Our prayers should normally be addressed to God the Father rather than God the Son. Jesus taught, saying: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven. (Matthew 6:9)
But we must pray in Jesus’ name. He said: whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. (John 16:23) This means to ask on the basis of Jesus’ work on the cross, and on the basis that we are Christ’s brethren and friends. It does not mean asking Jesus to ask His Father as Christ says: in that day ye shall ask me nothing . . . At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. (John 16:23,26,27)
Since the advent of Christ God works on a grander scale than previously when pagan darkness covered the earth. Only in Israel was the light of God’s word understood to any degree. But even there the greater revelation that Christ brought had not yet come, and the fellowship of man with God through the Holy Spirit was also then more limited. But after Christ rose from the dead, all authority in heaven and earth was given to Him. So we can expect answers to prayer in mighty ways.
Jesus said: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:12,13) An agency of activity, although not the only agency, by which the Father answers our prayers is to give authority to His Son to work.
So whether through the direct action of His Son, or on the basis of the merit of His Son, the Father now answers prayers marvellously. Jesus told His disciples: Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:24) But such prayers must be primarily concerned with the kingdom of God. That is for the increase of the knowledge of God and obedience to His word.
Should we pray only to the Father? Or should we also pray to Jesus as we read of Stephen: calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. (Acts 7:59) Generally speaking we should pray to the Father, as this prayer of Stephen was non typical; he was departing this world and entering into the presence of God. The doctrine of Christ, which I have discussed, of praying to the Father but in the name of the Son, must be assumed to be the normal mode of prayer; otherwise the foundational importance of Christ’s teachings is questioned. A more typical example of prayer is that of the church praying to the Father, but referring to Jesus, saying: For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate . . . were gathered together. (Acts 4:27)
Roman Catholicism teaches that the Father is too wrathful to be approached except through Mary. But the Lord Jesus tells us: the Father himself loveth you. (John 16:27) Nowhere does the bible command us to relay our prayers to God through intermediaries such as Mary, or other saints. What purpose is there in praying to a saint when we can pray directly to God the Father? Our confidence should not be the merit of some saint, but that of Jesus, in whose name we pray, and by whom we can have: boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and having an High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near. (Hebrews 10:19-22) Within the Holiest, beyond the veil of the temple was the mercy seat, a picture of the throne of God. So in the Spirit we may draw near to the presence of God the Father because of the mediation of Jesus, our High Priest.
Not only is praying to saints, even Mary, an exercise in futility, but God forbids it, saying: There shall not be found among you . . . a consulter with familiar spirits. (Deuteronomy 18:10,11) Foolish King Saul contacted a dead saint (Samuel), by saying to a medium: divine unto me by the familiar spirit . . . Bring me up Samuel. (1 Samuel 28:8-11). But Samuel reproved Saul for this, saying: Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up?
Saul’s reason for conducting the séance was that God refused to answer him. But Samuel told him: Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee and is become thine enemy? (1 Samuel 28:16) If God does not answer our prayers after persistence, it is either because He does not want us to know everything, or because He wants us to repent.
Samuel did answer Saul, but it was not the answer he would have wished. It was that Israel would be defeated and that he would die the next day. One of the reasons Saul received such an unfavourable answer was: for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And inquired not of the Lord. (1 Chronicles 10,13,14) Although he did inquire of the Lord, this was not with the necessary diligence.
So the conclusion of the matter is that: when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? (Isaiah 8:19) So even of Roman Catholics, many of whom are sincere and devout, it must be concluded: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (Isaiah 8:20)
Perhaps wishing to follow our Lord’s example of prayer: one of His disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray. (Luke 11:1) And Jesus answered saying: After this manner, therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)
I will now discuss how to pray, not with these exact words but: after this manner that the Lord taught.
The first lesson of the Lord’s Prayer is simplicity and brevity. Jesus said to pray: Give us this day our daily bread, rather than ‘give us so many grams of protein, and so many grams of carbohydrate etc.’ This is significant as Jesus said: when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. (Matthew 6:7,8)
Repetition is different from persistence. While Jesus exhorts us to be persistent in prayer, or to pray week by week if God does not answer, He tells us not to be repetitive.
