References To Prayer In Scripture

Prayer: Bridging the Distance References to Prayer Recorded in Scripture (with notes) *Scripture quotations taken from the NASB The recorded accounts of God’s communication with His children are numerous. The Bible is His record of the revelation of Himself to His people and of His people in turn learning to understand who He is. Throughout Scripture there are the accounts of men and women who have bowed their heads, their knees and their hearts in prayer to the only God who could and would hear them. I have turned the pages from Genesis to Revelation discovering the passages that reference prayer. I have compiled them here as best I could in order to study them as they appear and to glean their treasures, that I might better understand how prayer is practiced and learn to pray to this same God today. Listen! The God of Heaven, the Creator of the Universe, the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow asks us to come! “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1) “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” (Revelation 22:17)

In my study of these various references to prayer in Scripture I had to develop a way to organize these references logically. The following list of categories and subcategories is the result of that organization and study. In the following paper each reference in Scripture will be prefaced with one or more of these headings.

Prayer is: Calling upon the Name of the Lord Seeking the Lord and Coming to Him Building a House of Prayer for the Lord In His Name and for His Sake Crying out to the Lord/ to the God who can Save

The Posture of Prayer Falling Face Down to the Ground Bowed Head Lips Moving Clothed in Sackcloth Kneeling Facing a Specific Direction Head Covered/ Uncovered Laying on the ground Tearing One’s Clothing

The Content of Prayer 1

Acknowledgment of sinfulness Reverence for the Holiness of God (recognition of same) Thanksgiving Confession Blessing (Patriarchal, Priestly, One to Another, Upon Food) Praise Sighs, Groans, Weeping, and Sorrow Rejoicing Repentance Petition: For a Specific Task or Ministry For Others, Other Believers, Leaders, Enemies For God’s Will to be Done For Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding For Healing For Strength in Trouble or Difficulty For Equipping of Self to Stand/ To Use Gifts for Others

The Quality of Prayer Faith-filled Sincere Humble/ Fear of God Content Persistent Continual/ Devoted Pure Motive Sober

The Action of Prayer Altar Building Tree Planting Stretching out Bodily Over the Sick or Deceased Laying on of Hands Fasting Solitary

The Times of Prayer Before Eating a Meal Regularly Throughout the Day Before a Major Life Event In the Midst of Trouble During Sickness In Community

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From the Old Testament Genesis 4:3-5 First Offering The Quality of Prayer: Humility This is the account of Cain’s and Abel’s offering to the Lord. Cain brought an offering of the ground and Able brought an offering of the “firstlings” of his flock. This is the first recorded instance of man coming to the Lord with a sacrifice, presumably as atonement for his sin. This sets the tone for all future interaction with God; we are to come to Him in humility and in full recognition of our position below Him. But we are also to come to Him in the manner that pleases Him. We can assume that Cain knew the ‘right’ thing to do regarding his offering because it certainly was not pleasing to the Lord. It is apparent that Cain’s offering was not made according to God’s directions as Abel’s was, but came instead out of the pride of Cain’s heart. It might serve us well to understand that our prayer is similarly an offering to God and as such we must make sure that we offer it without pride or arrogance, and that we make a sincere attempt to offer it in keeping with the desires of the Lord for it. What does He desire in prayer? This is what I hope this study will discover. Genesis 4:26 Calling Upon the Name of the Lord “Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” This is the basis for a relationship with God and any subsequent prayer to Him. We must first call ourselves by the name of the Lord; that is, we must be His children. Then we must call upon the name of the Lord; that is, we must recognize that it is from Him, from the Name above all names, that we receive our daily provision, our deliverance in time of need, and our salvation to eternal life. Genesis 8:20 The Action of Prayer: Altar Building The Content of Prayer: Thanksgiving Noah builds an altar to the Lord and offers a sacrifice of “every clean animal and of every clean bird.” He is thanking God for saving them out of the flood and the aroma of his sacrifice “is soothing” to the Lord. God promises never to destroy every living thing again. Prayer includes the thankfulness we feel toward the God who has saved us and through whom we have every need supplied. Prayer without thankfulness is prayer without humility. Genesis 12:7-8

Calling Upon the Name of the Lord The Action of Prayer: Altar Building Abram leaves his home at God’s command and proceeds through Canaan where he builds an altar to the “Lord who had appeared to him.” He then goes to the mountain “on the east of Bethel,” and builds another altar and calls “upon the name of the Lord.” The act of building an altar; or in a later passage, the planting of a tree, is tied to the act of prayer, sacrifice, and worship. Does prayer include the physical act as well as the mental and spiritual?

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Genesis 14:19 Anyone Can Call on the Lord This is the account of Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High. He was king of Salem, a land and people outside of the promised covenant with Abram. His priesthood and his prayer, recorded here, show that all people can worship this God. He accepts true and humble hearts from any tribe and nation. Genesis 16:13 The God Who Sees Calling Upon the Name of the Lord This is the account of Hagar, who had fled Sarai’s anger. She was visited by an angel of the Lord who comforted her with knowledge of the nature of her unborn son, Ishmael. Hagar then called “the name of the Lord,” calling Him the “God who sees,” because He had compassion on her in her time of need. God has as many names as He does attributes. Prayer that involves His name helps us to remember Him and illumines for us His very nature. Prayer such as this helps us to understand and know Him more. Genesis 17:3 He Fell On His Face… The Posture of Prayer: Face Down to the Ground Abram falls on his face when God appears to him. God makes His covenant with Abram. God promises to make him the father of many nations. It is here that God changes Abram’s name to Abraham. The posture we take before the Lord reveals our understanding and awareness of His holiness and majesty. In Scripture, when the Lord appears, men tremble, are afraid, and fall to the ground. When they pray they assume a position such as Abraham’s, prostrate on the ground or on their knees before the Lord. Genesis 21:33 Calling Upon the Name of the Lord The Action of Prayer: Tree Planting After making a covenant with the Philistines, in whose land he was in, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree and “called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.” Again, praying the name of God focuses our attention on a specific aspect of the Lord’s nature, and the physical act of tree planting is tied to that mental, or spiritual, act of prayer. It is as if the physical action involved here in planting works to make the prayer itself a tangible and permanent reality. Genesis 24

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For a Specific Task or Ministry/ Thanksgiving Abraham’s servant was sent to find a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac. The servant went to the city of Nahor and prayed to the Lord for guidance. He asked for success in his mission and to be shown clearly whom it was he should select for a wife. After Rebekah appears and does all that the servant had requested of the Lord, the servant bows low and worships God in a prayer filled with praise, giving God all the glory. The name of God is forefront in the prayer(s) as the servant uses prayer to make his petition known to God. When the servant sees all that God has done to bring him success on his mission he does not hesitate to make his thankfulness known to Him.

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Genesis 25:21 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Others, For God’s Will to be Done Rebekah was barren; Isaac prayed to the Lord that she might conceive. God answered his prayer and his wife conceived twins: Jacob and Esau. Abraham was promised to become the father of many nations. Isaac must have known that his wife would be the instrument of the fulfillment of part of that promise. Yet he still prays to God that she would carry his child(ren). At times, even the will of God must come about through the prayers of the faithful. It is right to pray for the will of God. Genesis 25:22 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding Rebekah asks God why her children are struggling so in her womb if indeed they were to be the children of the promise. In answer, God gave to Rebekah a revelation of who her children would become; one would be strong and the other would be his brother’s servant. Jacob was renamed Israel and from his children the twelve tribes of Israel were born. Genesis 26:25 Calling Upon the Name of the Lord The Action of Prayer: Altar Building The Lord had greatly prospered Isaac and appeared to him one night declaring Himself and His promises to Isaac, just as He had previously done for Abraham. Isaac built an altar at Beersheba and “called upon the name of the Lord.” The building of this altar and calling on the Lord follows a great blessing by God and is an offering of praise to Him. Genesis 47:31 The Posture of Prayer: Bowed Head Joseph promised his father Israel (Jacob) that when Israel died he would take his bones and bury them, not in Egypt but back with his fathers. Upon this promise Israel “bowed in worship at the head of the bed.” The posture of Israel as he worshiped shows his humility before God and His respect for Him. Genesis 48:15- 49:28 The Blessings of Jacob The Content of Prayer: Blessing: Patriarchal Before Israel (Jacob) died he blessed each of his twelve sons beginning with Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Israel’s blessings contain prophecy appropriate to each one. To the two sons of Joseph he asked that the God of Isaac and Abraham ‘bless the lads’ and that they would “grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” The blessings are from father to son and are unique to each child and his characteristics. They are also prophetic as he is foretelling the future of each of their tribes. There is an authority presumed in this act of blessing by the patriarch Israel. Does this authority exist today? Can we bless our sons and daughters with a future ripe with abundance and prosperity? Can we claim it for them as their parent? Prayer may be key to answering this question; asking for wisdom from God might lead us to ‘seeing’ our children as He does, and He may grant us vision of their future with which we could lift them up and encourage them.

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Exodus 2:23 Crying Out to the Lord/ to the God who can Save The Sons of Israel cried to God from their bondage in Egypt. God heard their “groaning” and “remembered” His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was at this point that He sent Moses and His great work of delivering the people from Pharaoh was begun. This crying out is a natural outpouring of prayer from the child in distress to the Father in heaven who is his only hope of deliverance Exodus 7-12 Moses’ Prayers during the Plagues The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Enemies During four of the plagues (frogs, insects, hail and locusts) Pharaoh asked Moses to make supplication to the Lord for release. Moses prayed for each plague to be lifted and God did as Moses requested. At times it is our duty to pray for those who have hurt us, for their benefit and for their salvation; even if we are sure that they will turn on us again and again. Prayer of this sort must accompany an act of forgiveness of our enemy as well. Exodus 14:10 Crying Out to the Lord/ to the God who can Save When Pharaoh and his army were bearing down on the fleeing Israelites, the Israelites got frightened and “cried out to the Lord.” They also complained to Moses that they would rather serve Pharoah as slaves than die in the wilderness at his hand. God asked “Why are you crying out to Me?” and Moses commands them to stand fast and to “see the salvation of the Lord!” This awesome passage illustrates the unfaithfulness that we, God’s people, exhibit when we take our eyes off the power and might of the Lord and look around in fear at the power and might of the world. The Israelites had God’s presence before and behind them in the cloud and the fire and the angel. They knew of His strength and commitment to them but still they turned from Him and let their fear of what they faced in the world overcome their faith. Like Peter who lost his faith and his strength when he looked at the waves, this people lost their faith when they took their eyes off of God and looked only at their enemy. But even through their unfaithfulness and stiff-neckedness God heard their cry for help, and He remained true to His word despite their unfaithfulness. Praise God that He does so for us as well! Exodus 15:1-18 The Content of Prayer: Praise and Thanksgiving This is Moses’ ‘Song’ praising God and recounting His wonderful acts of strength and might in delivering the Israelites from the Egyptians, exactly as He had promised to do. Prayers of praise and thanksgiving come after deliverance and after the receipt of God’s promises and blessings. Exodus 15:25 Crying Out to the Lord/ to the God who can Save Moses again hears the grumbling of the people, this time they were asking for fresh water. Moses takes their grumbling to God who answers miraculously by changing

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the bitter waters to sweet. God also led the Israelites to camp near the waters of Elim where there were “twelve springs of water and seventy date palms.” The people pray out of their discontent (which is different than praying out of necessity with a heart open to the will of God) but God still hears and has mercy, giving them the water they desire and more. But it makes one wonder what God would have provided had they waited patiently for His hand to move. Exodus 33:7 Moses as Prayer: The Infancy of Prayer When the Israelites made camp Moses regularly set up a tent that he called the Tent of Meeting. Moses would enter the tent and the Lord would meet him there. The people would watch from their own tents as Moses made his way out of the camp to the Tent of Meeting and when they saw the pillar of cloud descend over the tent they would “arise and worship.” And the people who sought the Lord (petition, repentance, etc.) would go to talk with Moses at this tent and Moses would inquire for them of the Lord. There is of course indication in Scripture that the people prayed individually to the Lord, that is, that they called upon Him individually. Passages such as the one in Genesis where the Lord heard their groaning from the bondage of Egypt infer that they did pray to God individually. I assume that they must have prayed to Him as we do today, calling to Him in distress, praising Him in success, seeking Him when confused and praying for strength when the task is clear, but difficult. But here in this passage the people go to Moses when they wished to seek the Lord. It is as if their prayer had to pass through Moses in order to get to God. It is as if God had sanctified Moses (put his Spirit in him) enough to work with him because the people as yet were still too unclean. Moses worked as intercessor for the people, asking God to meet their needs and grant forgiveness time and time again. Prayer at this time was in its infancy; the purpose was the same but the method was imperfect. Praise God for Jesus Christ who is our Moses and our perfect intercessor; may we be clean and faithful to our Lord and Savior. Exodus 33:12-13

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding Moses goes to God anxious about the daunting task of taking “this people” to the land of milk and honey. He is afraid that God will not go with them because of their obstinance. He wants God to go with them, he argues that God should, because after all they are His people, aren’t they? If this doesn’t sound presumptuous enough on Moses’ part, he also asks God to show him His glory! Moses wants to see the Lord! Moses wants to be reassured and more than that He wants to know God as fully as he is able to in order to survive the coming ordeal. The Lord answers with promises to send His “Presence” with the people and to give Moses rest. He then graciously allows Moses a glimpse of His glory. Moses’ argument with God, and God’s gracious response, show us that we can ‘have it out’ with Him. In fact we must open ourselves fully to Him in our fear and doubt about His will for us if we are ever to learn to rest in Him completely. Prayer like this stems from a complete desire to seek after and to know the ways of God. This then is our first and foremost purpose when we pray; to be seeking Him and yearning to learn and understand who He is. If this is our motivation then our prayers will

