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Effective prayer through sonship is the focus of this article. Prayer is a critical Christian practice. It is not a choice. We are commanded to pray always. Luke 18:1 says, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” This truth rings all through the apostles’ writings also. Paul wrote in Romans 12:12:
“Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.”
Peter wrote of the same thing.
1 Peter 4:7:
“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”
But prayer is not something we do just to look religious. It is a power given to us to influence things on earth. It is a means to partner with God to enforce His will and birth His plan on earth. This means that when we pray, something is meant to happen in the line of what we say. Prayer is meant to be effective—creating intended results.
However, very vital to effective prayer is understanding. Prayer doesn’t work by methods, or when it is done. Prayer is operationalized by understanding.
In this post, we will look into the foundational understanding which must underlie our prayer—our identity as children of God, and 5 practical keys to praying as God’s children.
You should also read: PRAYING ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD: 7 PROVEN KEYS
Effective Prayer Through Sonship
Even in natural life, relationships determine how asking is done and whether or not it is granted. If you go to your state governor for a request, you will go through rigor to see him, then sing his praises to warm his heart, and perhaps kneel to make the request. That still does not guarantee getting a favorable response. Now, what if the governor’s son wants to see him? Protocols are suspended. He does not do anything to get the governor’s attention—he just invokes their relationship by saying, “Daddy”.
A very vital understanding that should rule our minds as believers is that when we pray, we are talking to God from a strong position—that of children, not strangers in His house. On this stands the guarantee of us being heard. When this truth floods your heart, you will begin to pray differently. Any of my children will be wrong to approach me to talk to me, nervous, because he or she is not sure whether I will listen to him or her. If that happens, either of three things is wrong.
- He or she doesn’t understand what it means to be my child.
- I have shown the wrong picture of fatherhood.
- He or she has done something wrong.
But we who are in Christ should not have any problem approaching God, or doubt whether our requests will be granted. The Bible supplied us three revelation which should give us comfort and produce confidence in us for approaching God in prayer.
- We are children of God, and what that means— that the vast riches and provisions of God through Christ are available to us.
- Our Father’s care for us. God is a good Father. He wants us to have a full, rich life.
- God’s provisions through Jesus Christ to take care of our wrongs, repair the broken fellowship between us, and keep us perpetually on good terms with Him.
Effective Prayer Through Sonship: The Revelation of our Sonship
The Bible’s revelation is clear that all of us who have believed in Jesus are adopted into the family of God. We are members of the family of God—not as slaves, but as bona fide sons and daughters of God. Apostle John wrote of this beautiful truth, in John 1:12:
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”
Apostle Paul wrote about it also, in Romans 8:15–16:
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
And, in Galatians 4:4-5:
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Therefore, if truly you have put your trust in Jesus, then you are a child of God. This means you are no longer an outsider or stranger. You belong to God’s household—a position that guarantees you continuous access to God’s presence in prayer (Ephesians 2:12–19).
But you’re not just a child of God—you’re also an heir of God. Whew! This is one of the implications of our sonship. We are heirs of God. And again, the Bible’s revelation is very clear on this truth.
Romans 8:16–17:
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
Galatians 3:26, 29:
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus… 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Heir, from Greek kleronomos, is “one who receives his allotted possession by right of sonship”. Heirship is by sonship. You can only receive inheritance in a house where you’re a son. I cannot get an inheritance in Chief Femi Otedola’s house. I am not one of his heirs, because I am not one of his children. I might be his son’s friend, and so frequent to their house. The best I can get from the billionaire is a gift as a friend of his son, not an inheritance.
Only children inherit in a family! As children of God, we have an inheritance with God. The revelation of our being heirs of God highlights two exciting truths about God.
- His richness: God is rich to have heirs. He is rich—not just in mercy (Ephesians 2:4), but also in material things (Psalm 34:1; 50:7-12; 1 Corinthians 10:26; Philippians 4:19).
- He is generous, to want to share His riches with us (1 Corinthians 3: 21-23). There is nothing that God owns that is for Him. They are provisions of His grace for us to use and enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17; Romans 8:32). Oh, what a Father!