Excessive repetition is disrespectful to God. To go into the presence of a king on earth and repeat our complaint twenty times, explaining in infinite detail all the trivialities of circumstance would bore him. Should we not show the same respect to God, as did Abraham who said: Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. (Genesis 18:27)
Although excessive repetition and detail is unwarranted, this should not prevent us from unburdening our hearts freely in prayer. If we feel the need to explain ourselves to God, even with some repetition, perhaps this is the burden of the Spirit. But we should not add details and repetition merely for the sake of increasing the duration of our prayers. Perhaps the degree of detail should depend upon the importance of a request, and remember that Solomon was blessed for considering important not his own matters but the state of God’s people. This is why he requested wisdom to rule.
Even Jesus repeated Himself when in great distress. In the garden of Gethsemane: He . . . fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt . . . He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done . . . And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. (Matthew 26:39,42,44) Although Jesus prayed almost the same words the first and second time, His understanding of His Father’s will was enlightened, that there was no way other than the cross. So also with us, if we spend time in prayer our understanding of God’s will may become clearer.
Converting God to our will is not a purpose of prayer, but converting ourselves to God’s will is. And sometimes this needs to be stated, even as Christ prayed: Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
It is permissible to justify our requests and this may even help our faith by claiming God’s promises. Jesus justified His requests, praying: I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. (John 17:4,5) By so praying Jesus was claiming the promise: them that honour me I will honour. (1 Samuel 2:30) He was also claiming the promise when: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand. (Psalm 110:1) Perhaps Jesus was also claiming other promises of His Father, which may not even have been recorded in the bible.
Jesus also explained when He prayed. In His last recorded prayer he said to His Father: I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:6-11)
Jesus does not just pray, ‘O God, please do this, please do that.’ His style of prayer is more liberal, with explanations furnished. While it is irreverent to be too casual in prayer, we may quench the Spirit if our prayers are too abbreviated. Jesus’ style of prayer was that of pouring out His heart to His friend in reverence.
It is not possible to define exactly how to pray. If it were, prayer would not be prayer, but a recital. But we must learn the lessons the Lord taught from the Lord’s Prayer and from His prayers. The Psalms are also very instructive in teaching us how to pray by example.
Jesus promised a reward to those who spend significant time in prayer, when He said: pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:6)
Jesus spent much time in prayer. It is written: he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12) Should we attempt to follow this example? I will answer by way of a story.
An old servant of God from India came to Australia and prayed all night. The next day he was fully alert. A young Christian, full of zeal, thought to do the same, but the next day could hardly keep his eyes open. The old servant of God then told him to remember that he had a mortal body.
This story illustrates how prayer is a ministry of the Spirit, which must be fostered over time. (I have never spent all night in prayer.) An appropriate time for one person to pray may not be the appropriate time for another person. But we should seek to be fostering this gift rather than neglecting it. Most spend insufficient time in prayer.
The burden of prayer should increase with spiritual growth. As we become more mature spiritually and become more concerned with God’s work, we need to pray more. But there is a temptation to be slack and to spend insufficient time in prayer. This is sin. Samuel said: as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you. (1 Samuel 12:23) If you are not becoming more concerned with the work of God then become concerned. Buy books speaking of the work of God in the world, and also pray that God would show you the work He has for you.
If we spend insufficient time in prayer, just as if we neglect the work of God in other ways, God may cause things to go wrong for us, and there may be much wasted time.
Prayer is a burden. But the Spirit quickens us to carry this burden. When exhorting His disciples to prayer Jesus said: What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:40,41)
But if it is not our experience that the Spirit quickens us through prayer, if prayer seems a heavy burden with no consolation, such that we find no rest for our souls, perhaps we are trying to pray too much. Jesus promised: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30) While for most, the reason they find no rest is that they do not carry sufficient burden, especially in prayer, some may be trying to carry to heavy a burden.
Our spiritual lives must also be balanced. If we are not performing the work God has given us, our prayers will be hindered. Any disobedience will hinder prayer and perhaps make it seem a burden.
The Lord’s Prayer is a daily prayer. Some requests should be made every day. The Lord said: Give us this day our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11) Every day we should also praise God and pray for His work. I used to find it helpful to pray according to a pattern. For example, in the morning I would pray for the work God has given me, while in the evening I pray for the work of God in general. When I had a midday time of prayer, I would pray from a prayer request book. One day I would pray for India, another day for China, and another day for somewhere else,
Before I discuss more specifically how our Lord teaches us to pray, I would like to emphasise the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer, without whose help prayer is a futile, mechanical exercise.