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be as full of the humility, praise, and thanksgiving that we have seen in the prayers of Scripture thus far. Leviticus 9:22 Aaron Blesses the People The Content of Prayer: Blessing: Priestly/ Reverence for the Holiness of God The Posture of Prayer: Falling Face Down to the Ground Aaron and Moses completed the requirements given by God in order for Aaron to become the High Priest of Israel which enabled him to make atonement for the people as well as to make it possible for the Lord to appear to him personally. He turned to the people and blessed them. He became their new intercessor, and the period of sacrifice for atonement is had begun. After the blessing, fire from God “came out from before the Lord and consumed” the offering. The people who saw this “shouted and fell on their faces.” This passage shows the complete holiness that is required for man to stand in the presence or service of the Lord. It shows the power of this Holy God and the response it evokes from all who witness it. Those who come near to the Lord or to Whom He reveals Himself tremble, are afraid, and inevitably fall down before Him. Leviticus 10:1-3 Strange Fire and the Holiness of God The new law had been delivered and Aaron was in place as High Priest with his sons also as priests in the service of the Lord. The requirements for working in the Tabernacle were strict, to say the least, and explicit in detail. They were not random and purposeless, rather they were specific and methodical in order to cover a sinful people with the minimum of righteousness required that God might dwell with them on the earth. The requirements for the priesthood were even more complex, and adherence to them commanded, simply in order that they may live to serve another day. This system, this law, was put in place to provide access to a Holy God. His holiness is defining, it is a force that surrounds Him, radiating from Him, consuming all in its path that is not clean. His Holiness is Him. And it must be us if we are to live with Him or come near to Him. In the days of Aaron and Moses God was present in the camp, dwelling among them, tabernacling with them. They had to adhere to His law if He was to remain and they to survive. But they did not always remember their duty or His holiness and the consequences were always immediate and severe. In this passage Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, took it upon themselves to present an offering to the Lord. They offered what is called in Scripture “strange fire.” Their motive is unclear, but even if it was pure (in their own hearts and minds), God’s Holiness consumed them and they “died before the Lord.” There was no second chance; no appeal to His mercy. They were destroyed by fire because they had presumed upon the Holiness of the Lord. Our prayer should always be disciplined against the offering of our own ‘strange fire.’ We should remember His consuming Holiness and strive to offer prayers worthy of our majestic and mighty God. Leviticus 10:3 “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.” This was God’s response. It is a good warning for all of us.

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Numbers 6:22-27

The Blessing of the Lord Calling upon the Name of the Lord This blessing is commanded by God to be given to the people. It is the putting of God’s name upon His people. With it God promises to bless Israel forevermore. Invoking the Name of the Lord can be seen as a covering on us and on those we love and pray for. This is a prayer to say over your family in the night for protection and to place them into the security of God’s hands. Numbers 7:89 The Place From Which God Speaks This passage gives us a look inside the Tent of Meeting where God spoke to Moses from between the cherubim over the mercy seat. The mercy seat has been likened to the cross of Christ which is literally the ‘sign’ of the length to which our Lord was willing to go in order to demonstrate His love and mercy. God planned in detail the requirements necessary for Him to meet His people on the earth and to dwell with them; the mercy seat was the one place where God would be able to speak to man without the weight of His holiness crushing them. Like the mercy seat, but now for all men, the cross is the place where He speaks to us today. It is the one place that all God’s children can approach and know that He will hear and answer their prayers for forgiveness and their cries for help. Numbers 11

Complaining against the Lord vs. Crying out to the Lord The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Others Once again the people of Israel complained about the provision they were receiving; they were desiring the food they ate in bondage over the manna they were receiving from heaven in freedom. This angered God greatly and His fire began consuming their camp. Moses prayed to God that He would stop and God relented, putting the fire out. But the people, ‘rabble’ the Bible calls them, continued to complain and Moses cried to the Lord in frustration telling God that the burden of “this people” was too great for him to carry. Moses wanted death over the burden God had placed on Him. God told Moses what He intended to do and Moses was unbelieving. God said, “Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.” God in His mercy and love gave Moses help in the form of seventy elders that he placed His Spirit upon so that they prophesied in the sight of the people and became Moses’ aides in shepherding the people. But God also punished the people in the form of numerous quail blown in from the sea that fell to the earth all around the camp to the depth of two cubits. The people gathered quail and laid it up for themselves greedily and while it was “still between their teeth,” God struck them with a plague. The people’s complaining angered the Lord, it was discontentment with the provision He gave to them. In essence they were rejecting Him by rejecting His care for them. Moses’ prayer was also one of complaint, he was unhappy with the job that God had given him to do. We might ask, “Why was God angry with the people but not with Moses?” The answer is because Moses admitted his weakness and inability to help the people, and he turned to God for that help. The people on the other hand were merely complaining and turning away from God and to another (Egypt) for what they desired.

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Our prayer can contain complaint, frustration, even anger; but it must be to the One God who can help and it must be our understanding that His word is what we will ultimately follow. We will never turn to another. Numbers 12 Murmuring against a Brother (Complaining) Miriam and Aaron took a dislike to Moses’ wife because she was from Cush. They “spoke against” her and also questioned why Moses was the ‘chosen one.’ After all, they reasoned, they had both been used by God, weren’t they just as special? God called them out on the carpet for this arrogance and presumption and explained that He speaks through whom He chooses, in visions; but with Moses it was different; He speaks to Moses “mouth to mouth, even openly,” and Moses “beholds the form of the Lord.” God struck Miriam with leprosy for her murmuring and did not heal her even when Moses prayed for her. She was unclean for seven days and banished outside of the camp. We must watch how we talk about our brothers and sisters. We are not their final judges; we do not decide how and when the Lord moves in them or uses them. We do not enjoy the full counsel of God and therefore many times we might better remain quiet, evaluating our judgments on our own and keeping them to ourselves. Moses showed great compassion, praying for his sister in the face of her rebellion of him. Our prayers could be seasoned with this kind of compassion and love for our ‘enemies’ as well. Numbers 14 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Others The spies returned from the land of promise with a report of the wonders they beheld. But the majority of the men were scared to enter for fear of the inhabitants of the land who inspired in them great weakness. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in repentance and despair over the people’s unfaithfulness. The only two to trust in the promise of God were Caleb and Joshua who spoke up in front of the congregation urging the men to repent. They tore their clothes and tried to reason with their people. But the people turned their backs on God and His servants and threatened to stone these two great leaders. It was at this point that God appeared in the Tent of Meeting and His glory poured over the sons of Israel. The Lord spoke to Moses and declared that He would destroy the people and make a nation out of Moses next time. Moses returned with a prayer ‘convincing’ God to relent of His plans for this calamity for His own Name’s sake. Moses tells God of the derision He would suffer from the Egyptians who would see Him as a God that was too weak to save His own people. Moses ‘reminds’ God that He is “slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression…” Moses asks that God pardon “this people.” God responds to Moses’ prayer favorably and declares His pardon of the people and His promises that in spite of their unfaithfulness “all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.” (emphasis added) In this chapter we read how Moses interceded once again on behalf of the wickedly ungrateful people of Israel. His prayer sounds like he is trying to convince God but we know from Scripture that God does not change His ever-perfect mind and that He would never ultimately reject this people. We might instead look at it as a plea for God to do what they desperately needed for Him to do rather than what they most definitely deserved. God for some reason has ordained that our prayers are needed for Him to work in our lives, so Moses had to pray for this people in order for them to be saved.

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We, too, must pray for others to be saved. God is fully capable of saving them without us, but He wants for us to love others enough to pray for them. Prayer includes praying for the wickedness of others and repenting for them of sins they have not yet recognized. Deuteronomy 1:41-45 Crying Out to the Lord/ to the God who can Save The people of Israel hear of the judgment they had incurred for refusing to enter the land God prepared for them and are reminded of how then changed their minds and decided to go forward anyway. Their repentance was a good thing, although it was probably motivated by fear, but they were still ignorant of the fact that God remained in charge and that obedience to Him is of the utmost importance. They behaved like children who wail ‘I’ll be good!’ after they have been punished for being naughty. ‘Good’ behavior for Israel would have been accepting their punishment, obedience would have been taking the discipline and moving forward, but Israel instead took it into their heads to fix the problem themselves. This is stiff-neckedness and it is always met with the same response from God, defeat. The people returned from their defeat and wept before the Lord, but He was unmoved. The Lord will not hear our cries for help and relief when we are actively disobeying His clear command. The Lord will not hear prayer from a heart that ‘stiffneckedly’ regards sin but does not repent. We might consider this as we pray to the Lord. Have we met defeat already in regards to something we have been praying about? If so, then it is time to learn from our mistakes and listen to the leading of the Lord. He will guide us in the way we are to go but He will also let us beat our prayerful heads against the wall for a long time until we return our attention and allegiance to Him to discover where we went wrong. Deuteronomy 32 Calling Upon the Name of the Lord This chapter is the ‘Song’ of Moses. It is the song he sang before the people after he had commissioned Joshua as His successor. Moses sings “I proclaim the name of the Lord” and then exalts in His name, the Rock, and His divine nature consisting of faithfulness, greatness, perfection, justice, righteousness and on and on. Praising God in our prayers by specifically naming His names and thinking of His nature helps to focus our attention on Him and away from ourselves. When we break away from ourselves our prayer changes and we find it easier to conform to His will and to hear what He desires us to pray about. Joshua 7:6

Things Under the Ban The Content of Prayer: Confession, Repentance The Posture of Prayer: Falling Face Down to the Ground Joshua and the Israelites had just experienced as the walls of Jericho coming down and their walking straight in to take the city. Unnoticed, one man had coveted the spoil of that victory and brought it back to the camp for himself. Because of that man, Achan, the Israelites were defeated in their battle against Ai. Joshua and the elders of Israel responded to this defeat by tearing their clothes and falling to the earth on their faces before the ark of the Lord until the evening.

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Israel as a whole people suffered for the sin of that one man. Men died because one man broke the ban and kept what was forbidden for himself. God will not let sin pass unchecked. His presence among this people required their complete obedience. Every time they crossed a line He disciplined them, showing them His wrath. We too must check our sin when we go to the Lord in prayer. Confession and repentance are key ingredients to prayer if we want our Lord to hear us and heal us. We do not have the immediate hand of God punishing us as the Israelites did, but only because He poured that entire cup out on His own Son on the cross. Because of that One Man we now live in freedom to do what we will, including sin. Will we continue to sin against the God who has shown us how much He is willing to forgive? Did the Israelites continue to be ‘stiff-necked’ even while living in the Presence of God? Look also at the posture of Joshua and the elders in this account. They tore their clothes and they fell on their faces. How we approach God says a lot about our seriousness in the act of prayer. How often do we fall on our faces? Granted, it would be easier to fall on our faces if God’s Holy Presence appeared before us as it did for these men; but how about on our knees, with our arms outstretched, or even with a bowed head? A focus on posture might be a discipline we could add to our prayers to help us remember the Holiness of the God that we seek. Judges 5 The Content of Prayer: Praise Deborah and Barak sing praises to God because He delivered them from the hand of their enemy. Theirs is a song of praise to God for victory over their enemies; it is a recounting and a remembering of the heroism and events of the battle. It gives glory to the Lord for His mighty hand. Prayer involves praise of the Lord. Ruth

The Content of Prayer: Blessing: One to Another This awesome story illustrates how a happy ending can be made; by all participants behaving with love in their hearts for God and for one another. Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, and even the townspeople bless each other consistently in the course of their daily conversation. The interrelationships present a picture of love and concern for each other that we can’t help but admire. Our prayer might likewise extend outward to those we interact with and take the form of blessing such as we see in the example found in the Book of Ruth. What would the church look like today if we blessed each other in this way, constantly asking God’s best for our brothers and sisters? How could we be changed if we openly blessed each other in this way, without reservation or regard for appearances? 1 Samuel 1:10-14

Crying Out to the Lord The Posture of Prayer: Lips Moving The Content of Prayer: Sighs, Groans, Weeping, and Sorrow This is the account of Hannah and her prayer to conceive a son in which she promised to dedicate him to the Lord’s service. Her prayer came out of her great distress and she wept. Great emotion will bring us to the Lord in prayer. Weeping, crying, wailing and moaning are not forbidden, but rather they help us present to our Lord the troubles that we are burdened with. We do not need to ‘be strong’ for God, if that means hiding our truest emotions, we need only to be real.

