Acceptable Prayer Defined
W. H. Van Doren, D. D. Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias: for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son… Prayer is the offering of our sincere desires to God. It involves a sense of our unworthiness and necessities. 1. Penitence (Psalm 51:17). 2. Faith (Hebrews 11:6). 3. Sincerity (Jeremiah 29:13). 4. Fervency (James v 16). 5. Love (1 Timothy 2:8). 6. Delight in God (Isaiah 25:9). 7. Perseverance (Ephesians 6:18). 8. Humble submission to God's will (Micah 7:7). 9. In the name of Christ (Ephesians 3:12). 10. With confession of our sins (1 John 1:9). Jewish prayers were chiefly praise and benedictions. Always answered, but in God's sovereign way. (W. H. Van Doren, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. WEB: But the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.