Paul says: the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26,27) So the Spirit puts into our hearts the burden of prayer, not only the subject matter, but also the desire or groanings, that those requests be answered.
The Holy Spirit enlivens our hearts to be aware and concerned about spiritual matters, perhaps in the opposite way to that by which Satan makes us aware of evil. Different saints will have different burdens of prayer. Of Epaphras Paul writes: I bear him record that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. (Colossians 4:13)
We do not receive the Spirit’s help in prayer by being ultra-passive like the Pentecostals. Rather we receive the Spirit’s help by guiding our prayers in the light of our Lord’s instruction how to pray, given primarily in the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus said: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63) When we pray according to His instruction: the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit. (Romans 8:16) And we are conscious of the presence and help of God.
I can testify to the glory of God, that when I pray I am sometimes so overwhelmed by the glory of God that tears run down my eyes. But if this is not your experience do not give up or seek the so-called baptism of the Holy Spirit. For over twenty years of my Christian life it was not my experience. But that it is now sometimes my experience is due to several factors: increase in understanding of God; increase in understanding of His will; increase in time serving the Lord; increase in understanding of how to pray; and increase in righteousness. So if you do not sense the glory of God when praying, do not give up, but rather persevere in prayer and pray also for God’s perfection.
As little children it may be good to acknowledge our need of our heavenly Father by making personal requests for ourselves, or for our children that for example they would pass their exams. Yet there is no great merit in praying much for ourselves in such ways (except it be for strength to do the will of God.) Earthly, personal requesting is not the sort of prayer for which those who persevere will receive a great reward in heaven.
Even on earth God will bless us more, if we pray concerning His kingdom, than if we pray exclusively for our own needs, such as food and clothing. Jesus said: seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) So it is important that our prayers be balanced and not selfish. Modelling our prayers upon the Lord’s Prayer helps us to achieve a balance.
The Lord’s Prayer begins: Our Father which art in heaven. In reverence we should kneel on earth because our prayers are conveyed by the Holy Spirit to heaven, where God the Father is seated upon the throne. God dwells on a far higher plane than us. Yet God regards us as children and loves us as such. This is why we call Him Father and why we have boldness in prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer continues: Hallowed be thy name. This teaches the importance of praising God’s name in prayer. Ordinarily our prayers should always begin with worship: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. (Psalm 100:4) Not only should we thank God for what He has done, but we should also praise Him for who He is. I discuss how to praise God when I discuss the third commandment in my article: Worshipping the Name.
Although we want God to be good to us, are we also good to God by thanking and praising Him? That God desires our appreciation shows that God loves us as a father his children. Jesus said: the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:23) Praise is also a mark of humility and respect lest we forget that humans are not even comparable to God.
The Lord’s Prayer continues: Thy kingdom come. So we should pray for what is of eternal value, that which concerns His kingdom. This is that the gospel be preached in all lands, that the church would increase, and that Christians would understand and obey the word of God.
We should pray not only for our own work for the church, but also for that of others. If we thus pray, God promises: Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded. (2 Chronicles 15:7) So our work will not be in vain even though its value may not be immediately discernible.
Although we hope to make things better in some cases the immediate fruit of labour may be to prevent things from becoming worse. So we should not always judge by results. That the congregation has not doubled does not imply failure. The bible records how the nation of Israel alternated between obedience and disobedience. The churches in Asia, to whom the message of Revelation was first sent, needed to be revived, even though they had had faithful prophets and teachers. But eventually God’s purposes will gloriously prevail. So God says: Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3)
But whatever the state of the church, there is no doubt that our labours will be productive if we both serve the Lord and pray. Jesus said: I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:16)
All should pray. Paul was not writing only to so-called spiritual elite, but to all when he said: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. (Ephesians 6:18-20) Some Ephesian believers may have thought, ‘How could my feeble prayers help the great apostle Paul?’ But Paul would not have requested their prayers unless he needed them. The power of such prayers is stated by Paul when he wrote: I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:19)
Even the elderly, who have no natural power, can have significant power in prayer. Paul says: she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. (1 Timothy 5:5) Do the young realise that they need the help of elderly widows through prayer? O, what glory when the church is united through fellowship and prayer requests!