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Because she was praying silently with only her lips moving, Eli mistakenly took Hannah for being drunk. Although this is amusing, it also gives us a special insight into the manner of prayer. How do we know how prayer ought to be performed? Should we pray out loud? Should we be silent? Does it matter to God? Here we see Hannah praying silently, we see that her prayer was heard, and although it looked odd to the priest, the Lord understood it perfectly. He will in turn understand us just as perfectly. 1 Samuel 2 The Content of Prayer: Thanksgiving, Praise This is the record of Hannah’s song of thanksgiving to God for hearing her plea and for His gracious answer to her prayer by giving her the healthy conception and birth of her baby boy Samuel. She sings of exulting in the Lord and in His salvation. She praises Him for how He brings low the mighty and lifts up the lowly. She praises the Lord for His very nature. Prayer always includes praise it seems. Hannah also thanks God for remembering her. Prayer is also giving thanks to the God who gives, it is the recognition of the source of all that we possess. 1 Samuel 7:5 The Content of Prayer: Repentance Samuel speaks to Israel urging them to turn from their idols and foreign gods back to the One God. If they would do this and turn their hearts to the Lord and serve Him, then He would deliver them from the Philistines. They did as he directed and removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth from the land. Samuel prayed for them over a sacrifice to God; he fasted and said, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Before the Lord will deliver there must be acknowledgment of sin. The people had to confess their sin to the Lord, repent of it, and return to the Lord. Repentance is necessary to ensure any prayer being heard and received favorably. 1 Samuel 8

Consequences of Sin The Content of Prayer: Acknowledgement of Sinfulness In this passage Israel stoops to a new low in unfaithfulness. They complain to Samuel that they desire a king like the other nations have. Samuel is displeased with this but the Lord says, “they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them.” Israel had a Great High King to guide them and shepherd them but they desired instead a king like the world could offer them. This desire to be like the other nations would reap heavy consequences that would be dealt with for many, many, future generations. Israel suffered through some horrible periods under wicked kings that forsook the Lord and went their own way. God, however never forsook His people, but He did mete out punishment for their disobedience, each and every time a king turned away from Him and followed his own lusts and his own gods. It is awesome to consider that God took this sinful desire for a king, which was a blatant rejection of His own Kingship, and used it to bring about the eternal reign of our King in Jesus Christ. Even through the sin and rejection of the Lord Himself; He was able to bring us salvation. We must remember that even though we confess and repent of our sin there most likely will be very real and painful consequences that we will face because of it. Lust can be forgiven but the resulting damage to relationships and personal peace can last a

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lifetime. King David was forgiven for his sins of murder and adultery, but in his household he reaped the consequences of familial hate, murder and unrest. God’s love extends to us through our sin but the pain of that sin remains as a just reminder of our unfaithfulness to Him. Accordingly, acknowledgment of our sinfulness should be transparent in our prayer. 1 Samuel 23:1 Facing the Unknown The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding David was facing the Philistines and was unsure of what he should do. He inquired of God and was told to go ahead with the attack. His men were unsure and fearful so David asked again. Again, the answer came to him, “Go.” David won the battle but then faced an even more formidable enemy in King Saul. David went to the Lord again and again and was helped each time by the clear instruction of the Lord. We, unfortunately, do not hear the Lord’s voice as clearly as David did. We do not get our answers in the directness of a voice from heaven. But we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit do we not? Not even King David had that. So can’t we be as easily assured that if we go to God in time of trouble that He will lead us and guide us through the working of the Spirit in our hearts? Our difficulty in discerning God’s will may be a matter of faith rather than an ineffective communication from Him. We have the same God, who is just as powerful as He was back then. He is able to make us know His will and desire for us and to let us know His direction for us. We simply may not hear or understand because we are not ready to listen to the still small voice inside of us that is speaking. What if when we asked God in prayer for direction we took the first ‘voice’ that we heard and assumed that it was God? What if we stepped out in faith on that assumption? Would the Lord let us fall? Would He not be faithful and honor our trust in Him? Prayer involves asking God for guidance, just as David did here; and it involves trusting that the answers He provides us with will not fail. 1 Samuel 28

The Consequences of Sin The Content of Prayer: Acknowledgement of Sinfulness Saul was anticipating facing the Philistines in battle and when he saw the size of their camp he was “afraid and his heart trembled.” He inquired of the Lord but the Lord “did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.” Saul’s sin was his disobedience against the Lord in the fight against Amalek. Saul was to have acted as God’s weapon of wrath and execute His judgment on this people but he instead allowed their king to live and let his own people keep some of the best of the spoil for themselves. This disobedience was not pardoned and as a result God removed the kingdom from His hands. In Saul’s hour of need the Lord was not with him. Saul had chosen to disobey rather than to keep the word of God sacred. Living on the other side of the cross we are forgiven everything and it is difficult to relate to the hardship of Israel having to account for every misstep before their God. But our sin is neither less important nor less grievous than theirs. We know that our sin was placed on the willing shoulders of the Messiah that we might no longer live under the burden of God’s Law and His terrible wrath. It was

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love that did this for us and it must be love that we return to Him for it. Prayer must include a searching, and a willingness to be searched, for the sin that so easily entangles and clutters even our best intentions. 2 Samuel 7:18-29

In His Name and for His Sake The Quality of Prayer: Humble The Content of Prayer: Rejoicing This is David’s prayer to the Lord after the Lord promises to establish David’s house forever and to allow a son of his to build the temple of the Lord. David is humbled that he, from a low shepherding background, would have been chosen to have come as far as he did, to a kingdom and then to the promise of an everlasting kingdom. David rejoices that God’s word is complete and full and incredible; God is the power behind all that happens. David prays that the word God has spoken concerning the things surrounding his son and his throne would come to pass exactly as He has said. It is right to pray for the promises that God has made to us. It is not unfaithfulness to pray for what God has already clearly promised, as if we are ‘just making sure’ as a child might do concerning his promised after dinner ice cream. With God it is different, we pray to confirm our understanding of His word, we pray so He can give us a deeper understanding of His word, and we pray in order to praise Him for that word. In David’s prayer he was praising God whose lovingkindness and mercy allowed him to attain to the throne; and he was praising the God by whose might all of Israel was created and redeemed. David prays for this new revelation to be confirmed so the name of God would be even more highly praised in the earth forever. 2 Samuel 12:16-21

Appeal and Acceptance The Content of Prayer: Repentance The Action of Prayer: Fasting The Posture of Prayer: Laying on the Ground David committed both the sins of adultery and murder. He had killed another woman’s husband and then had taken the woman for his wife. This was ‘evil in the sight of the Lord’ and God promised to bring death to the child and unrest to David’s house. When Bathsheba gave birth to the child, “the Lord struck the child so that he was very sick,” and David began to fast, and “lay all night on the ground”. After seven days the child died and David’s servants were afraid to tell him for fear of how his response. But David picked himself up, cleaned himself and got dressed, and went into the house of God and worshiped. When his astonished servants asked him how it was that he was less mournful now that the child was dead than when he was yet alive David said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” King David knew he had committed serious sins before the Lord and he knew ahead of time that one of the consequences would be the death of this child. But David prayed anyway and performed a penance before the Lord in order to appease the Judge who was bringing such a heavy judgment against him. David was fully ready to accept the Lord’s will in the matter; but there was the possible chance that God would allow the child to live. If so, David wanted very much to let God know he desired that chance, but

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the likelier chance was that the verdict would stand and the boy would die. In that case David wanted to show God his true repentance and his sorrow over committing such egregious sins before Him. Our prayer should first and foremost be sincere, as this account of David’s period of fasting and penance make clear. We should show the Lord how we feel and at the same time be willing to accept whatever word he delivers to us; even if that word would seem to break our heart. The death of David’s son was no small thing, yet David was able to accept it as the will of God because he truly had faith in the His will. His own sin was not the pattern of his life, it was not that which identified him, but it was a hiccup in his walk with God that carried huge consequences. The walk of faith is long and arduous, but David worked in his life and in his prayers to walk closer and closer to the Heart that held his own. 2 Samuel 22 The Content of Prayer: Praise, Thanksgiving This is David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving for God’s work in delivering him from the hands of King Saul and his other enemies. The psalm magnifies the works and wonder of God, glorifying His strength and His power to lift up the weak and tear down the strong. David praises God and thanks Him for the salvation he has received at His hand. Prayer includes such praise, worship, and thanksgiving. 2 Samuel 23

David’s Last Words The Content of Prayer: Praise, Thanksgiving This ‘song’ contains words spoken by the Lord, speaking through His servant David, and it contains words spoken by David exalting the Lord and His power to save. What a mystery the word of God is! Prayer exalts God for His salvation! 2 Samuel 24:10

The Moving of God The Content of Prayer: Confession, Repentance David sinned greatly when he ordered a census of God’s people so that he might “know the number of the people;” presumably he did this to feed his own pride. David repented of this after it was done and confessed to the Lord. The Lord gave David a choice of three punishments all of which would be devastating to David’s kingdom. David repented again as the punishment was meted out and the Lord heard his prayer, was moved by it, and checked the plague. David’s sin once again brought calamity to his own house and to the house of God. Thousands died because of the king’s weakness in resisting his prideful flesh. Note, however, the last line of chapter 24, “Thus the Lord was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.” Prayer, even from the sinner himself, can move the hand of God to act in one’s favor. David was seriously wrong and deserved his punishment; but he was also seriously repentant and desirous of mercy. David’s prayer was the vehicle that God used in order to bring his mercy to Israel. Prayer is still ordained for us in order to bring God’s mercy upon ourselves when we sin, but maybe also upon others, such as our leadership and our enemies, who also desperately need God’s hand to save them.

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1 Kings 3:6

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding The Quality of Prayer: Humble God came to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask what you wish me to give you.” Solomon’s response pleased the Lord. Solomon began with thankfulness for the love and kindness that God had shown to his father when his father was king and when He placed Solomon on the throne after him. Solomon admitted to lacking the strength and experience for the great task that faces him and asks God to give him “an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil.” Solomon proved to the Lord that his heart was on the things of God’s kingdom and that his priority was service to his real king in Heaven. Prayer must include this kind of humility, thankfulness, and focus on the things that really matter. Our priorities must be God’s priorities and our hearts must be focused on His kingdom and His righteousness. 1 Kings 17:20-22

The Action of Prayer: Stretching out Bodily over the Sick or Deceased In this passage, Elijah prays for life to return to the widow’s son. He calls to the Lord and stretches his body over the lifeless boy’s body three times. Prayer sometimes includes a ritual action, like the altar building and the tree planting that we have seen previously in Scripture. Here the ritual is stretching out over a dead body. Does prayer not only includes words but also physical actions before the Lord? Here, the offering of prayer includes an appropriate ritual action as a sign of faith. Does the ritual speak to God in ways that our prayer cannot, or does not? 2 Kings 4:32-37

The Action of Prayer: Stretching out Bodily over the Sick or Deceased In an account very similar to the one above the prophet Elisha prays and stretches himself out over the ‘Shunammite’ woman’s son. In this account we get a more detailed look at what this stretching out looked like. Elisha laid on “the child, and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands, and he stretched himself on him; and the flesh of the child became warm.” This was the manner in which the Lord God restored life to the child of the woman. It could have been another way but the man of God knew to do this. We do not have as clear a picture as this when we pray and we shouldn’t expect to, we are not prophets and God is not using us in the same way. But is there still not something that we can glean from this passage for our own prayer? Can we use the ritual, the effort that Elisha put into his prayer; and would it bolster our own? Could our physical effort be a sacrifice pleasing to the Lord? Could it be a sign of our faith? 2 Chronicles 32:24-26

The Content of Prayer: Thanksgiving The Quality of Prayer: Humble Hezekiah had fallen ill and prayed to God to heal him. God did heal him, but in the pride of Hezekiah’s heart he offered no thanks to God for the gift. God’s wrath was

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great on him and on all of Jerusalem, but then Hezekiah “humbled the pride of his heart” and God relented. Prayer must always includes thanksgiving; to offer no thanks for what God has done is very prideful. It is our arrogance that stokes the fire of God’s wrath and it is only our humility before Him that will restore His mercy to us. 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 The Moving of the Lord The Content of Prayer: Repentance The Quality of Prayer: Humble Manasseh was a wicked king from the outset of his reign which began when he was only twelve years old. He is recorded in scripture as being evil; he built places of worship to foreign gods and he desecrated the temple of the true God with idolatrous altars. He sacrificed his own sons and he practiced witchcraft and all other kinds of evil. He “misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.” This is one bad king whose legacy speaks loud and clear to his shame and humiliation. But when God exacted His justice and Manasseh was led away by a nose ring in captivity, he repented of his wickedness and humbled himself greatly before God. And our God in His great and everlasting mercy, forgave this wicked man and actually restored him to the throne in Jerusalem. Our only position before the Lord ought to be one of humility. How can we justify standing arrogantly before Him and acting as if we are our own gods as Manasseh did? Every time we attempt to do such a thing we can expect to be severely dealt with as he was. But when we turn and repent, scripture is equally clear, He will hear and heal us. Ezra 8:23 The Action of Prayer: Fasting Ezra proclaimed a fast for all who were to accompany him to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. They were sure to face many enemies and he wanted to entreat the Lord for protection. Fasting always includes prayer. Ezra and the people “fasted and sought” the Lord; and Scripture records that “He listened” to their prayer. Fasting is used when we want to seriously appeal to God, or rather, we fast when we want to show God our seriousness. Fasting is added to our prayer much as the altar and the tree were added to prayers to embellish them. God does not need the tree and He does not need us to fast. But He receives these rituals as gifts and seems to be pleased with them. For us, the fast is a discipline that causes us to feel a kind of pain and discomfort that helps us to see how dependant on Him we really are and how weak willed we can be. Esther 4:15-17 The Action of Prayer: Fasting All across the kingdom the Jews put on sackcloth and ashes and wailed to God about the edict that came from King Ahasuerus the mass annihilation of the Jews. Esther instructs the people to “not eat or drink for three days, night or day” as she dangerously sought the counsel of her king. Again, the seriousness of the plea merited a fast before the Lord. The seriousness of this people’s faith to carry out such a fast is also to be noted. Why do we not fast in the

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church today? Is it because of the New Covenant or is it because our faith and our practice of our faith is so weak in comparison? Job 1:5

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Others/ Blessing: Patriarchal Job rose early in the morning to consecrate his children and offer sacrifice for them in case they had sinned during the period of feasting that they ritually observed. Job is recorded as having done this “continually.” Prayer from the patriarch of a family for his children (and spouse) is right. The father must be the watchman, out in front of his family, anticipating their spiritual needs and potential pitfalls. Job 1:20

