Petitioning Prayer
Asking God for healing is always right. It is natural, heart-felt and direct. It hardly needs to be taught, though building up one's faith is a helpful element for adding confidence to any request. Sometimes God brings swift and profound answers! However, since the healing may not come by means of petition only, it is wise to learn the other ways of praying for healing. There is an art, too, to learning how to release prayers of petition with expectant, believing faith.
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:5-6
All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
The What and Why of It
Keep in mind that there is no "formula" for praying that always works. Our relationship with God is the key element of effective prayer. The Lord desires us 
to get to know Him personally through conversation (talking all kinds of things over with Him), fellowship (spending time with Him), and intimacy (getting to know Him through His Word and life experience). Think of it this way: If you want to ask a lot of favors from someone, it helps if you know them well and have built a good relationship, right? The Lord starts us off with tons of grace—He will answer desperate, honest prayers from anyone, even if they have zero relationship with Him. But it really helps to grow "favor" (for an enhanced effectiveness in prayer, for instance) by growing the relationship.
Jesus gave His disciples a model prayer, which we call "The Lord's Prayer," though it really could be more accurately termed "The Disciples' Prayer." This is a truly wonderful model, or pattern for how to form our own prayers. By it He shows us to approach God as you would a loving father whom you know to be good, whose power is supreme and whose will can be trusted in all things. Place your requests before Him in a simple, straightforward way describing your need ("give us this day..."). Be sure that you let Him search your heart while you are there, especially in terms of forgiving others (you are asking for God's merciful help for yourself—remember?). Then pray that He free you from any attempt of the enemy to overtake you.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:9-13
This prayer can of course be prayed to God in Jesus own words—it is a great prayer. However, is often repeated word for word, over and over again, by some believers despite the statement by the Lord that we should not engage in "vain repetitions" as people do who have no knowledge of God ("heathens" in the King James). Simply repeating words without our head or heart being actively engaged is not what God is looking for—a parrot could do that! God wants us to have a genuine, personal relationship with Him. Fortunately for all of us, our God is so gracious and kind that He looks past our errors to answer our need. Even so, we should seek to follow the steps He shows us and avoid those He cautions us against.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Matthew 6:7 KJV
According to the teaching of Jesus, we are to carry our prayers of petition to the Father (as He showed in the disciples' prayer) or to Jesus in His own Name (as He shows in John 14). Everything else can come freely out of our heart, our need and our understanding.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:12-14 ESV "I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father." John 16:25-28
In your reading of scripture pay attention to how people prayed to God for the Bible is full of prayers of petition and we can learn from them all. Some of the greatest prayers are in the Book of Psalms—it is both a hymnal and a prayer book. Reading one psalm daily will inspire you and guide you in your own praying.
Scriptures with Prayers of Petition
May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! Psalm 20:5
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. Psalm 30:2-3
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:5-6
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. James 5:14-18
And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8-9
True Life Illustration
Does God answer prayers for healing? Yes! Even for pets...
Next Healing Essential
Prevailing Prayer Asking God for healing is always right. It is very natural, heart-felt and direct. It hardly needs to be taught, though building up one's faith is a very helpful element for adding confidence to any request. Sometimes God brings swift and profound answers! However, since the healing may not come by means of petition only, it is wise to learn the other ways of praying for healing. There is an art, too, to learning how to release prayers of petition with expectant, believing faith.
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pdf Petitioning Prayer (this article)
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