There is a need to pray for the spiritual growth of those in our own congregation. Paul commends to the church in Colossia: Epaphras . . . (who was) always labouring fervently for (them) in prayers, that (they) may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. (Colossians 4:12) Although God does not force people to obey, people grow spiritually when they understand the bible and God’s Holy Spirit influences them. This understanding and influence may be increased through prayer.
Cain asked: Am I my brother’s keeper? (Genesis 4:9) We are, and must pray for our brethren. James writes: Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. (James 5:19,20) The motive for such prayer is that the sinner may find mercy through repentance. God can lead a person to repentance either by teaching them or by chastening them, or by rebuking them.
We should also pray for our own spiritual growth. The Psalmist prayed: Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. (Psalm 119:18) Such insight enables us to have fellowship with God. Moses prayed for this fellowship saying: Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight . . . And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. (Exodus 33:13-15)
God answers such prayers not only through revelation, but also through tribulation. God uses suffering to perfect us and thus bring us into His fellowship. We must take up our cross and follow in the footsteps of our Master, who before the cross prayed: not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42) If you are doubtful whether you can pay such a price, ask God to strengthen you, because this is your duty. According to Romans 12:1 it is: your reasonable service. So do what is right.
Even more important than fellowship with God now, should be the hope of fellowship in heaven. And our goal should not be greatness now on earth, but rather greatness in heaven. James and John asked the Lord saying: Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. (Mark 10:37) Some find fault with James and John for asking such a petition. But Jesus did not find fault. Although He could not promise to answer this prayer, as such a decision was not His but His Father’s, he did, however, show them the way to such glory. The way to such an exalted position was through suffering, and through such a cup of suffering as they could not imagine. Jesus said to them: You know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with? (Mark 10:38) James and John replied that they were willing to pay such a price.
May God also give us grace to strive for great reward. Tell the lord that, for great reward, you are willing to pay any price if the Lord will supply the strength. God will certainly test the sincerity of your request as he did of James of whom it is written: Herod the king . . . killed James the brother of John with the sword. (Acts 12:1,2)
We should also pray that our hearts be always ready that we be not rebuked at our Lord’s return to establish His kingdom. Jesus said: pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:36) But whether such a prayer is answered depends not only upon God, but also upon our watchfulness, or our diligence to obey or abide in the commandments of the bible. John exhorts: abide in Him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:28)
The Lord’s Prayer continues: Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. The purposes of God are fulfilled not only by the church preaching the gospel and obeying perfectly the will of God. The environment on earth outside the church is also important. And so Paul writes that prayers: be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)
It is difficult to build the church during times of national distress. It was only after God had given David rest from all his enemies that he thought to build the house of God. (2 Samuel 7:1,2) And while Solomon was building the house there was quietness in the land. Even after the Jews had been carried away captive to Babylon, Jeremiah wrote to them: seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. (Jeremiah 29:7)
It is God’s will that governments enact wise laws. This creates an environment where it is easier for Christians to practise their faith. This also creates an environment where people’s hearts do not become hardened against God. Christians should pray against laws that undermine the family, as it is God’s plan that love and responsibility be learned in the family. Such laws help the will of God to be done on earth and preserve the world from sliding into wickedness. Prayers for such wise laws are in keeping with the role of the church as the salt of the earth.
So it is good for church ministers to pray in Parliament. And even though parliamentarians may not be committed to following Jesus, God may bless them for acknowledging Him.
God is grieved to see wickedness on earth, so it is good to pray for the restraint of evil. Elijah prayed to this effect: Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. (James 5:17) The purpose of this prayer was that the nation would understand the greatness of their sin of forsaking the true God and worshipping Baal. Elijah’s purpose was not to punish the people but to turn them back to God.
While Elijah was praying for drought, others may have been praying for rain. This shows the importance of having spiritual understanding. Only after the people repented is it written of Elijah that: he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain. (James 5:18)
The Lord’s Prayer continues: Give us this day our daily bread. (Matt 6:11) So Jesus teaches us to pray for necessities rather than luxuries. But this does not mean that God will never give luxuries, only that we do not normally ask for them. Of praying for luxuries James says: Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:3)
As God has ordained that our daily bread be earned through work, we can and should ask that God will help us with our work. Not to do so is pride: thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth. (Deuteronomy 8:18)
Note that prayer for our concerns follows prayer for God’s concerns. This order is important. If we began by praying for our daily bread it would be easy to become so engrossed with our own needs that we fail to give sufficient time to praising God or praying for the increase of His kingdom.