The Quality of Prayer: Humble, Contentment The Posture of Prayer: Falling Face Down to the Ground, Tearing Clothes Job’s response upon losing everything that he had was, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” This echoes David’s prayer upon the death of his son and also Christ’s prayer before His crucifixion. Central to the thought is the sovereignty of God and the recognition that we are in His hands. We must accept His will and still be able to bless Him for it. Prayer must be both humble and thankful. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Fear God, Be Careful, and Listen The Quality of Prayer: Humble King Solomon gives us excellent advice when we go near “the presence of God.” He tells us to guard our steps and to listen rather than “to offer the sacrifice of fools.” He says “Do not be hasty” to tell God what is on our minds, but to consider first that God is God and we are not; therefore, a careful choice of words is both prudent and wise. Solomon also tells us to make sure to pay what we vow and to not try and get out of what we have spoken in God’s hearing. His best advice is that “there is emptiness” in many words so instead of blathering like an idiot we might do better to be still, be quiet, and simply fear God. Isaiah 1:10-17

Make Yourselves Clean The Quality of Prayer: Sincere, Humble The Content of Prayer: Repentance These verses begin with the words, “Hear the word of the Lord.” God tells His people that their sacrifices and festivals and offerings are worthless to Him because they are stained with “iniquity” and “covered in blood.” God ordained these holy rituals for the people to follow; but when Israel performed them perfunctorily and without repentance they became meaningless. Religion is worth nothing when it is merely a practice. It must come from the pure heart with a pure motive being to draw nearer to the living God. God says that “when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen.” God says that He will

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not hear prayer from unrepentant hearts. He will not hear prayer from arrogant and haughty hearts. God tells us instead what we should do. He says, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove evil deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” God tells us how to practice our religion instead of merely performing it. Ours is a religion of love, and love must be expressed to others. If we want our prayers to be heard, if we want to be closer to the Lord, we must begin to work these acts of love towards His people. Isaiah 1:27 The Content of Prayer: Repentance This verse tells of how Zion would be justly redeemed when her people repent. Repentance can only be expressed to God through prayer. Prayer ought always be built upon repentance. Isaiah 30:15-21 The Content of Prayer: Repentance God says, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.” But Israel was not willing to do things God’s way all the time. They continually turned from Him to the sickness of their own sinful desires. God tells them how to return in these verses; He says, “the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him.” Our God is not capricious in His anger but is patient and desirous of withholding it from us. It is our pride and stubbornness that brings the quick and sure wrath of God upon us. If we would make an effort to turn to Him in prayer and seek the forgiveness our sins require we would find Him ready and willing to restore us and bless us. What is more, God promises us here that if we do seek Him He will not hide from us but will gladly show us the way. He says, “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’ ” God is good to us, more than we deserve. Isaiah 38:1-20

Crying Out to the Lord The Content of Prayer: Petition: Prayer for Healing Hezekiah was “mortally ill” and prayed desperately to the Lord for healing. Hezekiah asked that God would remember his good deeds and his service to Him. Hezekiah reasons with God that a dead man would not be able to praise Him from Sheol, i.e. the grave. He says, “It is the living who give thanks to You.” Our prayers can be as frank as this. We can say what is in our hearts and ask God to consider things from our point of view. And we can ask God for the big miracle. We have the faith in this God that He could do it if He willed to, but we must ask Him to see whether or not He will do it for us. In David’s case, the tears and the fasting were heard but the answer was a ‘no’ and David accepted it, praised God, and moved on. In Hezekiah’s case God answered ‘yes’ to him and added fifteen years to his life as well as giving Him an excellent ‘sign’ of His working. God will do what God wills to do; but our part is clear, we must pray, and seek His face, then wait for His good and perfect will to be done. Isaiah 45:9-10

Quarreling with the Maker The Quality of Prayer: Contentment

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“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker- an earthenware vessel among the vessels of the earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’? Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’ ” These verses give us the mind of God as He sits on His throne looking down at us in His world, as we erect our false idols and strut around as if we ourselves were our own creators. God is incredulous in His query, ‘Who are you to say these things? You are the clay of the ground, nothing in itself until I picked you up and made you into a people and gave you a world to inhabit.’ Our place in this world is in full view of His throne in heaven. Let us not pretend that there is no throne or worse yet, that we ourselves are sitting upon it. And let us not in our prayers quarrel with this Maker of ours. He is God and we are the work of His hands. We ought to accept what those hands give to us and our response should contain gratitude. Contentment, gratitude, and acceptance mark the prayers of the saints. Isaiah 45:20 Prayer to the God who Can Save The nations surrounding Israel had their gods and their idols but these gods were impotent. The Lord says, “There is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me.” We pray to the only God who can save. He is not made of wood and His lips are not painted shut. Our God lives and moves and has His being in this world. We pray to that God, the God who is there. And we pray to be saved, to the God who can and wants to save. Isaiah 56

The House of Prayer Anyone can Call on the Name of the Lord God declares that the eunuch and the foreigner will not be separated from Him if they keep his Sabbaths and choose to do what is pleasing to Him. The eunuch and the foreigner stand as symbols for those who are ‘outside’ of the camp of Israel, but God said that they could come in; and those who are ‘outside’ of Jesus Christ can come in as well. What is required is not lineage and religion but faith and obedience to His commands. God promises to bring all who come to Him into His house, in which they will become joyful, and the Lord will accept their offerings and sacrifices. His house will be called a House of Prayer “for all the peoples.” Isaiah 58

The Action of Prayer: Fasting The Quality of Prayer: Humble, Sincere Israel wails and weeps, she cries out for God to hear her but He is deaf to her. She covers herself in sackcloth and ashes and fasts continually before the Lord. They complain, “Why have we fasted and You do not see?” God is not impressed and He is not desirous of their offerings and rituals. The observances and disciplines that He gave were to support the works of the faith, they were not intended to become objects of the faith. Israel made the works into the religion and wondered what they were doing wrong when the fasting and ashes ‘didn’t work.’ God is not a genie, He does not respond to formulaic prayer and ritual. What God wants is for us to love one another and to love Him. We do this by being humble, selfless, and by directing our energies against wickedness, poverty, and injustice.

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Our prayers may be the most elegant, beautiful, and moving of all others, but if they are not coming from a heart that loves they are little more than the noise of a clanging gong in the ears of God. Prayer will be heard as music by God when it comes from a heart that loves. “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ Isaiah 59:2

Sin Separates The Content of Prayer: Repentance “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.” Sin is what removed Adam and Eve from the beauty of the garden, and it is sin that removes us from the face of God today. Sin is a barrier between what we desire most and ourselves. Even in Christ, who has taken away all of our sin, it puts a distance between Him and us and prevents us from growing in Him as we desire. Prayer is our mechanism to remove that barrier. We can repent and thank God for His salvation in Christ and we can pray to resist temptation, and to love better, and to grow in faith and the knowledge of God. Jeremiah 7:16, 11:14, 14:11 Do Not Pray For This People The Quality of Prayer: Sincere The Content of Prayer: Repentance Israel was again the focus of God’s wrath. They were now facing the complete destruction of Israel and Jerusalem. Jeremiah was prophesying to them but they were not listening, they were listening to the ‘other’ prophets, the ones who tickled their ears with nice words and pleasantries. God was angry and commanded Jeremiah to NOT pray for them in their time of need because even in the midst of their trouble they would still stubbornly refuse to turn and repent. Prayer is not perfunctory. It must be sincere and honest and it must be from one who is willing to listen and obey the word of God. If we pray but are not willing to change, our words are lies and our action is meaningless. God longs to forgive us and He gives us as many chances as He gave the Israelites. Will we turn to Him and repent so that He can save us? Jeremiah 29

The exile will be long: Pray! Seeking the Lord and Coming to Him Jerusalem was taken and the people sent to Babylon in captivity. Jeremiah sends them a letter telling them to prepare for a long exile. They will be in Babylon for seventy years, by the word of the Lord, and He suggests that they “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” God promises to restore them to Israel and their own kingdom after the exile and reminds them that He has plans for them, “plans for welfare and not for calamity.” God really wanted them (as He wants us) to call upon Him faithfully and to seek Him in prayer so that He can listen to us. “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.” With a God who loves us with this kind of love why do we keep refusing Him? Thank God that He is also a God who will never quit loving us or working to bring our sinful selves back into union with Him.

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Daniel 6:10-11 The Priority of Prayer and Worship Daniel had risen in power and status in the kingdom and had made some political enemies as a result. In retaliation these enemies convinced the king to make an edict forbidding the worship of any other God but the king himself. Daniel refused this edict, as they knew he would, and was consequently found in his private room before a window facing east praying to the One God as he had always done. This act of treason against the king was an act of worship toward the Father. In spite of the heavy consequences, Daniel had to pray as he normally would, for His witness to God was at stake. Our ‘prayer life,’ as contemporary Christians have called it, must take priority in our lives, not because it is a commandment we must follow but because to worship the Father it must be embedded in our life. If we call ourselves by the name of Christ then we are filled with the Spirit of Christ and must continually pray to Him. To not pray should be the odd thing, to pray should be the norm. Jonah 3:5

Calling Upon the Name of the Lord The Action of Prayer: Fasting The Posture of Prayer: Clothed in Sackcloth

When the word of the Lord finally came to the ears of the king of Nineveh he surprised Jonah by immediately calling for a kingdom-wide fast. He ordered everyone, including the animals, to don sackcloth and ashes and to “call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.” What a great way to end this look at prayer in the Old Testament, with the reminder that any man, no matter the tribe, nation, or creed of his birth can call upon the Lord and be accepted by Him.

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From the New Testament Matthew 6:33 Seek First! Seeking the Lord and Coming to Him “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Prayer is the primary way in which we can seek God. If we consistently seek Him in prayer, expressly to know His ways and how to be like Him, His promise is that all of our needs will be met (and then some). Remember, God wants to bless us, He is waiting until the time when all His children seek Him in truth and love, and then His floodgates of blessing will pour out over us. Matthew 7:7 Ask, Seek, Knock Seeking the Lord and Coming to Him Jesus promises that His Father in heaven knows exactly what we need and that if we would only ask Him He would surely give to us. If we ask, and seek, and knock at His door, He will open it wide with exactly what we need from Him. Our earthly fathers know what we need don’t they? Should we expect less from out Heavenly Father? This is just one more example of how willing God is to bless us, why are we so stiff-necked to keep to ourselves and try to supply our own needs? Matthew 21-23

“Lord, Lord” is not a Formula The Quality of Prayer: Sincere “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord;’ ” this is Jesus’ reminder that there is more to our faith than words and actions. As we have seen time and time again in the Old Testament, what is desired is a heart for loving others and obeying the commands of God. It is not enough to simply do the work that He has prepared for His saints; anybody can do good works. Jesus wants us to love, and that requires more. Our prayers to Him should express a desire to know Him and to love Him. When we say, “Lord, Lord,” we ought to be open to receiving Him and all that He is. Matthew 14:19, Mark 6:41, Luke 9:16, John 6:11

Blessing the Food The Times of Prayer: Before Eating a Meal When Jesus fed the five thousand “He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food…” I would love to know the words to this blessing of Jesus Christ. What a privilege it would be to repeat His words over our daily meals together. This blessing seems to be a simple acknowledgment that the food they were about to share (as well as the miraculous provision!) came from the One True God in heaven who graciously supplies our every need even today. Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46

Up on the Mountain to Pray The Action of Prayer: Solitary After the meeting of the five thousand Jesus sent the people away and put His disciples on a boat to “the other side” and went “up on the mountain to pray.” It was in the evening and the account points out specifically that He prayed alone.

