers. I just need to come and approach Him and He will do the rest. 

8. We are His Children

As a Christian, I sometimes forget that I am a child of God. 

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. “Romans 8:15-18

These verses remind me that I am a daughter of God. As such, I have a special relationship with Him. 

Since having children, I have understood these verses so much more! As a mom, I might know what’s wrong with my kids, I might even know what they want to ask– but I LOVE IT when they come to me on their own terms and tell me their fears, dreams, hopes and so on.

The same is true for God. 

He longs for us to come to Him. Since we know this, we can pray boldly. 

In Conclusion: Can We Pray Boldly?

Prayer is one of the most powerful tools that God gives us. As a Christian, we oftentimes forget who we are in Christ, what He has done and the type of access we have to Him. 

When we remember all of these things, we can have the confidence to enter into His presence and pray boldly knowing that He will accept us and that He will hear us. 

What is a time that you have prayed boldly? How has God answered that prayer?

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