So, when we pray, we are not praying to a Father who does not have what to give us, or who is unwilling to give us what He has. You’ve got to fill your mind with the true pictures of God painted in the Bible. That will not only excite you—make you rejoice, but it will also build confidence in you toward God. The Bible says about God, in Romans
Romans 8:32:
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
1 Timothy 6:17:
“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”
Prayer is not a means to manipulate God to give what He doesn’t want to give. This is how some see prayer. No wonder they have been praying wrongly, and not receiving. Prayer is a means to receive what has already been freely made available to us through Christ. When this hits you, you will pray better, placing demands on God’s riches for bigger things. And you will have strong confidence that you will receive them.
You should also read: BELIEVERS’ AUTHORITY: 7 ESSENTIAL TRUTHS EVERY CHRISTIAN MUST KNOW
Effective Prayer Through Sonship: Impacts of Sonship on Effective Prayer
Grasping the reality of our being children of God creates three major impacts on our prayer life.
- Confidence in Prayer
When we understand that God is our Father, fear and hesitation in prayer give way to confidence. As a child runs freely to his father without fear of rejection, even so can we approach God.
Hebrews 4:16:
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” [KJV]
1 John 5:14:
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
Confidence in prayer is not arrogance—but the assurance that God listens to us. Children don’t beg as strangers; they ask as heirs.
- Aligns Our Hearts with God’s Will
True sonship is not only about privileges, but also about alignment with the Father’s heart. True sonship does not seek its own will or way—it seeks to know and be aligned with what the Father wants. Jesus modeled this when He prayed.
Luke 22:42:
“Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
Praying as God’s children should be about seeking God’s will above our own. This alignment makes our prayers effective, because they agree with the desires of the Father. John, the apostle, wrote in 1 John 5:14:
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us.” [Emphasis added]
- Authority in Prayer
Children carry the authority of their Father’s name. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are not invoking a magical phrase—we are simply standing in the authority of our sonship through Christ. John 14:13 -14 says:
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
This authority is not for commanding God—but for exercising the rights and responsibilities given to us as His children. As children, we can speak with authority over situations because we represent our Father.
Effective Prayer Through Sonship: Practical Ways to Pray as Children of God
1. Start with relationship, not requests
In the model of prayer that Jesus gave in Matthew 9, He taught us to start our prayer like this: “Our Father in heaven…” That is putting emphasis on our relationship with God as Father. We must start with acknowledge God as Father before presenting needs.
2. Pray with confidence
You must pray to God with confidence, knowing that you belong to Him. Being confident in prayer isn’t being arrogant—it is acting by the assurance that God hears us. 1 John 5:14, says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
- Seek His will
Let your prayers align with the will of your Father. And, there are two sources to know the will of God: the Bible—provides us with the generic will of God for us, and the Holy Spirit—provides us with the specific will of God for our lives.
4. Use your authority
Pray in the name of Jesus. Jesus gave us the power of attorney to use His authority in this world. That authority is embedded within His name (Philippians 2:9-11). Therefore, praying in the name of Jesus is using our authority over situations and things.
John 14:13 -14:
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
5. Rest in His love
Children pray from a place of security, not striving. You must learn to rest in the love of God.
Prayer becomes truly effective when we pray from the position of sonship. Understanding that we are God’s children transforms our approach — from fear to confidence, from doubt to faith, and from striving to resting in His love.
To pray as sons is to embrace both privilege and responsibility: the privilege of direct access to the Father, and the responsibility of aligning our hearts with His will. When we grasp this, our prayer life becomes not just effective but deeply transformational.
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EXTERNAL RESOURCES TO HELP YOU:
From Desiring God
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“Prayer is not a mere ritual but the intimate privilege of approaching God as Father.” → Desiring God highlights this truth in The Power and Privilege of God’s Children.
From The Gospel Coalition
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“Prayer, at its core, is the privilege of God’s children coming confidently before Him.” → As defined in What Is Prayer? by The Gospel Coalition.