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Solitude is a quality of prayer that Jesus seemed to encourage. He told us in the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ to go into our closet and shut the door in order to pray in secret to our Father who is in secret. Praying alone is helpful to guard against pretense and to encourage a saint to open up and be real with God. I wonder about praying in groups ‘out loud.’ Is this helpful? Is it necessary? Why do we do it and where did it originate? Could prayer in groups be more effective if it were silent? Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46

Building a House of Prayer The Content of Prayer: Reverence for the Holiness of God Jesus’ zeal for His Father’s house led Him to ‘cleanse’ the temple with a corded whip and a loud voice. He said to them, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” God takes His house seriously, His holiness is not to be disregarded nor abused. When we approach Him or presume His name we must remember who He is and who we are before Him. Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:17-22 The Last Supper The Times of Prayer: Before Eating a Meal The Content of Prayer: One to Another Before this final Passover meal, the meal before He was to be offered up as the sacrifice for all sin, Jesus took the bread and gave a blessing. He gave thanks to the Father whose will He was obeying. Jesus was and is the Lord of lords and my King of kings, praise You, Jesus, for all You have so faithfully done for me. Matthew 27:50

His Last Cry Crying Out to the Lord After Jesus cried out asking why He was forsaken, He cried out once more “with a loud voice.” It does not tell us whether this was a cry in words or a cry of anguish. God heard Him either way; He always hears the prayers of His children be they intelligible or simply cries of the heart. His Spirit interprets our groans for us and the He knows what we want each and every time we ask. Mark 1:35

Alone to Pray The Action of Prayer: Solitary In the evening of the day that Jesus had raised Peter’s mother-in-law, the people brought to him many others for Him to heal and exorcise and He healed them and cast out many demons. In the morning Jesus got up and “went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” In order to do the works of God we must support our external efforts with periods of internal rest. Here, Jesus again gives us the example of prayer combined with solitude. Mark 7:34

The Content of Prayer: Sighs, Groans, Weeping, and Sorrow

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Jesus healed the man who was deaf and who spoke with difficulty by touching the man’s tongue with His own saliva and placing His fingers in the man’s ears. Jesus looked up to heaven “with a deep sigh and spoke the word, “Ephphatha! (Be opened!).” Jesus’ prayer to the Father was without words, but was merely a ‘sigh’. Maybe the sigh communicated His sadness over the effect of sin on His Father’s beautiful creation, or maybe it was directed at the faith of those in the crowds that needed continually to see such signs. But Jesus’ sigh was a prayer, and the Father knew exactly what transpired between them as He will with us, no matter how we pray in word or spirit. How awesome to be healed by the master, to have His saliva touch your tongue. The Word of Life healing you with the juices of His own mouth. I wonder what this man’s first words were after this healing! Mark 8:6

The Times of Prayer: Before Eating a Meal The Content of Prayer: Blessing: Upon Food/ Thanksgiving As with the five thousand, Jesus gave thanks over the food and blessed it (actually, He gave thanks for the bread and blessed the fish) before distributing it to the hungry people. Thanksgiving ought to be automatic when receiving from the hand of the Father. Mark 9:14-29 Only By Prayer Jesus had gone up the mountain with his three disciples and left the remaining disciples below, where they got into a little trouble. They could not deliver a boy who was brought to them and who was possessed by spirits. When Jesus came near, the people rushed to Him and asked Him to save the boy. Jesus talked to the father who said to Jesus, “If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” Jesus responded, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” To which the man said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Jesus went to the boy and commanded the spirit to come out and after the drama of the spirit’s convulsions and crying out, it obeyed and left the boy. The disciples were perplexed as to why they could not do this thing. Jesus said, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.” We can assume by this statement that Jesus prayed before He cast the spirit out, although we do not have the record of the prayer. We can also assume that the disciples had not prayed before their attempt to drive it out. It might also be safe to assume that in some of their miraculous works they did not need to pray, they simply healed with the power given them. But it seems that prayer would always be a good choice in all that we attempt, even if it is something that we have done many times on our own. Prayer is recognition that the Father supplies our power and is our thanking Him for it in return. The disciples had possibly gotten used to working alone and forgot to pray to the God who supplied their needs. So when the boy came to them, out of habit they went straight to the work, but they had no success because this time the spirit was different. God may have tripped them up intentionally in order to remind them to rely on Him for all things and at all times. Mark 11:24

Have Faith, Believe, and Receive The Quality of Prayer: Faith Filled

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"Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.]” Faith and prayer must go hand in hand. In order to pray in the first place we must have at least a small faith or we would not practice such a foolish thing as prayer. But imagine a large faith such as the Lord is describing. Imagine a faith that knew it would receive that which it was seeking. Is it possible to cast a mountain into the sea? Is it possible for the sun to darken and for the dead to walk and the floodgates of heaven to fill the earth? With God all things are possible; so it is with faith, I believe. Tied to this faith is a forgiving heart toward those whom we have been wronged by, or who are a contention to us. We must follow the example of the Lord in this; as He forgave us, so must we forgive others. If we do not forgive, are we sure that we have been forgiven? Mark 12:40

Appearances and Hypocrisy The Quality of Prayer: Humble, Sincere Reckoning back to the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ admonition to do our works in secret so that we may be rewarded in secret, here Jesus warns us to beware of those who would concern themselves with how they look to men all the while using their influence in God’s holy house to work evil against His children. Let us also beware of becoming as they are. When we meet success as a pilgrim on the Way, we are tempted by pride and arrogance. But we will endeavor always to remember that all that we have has been given to us, therefore we cannot boast or brag. Instead we will offer our prayers to God alone and only for His ears, and in so doing we will remain humble and thankful. Luke 1:10

A Multitude in Prayer The Times of Prayer: In Community The ‘multitude’ (priests or people?) was outside the temple at the time that Zacharias entered to burn incense. Luke’s account tells us that this multitude was in prayer. They were praying for the Lord to look favorably upon them; the sacrifice of the temple sought atonement for the sins of the people. They were unified in their seeking of the Lord, they were one body calling upon His name. Imagine if the church today had similar times when we as a body would come as one to seek Him and to call upon Him in this fashion. What a fellowship this paints for us, a coming together, being of one mind, no dissention, and no distraction; one common purpose. Luke 1:64 The Content of Prayer: Praise Zacharias had been ‘gagged’ by Gabriel, angel of the Lord, for questioning the certainty of the promise made to him. His son, John, had just been born and Zacharias’

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tongue was loosed. He immediately began to praise the God in heaven who performs such awesome works as the birth of Zacharias’ son, the prophet John. Even though he was disciplined for his lack of faith, Zacharias still praised God the moment he had the chance. Let us not look at discipline as a negative but rather a tool in the hand of God to bring us closer to His Truth by reigning us in long enough to learn it from Him. Luke 2:37

Night and Day The Action of Prayer: Fasting The Content of Prayer: Thanksgiving The Quality of Prayer: Continual Anna, the prophetess, was a widow who dedicated her life to the service of God through prayer in the temple. Her dedication was immense; at eighty-four it is said that she never left the temple but was “serving night and day with fastings and prayers.” When she saw Mary and Joseph and the child Christ, she began giving thanks to God and witnessing to all the people of the “redemption of Jerusalem” that the child was. Prayer and praise can be as spontaneous as this. The Spirit can give us insight very quickly, how awesome it would be to be able to praise Him just as quickly. How awesome as well to be such a witness as Anna who immediately acted upon the wisdom that she had just received. She did not process it, nor did she check it out with the elders; she simply began to spread it. Luke 5:33 Bridging the Distance, the Time to Fast and Pray Jesus went to a feast given in His honor by Levi (Matthew). The dinner was well attended by “tax collectors and sinners” who caused the Pharisees to question the appropriateness of Jesus’ actions. Jesus responds that the ‘sinners’ are whom He has come for; the ‘well’ do not need His medicine. They pressed Him further, asking why His disciples do not fast and pray while those of John the Baptist do. Jesus responded that the day will come when His disciples will fast and pray but as He is still with them there is no need. While Jesus was with them they did not pray and fast because they had Him, Jesus Christ. God was with them; Emmanuel. They could walk with Him and talk with Him and ask Him questions and He would answer directly. It could be that to those who were not in this inner circle, those such as John and his disciples, the relationship was not the same. There was a distance between Jesus and the Baptist that was not between Jesus and the Twelve. But the day was coming Jesus said, and has come, when He is no longer with them (or us) and the need for prayer and fasting will return. We need to pray, we have a physical distance between the Lord and ourselves. We need to reach out to Him spiritually in order to connect with Him and to learn from Him. It is a mystery how it works but it is no mystery that it is ordained to work. God gave us prayer to bridge the distance between us until such a time as the Bridegroom returns. Luke 6:12 The Action of Prayer: Solitary The night before Jesus chose the Twelve He “went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.” Jesus’ place to pray, His prayer closet, was the mountain. He went there frequently and He went there alone. It is recorded that

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He spent the whole night in prayer to God His Father. What is it like to pray for a whole night? Prayer of this sort must have an intensity that we in the church do not witness today. Prayer of this sort must not be a list of petitions and praises but somehow a deeper communion between spirits. We may not be able (or allowed) to experience this sort of prayer, but what an example of the relationship that existed between Father and Son and what an example for us to hope to attain one day. And when that One day comes we will experience it firsthand, when we behold the Savior face to face and ‘mouth to mouth’ as Moses did. Luke 9:18 The Action of Prayer: Solitary It is recorded here that Jesus was “praying alone” and the disciples were with Him. Jesus was with the disciples but He was praying by Himself. Was He doing this to give them an example of prayer? Was this something He did regularly? We cannot know, but it illumines for us that in a group setting there is room for praying individually, prayer does not need to be public and shared. Instead, it can be corporate but private, together but separate, so as to remain secret before the Father and to guard us against hypocrisy and pride. Luke 9:28-31 The Transformation Jesus had taken the Three up on the mountain, and as He was praying His appearance began to change. He was appearing in His glory and alongside were Moses and Elijah who were “speaking of His departure.” This ‘transfiguration’ may have been only for the benefit of the disciples and their faith, but what if it occurred every time Jesus went off to pray alone? How awesome to consider that the Infinite, who was crushed into mankind and this world, would ‘leak’ His glory when in communion with the Eternal in heaven! Praise you God for Your mystery and wonder! Luke 11:5-13 Ask, Seek Knock The Quality of Prayer: Persistent This is similar to the passage in Matthew 7 with the addition of the story of the man and his friend. The analogy Jesus makes is that if the man (the believer) is persistent, his friend will eventually get up and give him what it is he has asked him for. Therefore, if we persistently go to our Father, who is infinitely more amenable to us than our friends, won’t He do the same? Luke 18

Parables on Prayer The Quality of Prayer: Persistent “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.” The parable is of the “unrighteous judge” who “did not fear God and did not respect man” and who was beleaguered by the widow who needed protection from her opponent. The point that Jesus makes is that if a man like this judge will give someone what they want, will not the Righteous Judge in heaven give to those who ask Him for what they want? Jesus teaches us that at all times we ought to pray to our Father in heaven.

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Jesus told a second parable to people who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt.” The two men in the parable are complete opposites in nature and in spirit. The one is the upright man whose works are without defect, the other is the ‘sinner’ who stands condemned by all. Both men pray to the same God but both men’s prayers are not the same. The first man is prideful and “exalts himself;” and Jesus promises that he will, in the end, “be humbled.” The second man humbled himself before God and was repentant; and he therefore “will be exalted.” Our Savior sacrificed Himself on our behalf; He left no room for arrogance and selfrighteousness. Prayer that reflects a righteousness coming from somewhere other than the Lord will be rejected but humility before the Lord will always be answered with justification. Luke 21:36

Be On the Alert The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Strength in Trouble or Difficulty, For Equipping of Self to Stand “But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Jesus warned His disciples of the coming persecution that each of them would face. He told them that they would suffer and die for His name. Even today there are brothers and sisters being martyred for the Name, their only hope is the strength that can be found in the love of Christ. That strength, Jesus says, is delivered through prayer. We are to ask God for the strength to face what He has put before us. We are to rely on that strength. Interesting also that it is not merely persecution that the disciples needed strength to face, it was also the coming of the Son of Man. They were advised to pray for the strength to stand before Him on that day. We too might be wise to pray that we are not ashamed of our conduct on the day we stand before Him. To stand tall, and to stand confident in our witness before Him and to feel His pleasure is a reward that rivals no other. I pray to please You Lord, please make me a servant worthy of Your name. Luke 22:31-32

Jesus Intercedes For Peter Jesus Intercedes for Us Jesus announced to Peter that satan himself was going to come after him and that as a result Peter would deny the Lord. But Jesus also tells Peter that He has prayed for him and that his strength of faith would not fail him completely but that he would return to help his brothers. Before the trial of Jesus Peter refused Christ three times and then wept bitterly over his shameful lack of faith. Jesus restored Peter to fellowship after the resurrection and Peter became a rock of faith in the church. In all of this we have to remember that satan has no power that is not given and controlled by the Almighty. Anything that he or his minions can do has been allowed by God. We have our safety in Him and in Jesus Christ who is our Intercessor before the throne. Thank God for the prayers of Jesus on behalf of Peter, and how nice it is to think that this same Jesus is praying for us even today. Luke 22:40

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Equipping of Self to Stand

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We enter temptation all the time. It is a fact of our sinful existence that we succumb to the desires of the flesh, the lust of our eyes, and our prideful hearts. The sin nature must be held in check at all times and crucified if we are to live as Jesus lived and glorify Him with our bodies and actions. Jesus told His disciples to “Pray, that you may not enter into temptation.” He knew what was coming for the disciples and knew what they would soon be facing. Peter in particular was soon to face the ‘sifting’ of satan; and the others would undergo similar trials of faith. Jesus told them to equip themselves, to throw themselves before the throne of God for help and support in overcoming their own weaknesses as well as attacks from without. We too must pray that we do not enter temptation. We may fail as Peter did to keep our feet on the Way, but we will always overcome if we keep attaching ourselves to the only One who can give us strength and help. Luke 24:50-53

The Content of Prayer: Praise The Quality of Prayer: Continual The Ascension. Two disciples were walking to Emmaus pondering the events of the Crucifixion when a Stranger joined them. The Stranger told them all about these things they were discussing and more, filling them in on the prophecies surrounding them from Moses through the prophets. Then the Stranger made Himself known to them and they saw that it was actually Him, Jesus the Christ, risen from the grave, and alive. He “opened their minds to understand” all that was written about Him in the Scriptures and that it was all true. They were amazed and astonished. They walked with Him as far as Bethany and were privileged to be blessed by Him and to watch Him ascend to heaven. They worshiped Him on the spot and they went back to Jerusalem “with great joy” and “were continually in the temple praising God.” Imagine the joy they had after the confusion they had felt at Jesus’ apparent death. It is surprising to us that after all that they had seen of Him they still had not pieced it together so that they understood. But then He appeared and walked with them, and even ate with them. He blessed them and then they watched the clouds part and Jesus rise into the heavens. How much more could they have asked for? How much more could their faith have been assured? They were exceedingly joyous, I imagine, running all the way back to Jerusalem and spreading the news to all that they passed. They worshiped and praised Him in the temple continuously after that. Prayer and praise and worship should be continual as it was here. What is it that prevents us from making Him such a priority that He is ‘what we do’? I pray that He would become my life as I think He was in the lives of the disciples after this. I do not want my ‘tent making’ to become the priority, nor even my family, but I desire him to be first and foremost, and His work to be my vocation. John 4:21-26 Worship In Spirit and Truth A Samaritan woman came to the well where Jesus was resting and began to draw water. Jesus entered into a conversation with her about “living water” and her sin and about God. Jesus explained to her that the Samaritans have not had it completely right in their worship but that one-day it will become clear. The Jews were also mistaken in their view; they knew whom they worshiped but did not know that Jerusalem would not be the focused direction of their prayer for much longer. Jesus said, “an hour is coming, and