Having prayed for our necessities we should try not to worry, but instead should claim the peace of God. Paul writes: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7)
The request for daily bread is plural, as Christians should not only think of themselves. In addition to praying for the needs of others we must be prepared to share our bread with hungry Christians when God has given us abundance.
There may be those in the church whom we do not dislike, but neither are they our particular friends. Yet these, when in need, should not be excluded from our prayers. The church is our family and by praying for those in it we obey the words of Christ when He said: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you. (John 13:34)
Christ tells us even to pray for the needs of our enemies when He said: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you . . . pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44,45) An aspect of perfection, in imitation of our Father in heaven, is that we should care for those who do not yet care for us. And so we should pray for our enemies, primarily that they should be saved, but also, so that their hearts be prepared for salvation, we should pray for their good. For this we shall receive a reward in heaven. (It should be noted that there are two types of enemies, the ignorant and the wicked. We need not pray for the wicked: there is sin unto death. I do not say that you should pray for it (1 John 5:16)
The Lord’s Prayer continues: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. A sin is a debt, as we owe it to God to be fully obedient. Complete obedience, Jesus teaches, is not a surplus but is only our duty. (Luke 17:10) The logic is that we normally obey the will of God, but when we fail, we confess our sin, and perhaps also ask God for strength to obtain victory.
But what of those with no concern to obey the word of God, for whom sin is not the exception but the rule? Of the prayers of these rebellious it is written: He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination. (Proverbs 28:9) Yet of the prayers of the righteous it is written: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16) The blind man whom Jesus healed summarised this when He said: God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. (John 9:31) So confession only avails when our hearts are set to obey. Only then will God answer our prayers. This gives us incentive not only to confess, but also to repent.
Confession should not be deferred as God’s presence may not go with us, leading to a loss of peace, of joy, of glory, and of help. And while there is unconfessed sin, the Psalmist says: If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. (Psalm 66:18)
Note that confession, as for the rest of the Lord’s Prayer, is not addressed to a priest, but to our Father in heaven. The Father loves us and wishes to forgive us because we love Christ and believe that He came from God. (John 16:27) And the debt is cancelled because of the work of Christ on the cross, and because of Christ’s advocacy on our behalf at the throne of God.
The prayer for forgiveness, however, is plural. Although our main concern should be our own hearts, there are times when we need to pray for the forgiveness of others, as did Moses, Job and Samuel. (Exodus 32:32, Job 42:8, 1 Samuel 12:19,23) If so be that God has brought some chastening, such as sickness, upon a believer and they have repented, it is time to pray that God will remove the chastening. It is written: the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:15) But not all sickness is the result of sin.
Even more important than physical restoration is spiritual restoration. John writes: If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life. (1 John 5:16) Through forgiveness the life of the Holy Spirit is restored to help our fellow believer to obtain future victory over sin.
For God to be merciful to us, we must be merciful to others. Jesus said: if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14,15) While this does not mean there should be no judgement in the church, it does mean that we should not harbour petty grudges, nor seek revenge.
And husbands should be understanding and gentle to their wives, rather than cruel or brutal when their wife annoys them. Otherwise God will not hear the husband’s prayers. Peter writes: Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)
The Lord’s Prayer continues: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The word ‘temptation’ here refers to trials undergone during persecution.
It is only through prayer that we can claim the promise of God’s deliverance. E. M. Bounds said of prayer, ‘By taking hold of the promiser, prayer releases the personal promise.’ And God promises: Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. (Isaiah 43:1-3) Through prayer we receive the comfort and assurance from God that strengthens us to stand in time of trial. So pray: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
In times of great trial it is especially important to pray. On the night of Christ’s betrayal, He said to His disciples: Pray that you enter not into temptation. (Luke 22:40) But when Christ returned He did not find them praying. Instead: he found them sleeping for sorrow. (Luke 22:45) As a result of their lack of prayer, the disciples lacked the courage to stand with their Lord, and: they all forsook him, and fled. (Mark 14:50)
When Satan mightily opposes the word of God, the prayer of the whole church is important. I have discussed how Peter was delivered from prison by an angel. But the effective cause of this deliverance was that: prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. (Acts 12:5)
Not only can we pray for our own deliverance, but we may also pray for God’s vengeance upon our enemies. Jeremiah prays: Give . . . thy curse unto them. Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:65,66)
But do not prayers for vengeance contradict our Lord’s command to love our enemies? If so then many prayers in the Old Testament, especially the Psalms, are faulty. But how can this be if: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable . . . for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16) So an explanation should be sought which harmonises all Scripture.