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now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” That day has come, Jesus is now worldwide, and every tongue and nation can confess Him as Lord. His people are not only the Jews but can be any nation or people who turn to Him with repentance and faith in His salvation. Our prayer must be in spirit and truth. We must believe in the ‘God who is there’, in the Son who came and will come again, and in the Spirit who has come to guide us and teach us and translates our prayers to the Father in heaven. We must believe in the truth as it is spoken and made clear by the Word of God and we must act on that belief, knowing that He is faithful and just and will never let us down. John 15:12-16 In His Name and for His Name’s Sake “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” These are the words of Jesus who also tells us that His love for us is so great that He will lay His life down for us. He has turned us from slaves into “friends,” sharing with us the knowledge of His plans for us. He said, “go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you.” This is the will of God; that we go out into the world that He has prepared for us and bear witness to Him. As we pray to the Father in faith, we can know that we have what we have asked for. This of course is not a magical, genie-like formula for fame and riches. This is prayer as it was meant to be. It is communication from the sincere, faithful, and God-fearing heart of a believer in Jesus Christ to the Heart of the Eternal, Merciful, and Gracious Father in heaven. If we ask in His name we are naturally asking for that which He desires, for love between His children to grow. That is a prayer that He longs to answer. John 16:23-28 In His Name and for His Name’s Sake Jesus tells His disciples that although they grieve for Him now they will rejoice when He appears to them again. They had not been praying in His name to this point but Jesus tells them that soon they would pray in His name and that the Father will give them what they ask. When Jesus returns to them He tells them that even though they ask in His name, He (Jesus), will not go to the Father for them but that the Father Himself will grant their request. For the Father wants to give to them as much as Jesus, Himself, does; The Father loves them because they have loved His Son, Jesus. This gives us a picture of the love that the Father has for His children. Those that love Him; He loves very much. Those that love the Father love His Son Jesus, and that makes the Father love them very much. He is a God who wants to love, who is love, who cannot contain His love, and who goes to great lengths to spread His love and make it manifest in His creation. All praise, honor, and love shall go to this God. Acts 1:14

The Times of Prayer: In Community The Content of Prayer: Continual When they had witnessed the bodily ascension of the Lord, the disciples returned to Jerusalem, the city of God, to the room that they had been staying in. These men, along with “the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” were of “one mind,” and “continually devoting themselves to prayer.”

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Prayer seems to naturally pour out of the believer whenever he witnesses or experiences the power of God. Like the men on the road to Emmaus, these men and women could not contain themselves but immediately began to worship and pray to God, the Father in heaven, and to his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. How would it be for us if we were to take every opportunity we could to gather together and pray? I picture these early disciples filling the room and the believers worshiping God, each in communion with the Lord individually. They are of “one mind” praying to God, worshiping Him in spirit and truth. I wonder if the Lord will find faith on the earth when He returns or if we will have delegated our faith to the form only and will have forgotten its power. I pray that I will continue to seek Him and that He will continue to find me and help me. I pray this for the church as well that it will stretch in this area and not forget the power that it wields in the hands of our mighty God. Acts 2:42-47 The Times of Prayer: In Community The Content of Prayer: Continual After Pentecost and after the conversion of the three thousand “souls” who were baptized, the apostles and the new community of believers are described as “continually devoting themselves” to the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship with each other and to “prayer.” They “kept feeling a sense of awe,” and signs and wonders were taking place. The community shared everything and nobody was left out, they were happy together, they loved each other, and they spent their time in the temple praising God. This feeling of constant awe must have been amazing to experience. Imagine feeling the power and presence of God within your community. Imagine sharing a faith with thousands of people and living it ‘out loud’ for the world to see. Is it too late for the church to experience this kind of faith and practice? Is it too late for this kind of prayer and community to regain a foothold in our church? Acts 8:22-24 The Content of Prayer: Confession, Petition: For Others Simon the magician was practicing in Samaria when Peter and John came from Jerusalem to oversee the growing body of believers there. Simon came under the judgment of the apostles who put the fear of God in him. Peter told Simon to repent of his wickedness and to pray that God would forgive him. Simon asked in return that they would pray for him that he might be saved from God’s wrath. Acts 9:36-43 The Posture of Prayer: Kneeling Peter was called to the home of a woman in Joppa who had fallen sick and died. The apostles in Joppa had sent for Peter hoping that he might be able to save her. Peter sent the mourners out of the room and “knelt down and prayed.” Then, turning to the body” he said, “Tabitha, arise.” This story echoes the stories of Elijah and Elisha stretching out over the bodies of their respective charges and praying to the Lord that He reverse death and save. In these stories we see ‘great’ men of God taking the time to honor the Lord by humbling themselves and seeking His will. Their prayer was not demanding that God move but asking that He might move.

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Acts 10:1-4 Prayers and Alms Rising to Heaven Cornelius was a centurion of the Italian ‘cohort’ and is described as a devout man who feared God and practiced his faith through the giving of alms to the Jews and praying to God continually. God blessed this man abundantly, bringing Peter to him that he might be the first Gentile to receive the Holy Spirit. An angel appeared to Cornelius telling him that his “prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.” Our prayers ascend to the throne of God; He sits in heaven as our prayers waft up to Him, hearing every word and every intention of our hearts. The prayers of the saints are a pleasant aroma to the Lord, they are ever before Him. Acts 10:9, 10:30 The Times of Prayer: Regularly Throughout the Day Both Peter and Cornelius seemed to have regular times of prayer. Peter was praying at “the sixth hour” and Cornelius was praying at “the ninth hour’. Was this a regular routine? Is there a pattern we can discern from these two as well as the account of Daniel who is recorded as praying three times a day? However we think of this, our thinking must contain the fact that prayer is a consistent part of a believer’s life, occuring at regular intervals. Acts 12:5 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers King Herod, who had discovered that it pleased the Jews when he harassed the followers of Christ, arrested James and Peter and put them in jail. But Peter was not left alone, he was lifted up to God by the constant prayers of the saints. God heard those prayers and delivered Peter ‘miraculously’ from his chains and the locked gates of the prison. One specific purpose of prayer is to pray for other believers. It is through prayer that we can love our brothers and sisters in addition to those who do not yet know the Lord. Prayer is a powerful tool in this regard; as we have seen, it is a great tool that God uses to act in this world. Acts 13:3

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For God’s Will to be Done The Action of Prayer: Fasting, Laying on of Hands The Holy Spirit had commanded that Barnabas and Saul be set apart for a special work. The disciples listened to the Spirit and sent these two on their way after fasting and praying for them. Even when the will of God is crystal clear, as it was here, it is right to fast and pray over the intended action. Praying is not only to learn God’s will in a given situation, or to make petition to Him, it is also to align oneself with His will as the disciples did here. They already knew what they were to do and there was no doubt, the Spirit Himself had commanded it; but they prayed and fasted anyway. Why? To confirm it before the Lord, to acknowledge His word to them and obey; and to humbly ask God to bless that which they were about to undertake for Him. We are never to take God or our part in His grand plan for granted but should always remember our humility and unworthiness before Him. Acts 14:23

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Leaders The Action of Prayer: Fasting

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The Times of Prayer: Before a Major Life Event After Paul was stoned and left for dead, he “got up” and went with Barnabas to Lystra, Antioch, and Iconium to strengthen and encourage the disciples. They appointed elders in every church and “prayed with fasting,” commending the men to the “Lord in whom they had believed.” This sheds more light on praying and fasting. The appointing of elders is very important as they will be the ones who teach and shepherd the faithful along the Way. Paul was just stoned for being such a leader and he spoke of the coming tribulations they would face. Their prayers and fasting were to the God in “whom they had believed” and they called on Him to support them and give them strength to stand against the coming persecution. Acts 16:13

Identifying a Place of Prayer The Times of Prayer: In Community Paul and some disciples arrived in Philippi and went looking for the place of prayer. They headed to the riverside “supposing” that that would be where they would find it. They found a group of women assembled and began to speak with them. There were many converts, including Lydia and her whole household. Why was it at the riverside that the believers met? Was it because it was away from the city? Was it because it was a place for baptism? Was it because it reminds of creation and the life giving water of Jesus? We can only guess, but it is important to note that these faithful Jews had a common understanding and knew how to find each other. They met frequently enough to pray that they had established patterns. Today, we cannot identify each other that easily. We hide our allegiance to Christ under the pretense of not offending anyone. What if we were to live it out loud and approach people as Paul did and speak with them? Would that not mark us as different and make us easier to find by our brothers and sisters? Acts 16:25 The Times of Prayer: In the Midst of Trouble Paul and Silas were in jail after freeing the girl from the spirit that possessed her. The people “rose up” against them for meddling and the city magistrates had the two beaten and locked up. At midnight Paul and Silas began to pray and to sing praises to the Lord. The Lord sent an earthquake that shook the chains and locks free and frightened their jailor who turned to the apostles for salvation. Even when faced with beating and imprisonment and a certainly painful immediate future these two Christians did not lose heart, but instead prayed together and sang songs. The jailor had probably never even heard a song in his jail before, jails are a place of hopelessness and depression, yet these two men sang to the Lord and to the other prisoners! We too can have this kind of heart and this kind of faith in God. Let us pray and sing when the world settles down upon us tightly and threatens to crush us. Acts 20:36

The Posture of Prayer: Kneeling The Times of Prayer: In Community “When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.” This kneeling posture of prayer is a humble one, and in this case the people knelt together to pray. As a body they bent their knees and bowed their heads and prayed together. They

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prayed to send Paul off on his next journey. They must have prayed for his safety, for God to work through him, and for the church he left behind to grow in strength and faith. Acts 21:5

The Posture of Prayer: Kneeling The Times of Prayer: In Community “After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another.” This is the same pattern and posture as in Acts 20:36. Did they pray individually and privately or did Paul or one of the elders lead this prayer? Acts 22:17 The Posture of Prayer: Facing a Specific Direction Even though they ‘worship in spirit and truth’ Paul seems to make it a habit to pray in the temple of God when he is in Jerusalem. God’s dwelling place still held power and attraction for the Jews, even the Christian Jews. Paul, and presumably the others, still went there and prayed to God. They might also have prayed toward the city when they were away from it, in order to be facing God’s house when praying. Which direction do we face when we pray? Where is God in the world today? Is the focal point still His dwelling place in Jerusalem? Should we face the heavens and pray? It might be a good exercise to think about this and purposefully locate God to bring order and focus to our prayers. Acts 28:8 The Action of Prayer: Laying on of Hands This is the account of the healing of Publius on Malta. Paul prays first then lays hands on Publius and heals him. The physical gesture or contact is present here as it was with Elijah and Elisha and Peter, and the prayer is first. Whatever we do in our ‘ministry’ must first be done through prayer. We must always ask God to do that which we want to do for Him. We have no strength of our own with which to work miracles, just as Paul had no strength in himself to heal but had to ask God for it. Our strength to heal or to work for Him comes from Him and prayer is how we ask Him for it. Romans 8:26-27 The Spirit Intercedes for Us “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” This passage gives me great hope and comfort. I cannot pray as I feel that I should be able to pray as a child of the Most High God. I should be able to open my heart to Him and connect my heart to His. But there is a barrier between my heart and His, and it is me. The Me in me is broken and ‘bent’, it constantly interferes with what I want to do. And I want to do a lot! I want to be joyful but I am downcast. I want to praise but I lament. I want to witness but I am silent. I want to speak but I fumble. I want to love but I hate. I want to encourage but I am selfish. I want and I want but I do not get because I am still Me. This passage tells us that there is a way we “should” pray. It tells us that we do not pray in this way because we are weak. It also tells us that the Spirit of God comes to our aid by taking our weak prayers to the God above and interpreting them for God. God reads the Spirit as the Spirit reads our prayers and God hears our heart in them and

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responds. I cannot pray, but the Spirit prays with me, therefore I can pray. We must keep praying. We must not lose heart, because God is with us and God has promised us better things to come. We have great hope because there is promised us a day when we can do as we ought and we will do as we ought. Romans 12:12 The Quality of Prayer: Continual, Devoted In this passage Paul exhorts the believers to live as one body in the church and to use the gifts they’ve been given not to gain position but to gain unity and edification. He tells them to “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.” Paul goes on and on with the lifestyle that a Christian should practice. We could spend our lives just focusing on this passage and its commands and never get it right enough to move on to the rest of scripture! Paul includes prayer in this list. Prayer is so central to the believer’s life that we are to be devoted to it. ‘Devoted’ connotes that prayer is ongoing, it is regular, it is frequent and it is planned. We are to pray and we are to pray constantly. 1 Corinthians 7:5 The Quality of Prayer: Continual, Devoted In a striking passage about the most intimate of relationships between a man and a woman Paul advises that each give freely of himself or herself in order to remain pure and ensure resistance to the temptations of the flesh brought on by satan. The only concession Paul makes to this advice is that when both man and woman want to commit themselves to prayer “for a time” that they may then forego the necessary pleasures of intimacy. This passage points out the primacy of prayer and the priority of relationship that God has over man. We are to give Him our first and our best and so order our relationships with spouses to enable that to happen. The man and the wife both need and depend on the Lord for the strength to carry out their duty of love to the other and therefore their relationship with God must have precedence. Prayer is first, and then we live our lives with each other. 1 Corinthians 11:2 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers Paul praises the Corinthians because they “remember [him] in everything.” Being remembered in the prayers of others is a great honor and privilege. To be loved enough to be prayed for, to be interceded for, and to be considered before God, brings us help that we are unaware of and often in dire need of. This is a wonderful gift. Paul, as the church’s ‘father’, its founder in some respects, faced tremendous trial and tribulation. The list of his sufferings that are recorded in Scripture is long and horrible. Without the coveted prayers of the faithful his ordeal for them may have been even more horrendous. We can take from this the emphasis on praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to ‘lift’ them up in prayer; we are to remember those in leadership over us, those who serve alongside of us and those who are coming up after us. We are to pray for those in countries where the gospel is persecuted and for those in countries where poverty is rampant. In addition to this let us not forget that we are to pray even for enemies of our

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churches and enemies to our way of life. We are to pray that their blindness be removed so that the light of salvation may shine upon them. Prayer includes all of this; prayer remembers all of this. 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 The Posture of Prayer: Head Uncovered or Covered In this passage Paul lays down the ‘hierarchy’ that exists among men and women. God reigns over all and is the ‘head’ of Christ. Christ is the head of man and man is the head of woman. Paul gives two reasons for man’s headship over woman. One, woman is the glory of man as man is the glory of God. Second, woman was made for man and not the man for woman. It is this hierarchical headship that dictates how each ought to be ‘covered’ while in prayer or when prophesying. The man ought to have his head uncovered to reflect the headship of God above and the woman ought to have her head covered in order to reflect the headship of man. For either to do otherwise is called disgraceful. Paul tells them That they can judge for themselves, but no matter, there is no other choice for them. This passage is almost amusing for the church today to consider. If we were to take this literally then our church would seriously fail to measure up to its standard. We have women in our churches with short hair, dyed hair, maybe even with no hair. We do not think ‘disgraceful’ when we see them, we do not see it as an affront to God. We also have men with long hair, dyed hair, and men with hats, and we do not think ‘disgraceful’ when we see them either, it is merely the custom these days. But what if God were serious here and this small passage were important; what if this symbol of authority were crucial to the practice of our faith? We do not give it much thought because it is so foreign to us, but what it does is show us once again, the holiness of God and His absolute sovereignty over us. Because God is so Holy, He is the head of all. Because Christ is the Son, He is the head of man. And because we are who God says we are we ought to approach Him in the manner He desires. From this passage we are told that He desires us to approach Him with the symbol of authority firmly affixed to our heads. That symbol is our short hair if we are men and our long hair under a hat if we are women. At the very least we might make it a point that as men and women we would understand our different positions in the hierarchy of headship. This attention to the posture of the ‘pray-er’ is important because it reflects the heart of the believer and the attitude he has towards God. What we do with passages such as this may determine how ‘successful’ we are in our prayers and how quickly we grow to maturity in the faith. 1 Corinthians 14:13 The Content of Prayer: Petition: To Use Gifts to Help Others The Quality of Prayer: Humble Paul urges those who speak in tongues in the church to understand that unless they can interpret what was said to the body, they are not edifying the church but possibly injuring it by excluding those who cannot understand. He urges them to pray that they be able to interpret so that all may be edified by what was said in the spirit. He says that without doing this, “how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks?” It is more important in exercising our spiritual gifts that we use them to edify and help the body than that we simply use them to impress the body. Love is the great

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command; in order to love, understanding must abound. Paul encourages all to help bring understanding to the church and therefore to build unity rather than discord. 2 Corinthians 1:11 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers Paul speaks of the “favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.” Having been beset with peril, despairing of life and burdened beyond their strength to endure he and his companions were forced to trust only in God; who saves, who raises the dead, and who delivers. God did deliver them and Paul sends thanks to Him, but also sends thanks to the many saints who had been praying for them and through whom our gracious God willed to work. Again we see that an integral aspect of prayer is intercession for other people, be they saints, the unsaved, our leaders, or our enemies. God moves through the prayers of the faithful. Our faith is deepened through the witness of His action in response to our prayers. Why do we neglect such a powerful tool? I believe we neglect it because it is difficult, it is uncertain, it is unscripted, it makes one vulnerable, and it requires faith. Why is it that the one thing that can deepen our faith also takes great faith in order to practice it? Why does God allow such a catch-22 as this? Why is a step of faith into the unknown required before He grants deeper faith? God is God, His ways are His own, and He keeps His own counsel. But consider this, although we do not know the answer to the ‘why’s’ we do know the questions themselves. We are not left without any understanding; we are only left without complete understanding. It could be that the closer we get to His holiness and the farther we get from our own sinfulness, the easier it will be to see things as they are, rather than as we think them to be. 2 Corinthians 9:14

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers/ Praise, Thanksgiving In his letter Paul is making arrangements to receive the gift from the Corinthians for the “ministry to the saints.” He encourages them to give generously and extols the virtues of such giving and the great reward from God to those who give cheerfully. Paul explains that their giving does much more than simply supply the needs of their brothers and sisters, it also causes great thanksgiving and praise to go to God in heaven from those in need who have and who will receive their gift. He tells them that their brothers and sisters pray on their behalf and “yearn” for them because of the “surpassing grace of God” in them. Prayer includes thanksgiving for the good work that others do in the church for us and for our brothers and sisters. Prayer also includes praising and giving glory to God for the excellence of His work in those who do such works. Prayer includes remembering others, yearning to be with them (or possibly, to be like them), and praising God for them. 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Healing, For Strength in Trouble, or Difficulty Paul asserts the authority he has over the Corinthians as the apostle chosen by God to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. He speaks against those who deny his authority as if he were merely walking ‘in the flesh’ and not warring in the power of Christ Himself against all disobedience and lawlessness in the church of Christ. Paul gives great detail of

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his apostleship and how he has been shown things that no other man has seen; he “boasts” of these things to encourage the church at Corinth to repent of their rebellion and turn to the truth again. However, because of what he was shown by God, God afflicted him with a painful “thorn” in his flesh. And even though he prayed three times for it to be removed, it remained so that he would be weak and become more humble and dependent on God rather than puffed up and arrogant in his power from Christ. This thorn has been speculated to mean a lot of things, from a physical ailment to external afflictions such as the Corinthian church itself burdening his ministry. From my own experience I am inclined to opine that it was an internal temptation or weakness of the flesh that afflicted him. It was a sin problem that he could not get rid of entirely that caused him to do the things that he did not want to do and to not be able to do the things that he did want to do. This inability to control his flesh and gain victory over it caused him to remain constantly in a state of weakness before the Lord. Jesus told Paul when he prayed to have the thorn removed that in his weakness he would be strong. We see again that it is only through reliance on God that we can be strong in the Lord and be used by Him. Paul accepted this and learned to be content “with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties” for the sake of Jesus Christ. His prayer to have the thorn removed could have stemmed from the painfulness of it and his desire for relief. It could also have stemmed from his unwillingness to entertain or admit his own weakness. It was a prayer to God, who hears, and who can save. Paul prayed three times for relief, and the Lord answered him. Is three times the right number of times to offer prayer? Is it only after three times that the Lord answered or did Paul continue to pray after Christ gave him His answer? Paul prayed to be relieved; and he prayed to understand as well. Prayer involves both of these, asking for help through our petition and in the understanding of the answers we receive. 2 Corinthians 13:7-9 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers Paul is planning to visit the Corinthians and he warns them to get back on the straight and narrow and not to trust in those who deny his authority. He will come in power and he will wield that power against them if necessary. Paul and his people have been praying for the body at Corinth that they “do no wrong” and that they “be made complete.” It is as if they were riding the fence and Paul is praying that they jump off and stand firmly on the right side of it. Our prayer ought to lift up those who are slipping away as these believers in Corinth were. Our prayer ought to be for their spiritual growth and maturity and for their right standing before God in salvation. Ephesians 6:18-20

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Equipping of Self to Stand, For Other Believers This is one of the most descriptive passages in the bible. It gives us a visual image of the spiritual strength that we are to ‘gird’ ourselves with, and it illumines for us the spiritual darkness that we are embattled against. We tend to see circumstances in our lives as merely cause and effect. Failures come at the expense of being ill-prepared or lacking in skill somehow. Success comes from hard work and dedication. We forget that the hand

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of the Father in heaven orchestrates all things and that He has a war He is waging against His enemies. We are pawns, in a certain respect, in His grand plan, but He does not leave us unprotected. He gives us the most powerful weapons ever given to mankind. They are not explosive devices, they are not nuclear or biological; they are the weapons of the Spirit Himself. Paul describes the Truth that we’ve been given, the righteousness that can never be taken away, and the faith we have received in the God of the universe and in His Son Jesus Christ. But at the end he tells the Ephesians, and us, to pray. He tells them to pray “at all times” and to make petitions “for all the saints” as well as for himself that he would continue to spread the gospel boldly. Prayer is the one piece of our armor that originates from us. We pray. And we are to pray for others, being “alert” to the spiritual battle they are engaged in alongside of us, and to be aware of their needs in this regard. Likewise, we do not know the extent to which God uses the prayers of His saints to work on their behalf. We do not know what happens to our brothers and sisters when we do not pray for them. But we do know that one purpose of our prayers is that it be for others. And in doing so we must be cognizant of the darkness that seeks to pervert us from the Truth as our enemies try to win their battle against the will and kingdom of God. We are no match for these forces ourselves, but God is, and we have His armor and His calling card at our disposal; dare we use it? Dare we not? Philippians 1:3-6

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Others/ Thanksgiving

Paul tells the church at Philippi that he always gives thanks for them in his prayers for their “participation in the gospel from the first day until now.” Paul’s prayer thanks God for the other believers in the church. When was the last time we purposely thanked God simply for the existence of other believers? That we are surrounded by evidence of God’s love and mercy is awesome in itself. What a boost to our faith it could be if we stopped long enough to consider that we are surrounded by souls who were ‘miraculously’ transformed from slaves to their own flesh into slaves to His Spirit. We are changed when born again, we are made new in His image in a way that we were not before. We are a living, walking witness to the power He wields over our very prideful wills. We ought to thank Him for our brothers and sisters simply because they who were once enemies in the flesh are now our family in the kingdom. Praise you Lord for this truth. Philippians 4:4-7 The Content of Prayer: Rejoicing, Petition: For Others “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace which surpasses all comprehension will guard your minds in Christ Jesus.” There is a peace to be gained from prayer. Paul tells us that if we live our love out loud, if we rejoice in what we have to rejoice in, if we show the peace that resides in us, if we remember that the Lord is with us, and if we pray and ‘give it all’ to Him, we will be at peace no matter the outcome. Prayer is a way to unload the burdens that we carry. Prayer is a way to free us up so that we can be the person that He has made us to be. Our

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worries weigh us down, our burdens trouble us, our trials and tribulations make us sad and we lose heart. But by prayer we can make petition to God Most High! By prayer we can make confession to the Savior! By prayer we can plead for deliverance and praise Him for salvation! Our private life in prayer is key to the successful healthy external life we display before the world of men. Let us pray and let us say, “Rejoice!” Colossians 1:3 The Content of Prayer: For Other Believers Paul thanks God for the believers at Colosse, specifically for the love they have for all the saints and because he knows the future place they will have in heaven since they have heard and have now believed the gospel of truth. Again, this is another example of Paul thanking God for other believers and for remembering them in his prayers. 1 Thessalonians 1:2 The Content of Prayer: For Other Believers Paul thanks God for the believers at Thessalonica, praying for them and remembering specifically their works of faith and love that spring from their hope in Jesus Christ. He thanks God that they are imitators of himself by receiving even tribulation with joy and have thus became examples themselves for churches all around the area. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The Content of Prayer: Rejoicing, Thanksgiving The Quality of Prayer: Continual In closing his letter to the Thessalonicans Paul urges the believers to rejoice, to “pray without ceasing,” and to give thanks. Paul tells us that these things are God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. For those who ask what God’s will is for their lives, this is a sure bet for an answer. God’s will is that we are thankful to Him, that we rejoice in Him, and that we pray to Him. And we are not to pray merely regularly, but are to pray unceasingly. What is it to pray unceasingly? Is it possible? Can it be done without living the life of the ascetic? 1 Thessalonians 5:25 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers, For Leaders Paul asks the believers to pray for him. As we have already seen, believers are to lift each other up in prayer. But here we see that believers also ask other believers to pray for them. Sometimes our pride prevents us from seeking this treasured help. We think ourselves noble if we suffer quietly ‘for the Lord’s sake.’ But it is pride that makes us seek that nobility. We are concerned about appearances and do not want to appear weak so we do not ask for prayer. We are embarrassed or ashamed of a problem that we have and so we do not seek the prayer we desperately need. We have a false idea of strength and so we go it alone thinking we are rocks unto ourselves. But God is the only Rock, and He is the only one who is stand-alone strong. His gospel is a message of peace to a people who cannot make it on their own. His people are failures in and of themselves. To be too proud to seek help when standing in a pit will only result in a longer stay in the pit. We have seen that God moves by the prayer of His saints. We ought to pray for others and we also ought to seek the help of others by being humble enough to ask for it.