An explanation is that compassion should be shown to those who persecute through ignorance but not to those who through addiction to evil persecute the saints. Jesus prayed for forgiveness to the ignorant multitude that crucified him saying: forgive them; for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34) But he did not pray for Judas.
And so we also should consider the motives of those who persecute us when deciding how to pray. For Moslems, who think they do God service by killing us, we should pray for mercy. But for those who persecute us because they hate righteousness, we are allowed to pray for vengeance. And God is a God of vengeance. Of those who: gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood the psalmist writes that God: shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off. (Psalm 94:21,23) This thought is a comfort to us in our affliction.
But even if vengeance is not taken in this life, we may be comforted to know that: it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8) This is not vengeance upon the world, and the foolish and disobedient within it, for it says: God so loved the world, but it is vengeance upon the cruel haters of God and his people. These are the demons, sent to this world in human flesh: the tares of the field whom man cannot distinguish from man, but who are destined for judgement.
One must wonder whether in a few instances, the infallible words of Jesus recorded in the Scriptures, have been corrupted by legalistic wisdom of some of the copyists, who generalised warnings, as they wrote explanatory notes in the Scriptures they were copying. For example the warning to pluck out the eye that offends, or to cut off the hand or foot that offends, are given in the context of offending or stumbling, or in other words harming a child in the ninth chapter of Mark's gospel. But in the fifth chapter of Matthew's gospel the warning is generalised to refer to all sin. It seems far more likely that God would be angry with someone hurting a Christian child, than with someone who was tempted to look at a woman. Therefore the context of the warning in Mark's gospel seems to be genuine. It is unlikely that both contexts are genuine, for why would Jesus give a specific warning not to hurt a child, if the same fate applied to all sinners. This conclusion agrees with other similar of sayings of Jesus in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew's gospel, where he also said: take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones, for in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. (Matt 18:10)
I have now completed my discussion of the Lord’s model prayer. When I pray I order the items of my prayers in the same order as the Lord teaches, but I do not in every prayer session pray for every item on the list. For example I do not pray for my daily bread more than once a day, although I praise the Lord and pray for the increase of His kingdom or of obedience to His will every prayer session.
Although it is valid and even good to say, ‘I pray so that God may answer’, God must say, ‘I answer so that you may pray’. This is because prayer is so valuable. Prayer teaches us, as a child, to depend upon our heavenly Father. Prayer gives us a means of caring for others. And prayer also gives us a means of involving ourselves in God’s heavenly purposes: the defeat of Satan and the increase of God’s kingdom.
The confidence of answered prayer increases our fellowship with God and enables us to say with David: I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. (Psalm 116:1,2) And Jesus, our Lord promised: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Luke 11:9)
The certainty of answered prayer is illustrated by our Lord in a parable when He said: Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. (Luke 11:5-8) This parable is only meaningful if God, our friend, will definitely, not probably, supply our needs. But the parable only covers the case of genuine needs, and not those that result from bad planning or laziness.
Confidence in prayer is based not only upon God’s promises, but also upon God’s goodness that underlies the promises. Jesus said: If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? (Luke 11:13) The gift of the presence Holy Spirit is greater than that of our material needs as it enables us to have fellowship with God. But for such a prayer to be answered it is necessary to set our hearts upon goodness. Jesus said: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)
Perhaps I should note that I do not believe in the so-called second experience of Pentecostals, which they claim to be the filling of the Holy Spirit. We are born again only once, after which we should seek to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. This is effected by obedience and prayer.
When we pray for the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of others we can have great confidence that such a prayer will be answered: And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1 John 5:14,15) Yet the working of the Holy Spirit does not imply the conversion of every soul. Some may resist the Holy Spirit, yet not all. But on balance those who minister the word of God and pray will be fruitful. And so Jesus promises: I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:16)
But this promise, as all our Lord’s promises regarding prayer, is conditional upon us abiding in the word of Christ. Jesus said: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7) This means that we must read and set our hearts to obey all the word of God, as Christ taught.