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2 Thessalonians 1:3 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers/ Thanksgiving Paul once again opens his letter declaring his thanks for the saints. He says, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting.” He gives thanks this time for their faith which was growing and for the love they displayed toward each other. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers Paul requests prayer for himself and his fellow workers that “the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified.” God’s glory and His Truth are the most important things and they should be our primary focus. If we truly want God to have the glory then our prayers should reflect that in some way. Because prayer is private and largely individual it is easy for it to become very self-centered. We are not to pray only for ourselves but also for others, that as we grow in the faith, more people might hear of our awesome God, so that He would have even more saints lifting their hands in praise to Him. 1 Timothy 2:1-8 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Others, For Leaders Paul writes to Timothy that he wants “the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissention.” Paul urges the body to be unified in our prayers and not arguing amongst ourselves. We must be at peace in the church if we want to work for peace outside the church. Paul wants believers to be praying for all men, for their rulers and kings, and for all in authority so that the church may “lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” This is God’s will for us. It is “good and acceptable” to the Lord. We are to be praying for our president and our mayor, for our City Council and the President’s Cabinet. We are to pray for the leaders of other countries, be they our friends or our enemies. We are to do this so that we may continue on in the work of the church, glorifying God and spreading His gospel. We are to do this so that men will be saved in all of these places. Paul tells us that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 5:5 The Quality of Prayer: Continual In this passage Paul is giving instruction on the ‘widow’s list’ and describes a true widow as one who “has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day.” Her prayers are for help from the only source she has left, the Lord. She is completely dependent on God to supply her needs. And He will supply her through the giving of the church to those on this ‘list.’ This is an example of praying continuously as we have seen before. The widow’s prayers ascend to heaven throughout the day and the night. I take this to mean that at every waking moment her thoughts are fixed on the Lord and she waits for His answers. Our focus must be as devoted as hers. Even in a society where we have no need as severe as this widow’s and it is difficult to feel our dependence, we must strive to remember that the abundance that we have is given by His hand and by His grace. All of it can go away at any time. Imagine if it did, wouldn’t we then hit our knees in prayer for help and

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restoration? Why don’t we hit our knees now in a prayer of thanksgiving, and make a commitment to Him to never forego our thankfulness for what He has done? 2 Timothy 1:3

The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers The Quality of Prayer: Continual Paul thanks God for Timothy and remembers Timothy in his prayers, especially for his “sincere faith.” Paul is filled with joy over Timothy and longs to see him. Prayer brings people closer to our hearts even if they are far away. It fills us with compassion for them and stokes the flame of our love for them. Prayer unites believers. Philemon 1:4 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers Paul thanks God for Philemon “always;” thanking Him for Philemon’s love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints. Again, thankfulness for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for God’s working in them to spread this love among us. Philemon 1:22

Asking for Prayer The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Other Believers Paul hopes that through the prayers of Philemon he will be able to visit him. Paul asks in advance for Philemon to prepare a place for him to stay. It could be that it is through our own prayers and through the prayers of others that we discover what it is we should do next. Paul desired to see Philemon and to stay with him but was unsure if it would be granted. Just as at other times his plans were changed by the Spirit, so here they could be changed. It is prayer that keeps him in touch with the will of God and allows him to hear God’s voice when God chooses to speak. When we pray and when others pray for us we learn from the Lord what it is that He desires. It is His will that we want to put before our own. Hebrews 4:16 The Quality of Prayer: Faith Filled God has promised us rest and for those who believe, entering that rest is assured. God has provided us with a way to Him that the Israelites did not possess; the work of our Great High Priest, Jesus, who entered the Holy Place once and for all on our behalf. Our High Priest knows our fears and our temptations, He sympathizes with us in every way, so “let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” It is said that our prayers take us directly to the throne of God. We enter His holy place and He receives us without penalty. The writer tells us that we can do this with confidence; confidence in our safety, confidence in His acceptance, and confidence that in His love and concern for us He will hear our prayers and respond with the help we need. What a privilege to have access to such a great help. Our prayers should be considered our lifeline and not a chore or routine. God wants to hear us, He wants to help us, He has provided for everything; we have only to come and ask and listen. Hebrews 5:7 Complete Dependence The Quality of Prayer: Faith Filled

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“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.” This is Jesus the Lord who called out to His Father to be delivered from the excruciating pain He was to endure. This is Jesus who did not hide His fear from the Father but prayed to Him. This is Jesus, the Word of Life, showing us that prayer is heartfelt, it is opening one’s heart to the Father, it is giving Him all that you have, and it is trusting Him to take it and care for it. If we could pray like this, and have faith enough to add “Your will be done” how much would our lives change? Would we not feel the peace that passes all understanding as He comforts us and equips us? How do we pray as Jesus prayed? How do we open up as honestly as He did, without reservation and without distraction and hindrance? It may be that we cannot because of our sin. We may not be able to come this close to the Father until our sanctification is complete. But O what a goal to have, what a hope to have! Hebrews 13:15 The Quality of Prayer: Continual We, who have been given so much and have done so little to deserve it, have so much to be thankful for. We must offer God our thanksgiving as the only thing we can offer in return for the gift of sacrifice and forgiveness He has bestowed on us. And we must offer Him our praise for divinely working in our hearts to change us from the sinful creatures we once were to the blessed creatures we have been remade to be. And this praise and thanksgiving should be remembered always before Him, offered continually and without ceasing. Hebrews 13:18 Asking For Prayer Paul asks for prayer that he may be “restored” to them. He places a condition on this request, citing his “good conscience” and honorable intent in all things. Paul again shows by example that asking for prayer is right and necessary. As we have seen, it is a way of receiving great help from the Lord as well as a way of determining the will of God in a given situation. Here, Paul shows us that our hearts in asking must be pure in motive. His was honorable in that he desired to do only good for this body and be a help in their growth and walk in the faith. We must be pure in our motives in asking for prayer, out of a desire to do good as well, for ourselves and for others. Our consciences must be clear of ulterior motives that can creep in if we are not diligent and attentive to our own sin. James 1:5-8 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding James says, “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach.” We want to be “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” and yet we do lack in our understanding of the ways of the Lord and of His purposes and plans for our lives and for the lives of His children. In prayer we can ask for such wisdom, as Solomon did, wisdom to understand and discern the right way to walk and the right way to lead. But in our asking James cautions us to “ask in faith” and without doubt. Doubting is to not know what you believe and therefore not be able to make a stand on one side of

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the fence or the other. Doubters who ask for wisdom, James says, should expect nothing from the Lord because the doubter is “unstable in all his ways” and the Lord will not trust him with His wisdom. The prayer of the believer should instead be from one who knows that God is the only One with the answers and the problems all matched up. Even when we are confused and unsure we pray to this God and we trust that He alone is our help and that He alone wants to help. Our prayers for wisdom are prayers of confidence that His is the only wisdom that matters; it is the only wisdom that helps. James 4:1-10 The Quality of Prayer: Pure Motive James addresses the “source of quarrels and conflicts” among the believers. He blames them for living as if they were still in the world and not redeemed out of it. He blames them for lusting, murder, envy, fighting and quarreling. He tells them that living after the manner of the world will not reap fruit in the Lord but rather destruction. In their prayers James blames them for asking “with wrong motives,” and for asking with selfish intent rather than from a pure and clean conscience. James calls them adulteresses for being friends with the world rather than with the God who has re-made them. The lifestyle of the believer must be drastically different than that of the unbeliever. The unbeliever lives in friendship to the world and its ways. He lusts after its lusts and commits its sins in order to be satisfied. The believer should foster a greater desire for the things that God provides freely and without cost. The believer should cultivate these desires, feeding them and helping them to grow. James gives us great starting points in order to get us on the right track in this regard. He tells us to submit to God, draw near to Him, resist the devil (he will flee), cleanse our hands of the sin we commit, purify our hearts of doubt and self deceit, turn our laughing and joyfulness into gloom and mourning for His sake, and most of all learn humility as we stand before this great and awesome King. The prayer of a believer should echo these commands and in thanksgiving and praise ask of God those things that He has set aside for us to partake in. A believer who asks for things but does so selfishly or dishonestly is outwardly no different than the unbeliever. This is a great offense to the Lord who, at great expense, purchased us for His own. Let us remember to whom we belong and with discipline and diligence work always to remain pure in heart and motive when we approach the God of Grace and Mercy. James 4:13-17 The Content of Prayer: Petition: For God’s Will to be Done In this passage James gives us a figurative picture of how we ought to approach the Lord with our plans and decisions. He reminds us that we are “just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” Such a “vapor” has no place to decide for itself what it will do or what it will not. A vapor cannot for a moment even decide its course through the air. It is at the mercy of the wind which can carry it gently along or in an instant disperse it to never form again. The vapor, the believer, ought to instead take into account the hand of God in its life and with every decision pray that it would please the Lord and be in His will. It is a sign of acknowledgement that God is the Sovereign and that any decision we make or action we take is only at His command and pleasure. Doing this in sincerity and honesty is true humility and dependence on God.

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James 5:13-18 The Times of Prayer James exhorts us to pray. He tells us to pray when we are suffering. He tells us to sing praises when we are cheerful. He tells us to call for the elders to pray over us when we are sick. And James gives us the incredible promise that when we pray in faith God will hear and we will be healed of sickness and that our sins will be forgiven. James tells us that prayer such as Elijah himself prayed are possible for us because we share the same nature he did. Righteousness, earnestness and humility before God will yield a bounty of fruit in our lives and in the lives of our beloved. “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” 1 Peter 3:7 Prayers Hindered In giving instruction to the church Peter commands husbands to be understanding of their wives, of their relative weakness in comparison to men, and to show them the honor that a “fellow heir of the grace of life” deserves. In our relationships with our wives it is all to easy to become complacent and to take for granted the gift of love and friendship that God has given us in them. We can begin to abuse the bond we share and forget that without them we would be alone, and that our wives were only given us that we might not be alone but be loved and cherished. What a shame to trample that which was a gift and that which was a benefit and that which was not deserved. Peter startles husbands by telling them that their very prayers to God will be hindered if this command is not followed. A husband who is not “loving” his wife properly will not be received in heaven in the same way. Their will be a barrier of sin that must be addressed before God will hear and respond to such a man’s prayer. The prayer will be ineffective because the prayer is not “righteous,” it is not from a humble and pure heart. Husbands, love your wives, and honor them with your love and your prayers. 1 Peter 4:7 The Quality of Prayer: Sober Because “the end of all things is near” the believer is to strive for soundness in judgment and soberness in spirit for the purpose of prayer. Prayer is a sober activity that requires attention and discipline. It is not flippant and it should not be rote. Instead it should be contemplative, serious, and considered. If we desire our prayers to be effective, to be heard, to be received and answered, we must be alert to all the things that scripture tells us may hinder them, things such as sin, pride, selfishness, and worldly desire. Jude 1:20 Praying In the Spirit Jude warns the believers to be on the watch for those who mock the faith by following not the desires of the faithful, but rather the desires of the ungodly and the lusts of the flesh. These are those who are “devoid of the Spirit.” Jude tells them that the believer is different, the believer has a “most holy faith” and prays “in the Holy Spirit” and keeps himself “in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” Praying in the Spirit calls to mind the experience of Paul when he was “caught up” to the heavens, or when certain prophets were literally carried over distances to where God would have them be. Praying in the Spirit in this case is possibly a little less

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dramatic but still calls to mind the presence of God with us as we pray to Him. We do well to remember that He is with us. He has left his Spirit as a “deposit,” to guide us and teach us and lead us. When we pray we are in the Spirit because we are with Him, and not by ourselves. We are seeking the One who hears and the One who is there and the One who can save. And He is with us and loves us and responds to us. Revelation 3:15-22

Come To Jesus Seeking the Lord and Coming to Him In the ‘letter’ to the church at Laodicea, Jesus Christ commands John again to write words of warning as he did to the other six churches. In this letter Jesus wants them to be aware that they are taking their salvation for granted. They are neither “cold nor hot,” they have no passion for Him or against Him and He intends to spit them out should they continue in this fashion. He is reproving them because He loves them and is urging them to “be zealous and repent.” Jesus then invites them and all believers to come to Him whenever they hear His voice. He will come to us and stay with us and He will grant that we sit down with Him on His throne. This is an invitation to all believers to be with Jesus forever. In our prayers we develop that ear to hear and the eyes to see. In prayer we talk with Him and He talks with us. In prayer we can develop the maturity of faith that He desires for us, so that we are never lukewarm but instead burning with a passion for His kingdom and His righteousness. Revelation 5:14 The Posture of Prayer: Falling Face Down to the Ground The elders of the Revelation “fell down and worshiped” the Lamb of heaven. They were overcome with worship and freely expressed it before the Lamb of God. When was the last time we publicly worshiped the Lord in this manner? When was the last time that we gave no thought to appearances and knelt before Him, raised our hands to Him, and sang praises out loud to Him without warning? Our public worship is so organized that there is no room for spontaneous worship. It would be disrupting and unwelcome in ‘God’s’ orderly house. However, in heaven all such barriers will be removed and the worship of God will be unrestrained and without reservation. Amen? Revelation 7:11 The Posture of Prayer: Falling Face Down to the Ground Again, we see unhindered worship in heaven. The angels around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders fall down and worship God while shouting His praises. Revelation 8:3 Prayers as Incense Before the seven angels sound their seven trumpets for the seventh seal another angel comes and stands before the altar with a censor. He is given “much incense’ to add to the “prayers of all the saints” to burn before the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of this offering went up before God and the angel filled the censor with fire from the altar and threw it to the earth where it caused lightning, earthquakes and thunder signaling the sounding of the trumpets. The prayers of the saints rise to God, as did the incense offerings and the smoke and aroma of the burnt offerings from the tabernacle and temple. Our prayers are our

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sacrifice to God. We bring before Him our best and we ask atonement for our worst. He receives it all from the throne of His sovereignty. A clear perspective of this ought to change how we look at our prayers; it should give us an idea of things from His perspective as we diminish the importance of our own perspective.

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