Prayer

Throughout the Old and New Testament alike, we have examples and discourses on prayer. Every man of God in the Bible was a man of prayer. Most notably, our Lord and Savior was a man of prayer, and was continually on his knees speaking to His Father. You would be hard pressed to find a book in the Bible that does not speak of prayer. Next to our Lord Jesus Christ and salvation, the subject of prayer is probably the most pervasive theme in the Bible. It is also, at times, one of the most misinterpreted and improperly taught doctrines in the Bible. At first glance, it appears as a simple concept, and, in many ways, it is. However, it’s apparent simplicity can sometimes lead us in the wrong direction if we are not diligent in our studies. There are many doctrines in our Bible that cannot be adequately defined or understood by only referring to a couple of verses, but none so much as prayer. To fully understand and grasp the magnificence of the blessing of prayer, we must dive into the scriptures and diligently search through the many different passages that speak of prayer. Only then can we fully appreciate and understand prayer. I like to use the analogy of comparing someone who is trying to understand the concept of prayer by only studying a couple of verses to that of the well-known story of a group of blind men trying to describe what an elephant looks like. As the story goes, each of the blind men encounters a different part of the elephant. One touches his tail and describes the elephant as being like a snake. Another touches his leg and describes the elephant as being similar to a large tree. Each of the blind men touches a different part of the elephant’s body: his tusk, his trunk, his ears, his belly, and so on. As each one touches a solitary part of the elephant’s body, they come away with a very narrow and incorrect view of what the elephant actually looks like. It is only when all of the blind men put their experiences together, that the true picture is understood. The same is true with prayer. Only with a complete and thorough review of prayer can we come away with a satisfactory understanding of prayer. As Christians, we are called to be a people of prayer, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (NKJ: I Thessalonians 5:16-18) As such, we should possess an acceptable knowledge of the practice of prayer, a knowledge that can only come about with a thorough study of the scriptures. Hopefully, this study will form a foundation of understanding for prayer from which one can build on. In the following pages, some of the scriptures we discuss may be contrary to what you may have heard and/or have been taught. My admonition to the reader is to remember where all truth lies, in the Holy Bible. Whenever what we have heard contradicts what is written in the Bible, we never have to wonder which is correct. The Holy Word of God takes precedence over all, “For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (NKJ: Psalm 138:2). 1. What is prayer? Prayer is a Two-Way Conversation with God Prayer is our personal time with God. He is always there, patiently waiting to spend time with us. And in our personal times of prayer, we should be talking “with” God and not “to” God. Prayer consists of us both talking and listening. The talking part we are all well acquainted with; however, the listening part is often times overlooked. God does not speak to us in an audible voice, but He will speak to us in other ways. He may bring Bible verses to mind during prayer (cf. Hebrews 4:12, II Timothy 3:16-17), or give us certain insights relating to issues in our lives (cf. Acts 1:24-6). Listening during prayer is as important, if not more important, than talking. Here are some suggestions to facilitate listening during prayer time:

• Do not enter into prayer with a completely set agenda, but leave room for the Holy Spirit’s leading during prayer. We should not, and I have fallen into this trap, enter into prayer with a totally scripted agenda of what we want to say to God. Leave room for God to impress on your heart what He would have you say in prayer.
  

• Do not rush through prayer, but instead try to have silent pauses during prayer. This will allow you to hear in your heart what God may be saying to you.
  

• We should enter into prayer with an attitude of wanting to know God’s will in our lives, and not with an attitude of wanting to talk God into following our own will. It is fine to express that which we believe our needs to be in prayer, but we should always have our primary goal as learning God’s will for our lives.
  

Prayer is Aligning our Will with God’s Prayer is not a time to be used to attempt to change God’s mind and bring His will in line with ours. Rather, it is a time where we ask God to bring our will in line with His. God, who created us, knows exactly what is best for us, and His best for us is what we should be seeking in prayer. We might think that we know what is best for ourselves, but our hearts and minds can deceive us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (NIV: Jeremiah 17:9) We are to trust the Lord in all things and not to rely on our own feelings, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (NKJ: Proverbs 3:5-6) It is through prayer that we fellowship with the Lord, and seek His guidance. One of the strongest examples of yielding to the will of God in prayer is found in our Lord’s prayer to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. Our Lord knew the excruciating pain He would soon suffer on the Cross, and He came to God the Father in prayer asking if there was any other way to provide a means for salvation for us other than the Cross; however, He ultimately yields to His Father’s will, knowing that His will is always for the better, “’Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” (NKJ: Mark 14:36) If our Lord and Savior yields His will to the Father in prayer, how much more should we. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul the apostle tells them, “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” (NKJ: Colossians 1:9) Paul’s desire is that the people of Colossus would know God’s will for their lives, knowing the importance of that knowledge. How much we should be seeking God’s will for our lives, and what an awesome gift we have through which to know His will, that of prayer. We are told in John’s first epistle, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (NKJ: I John 5:14-15) But how can we be confident that we are praying according to the will of God? Well, I have found that one of the best ways to be assured that we are praying according to the Lord’s will is to pray using scripture verses. By making our requests according to scripture, we are assured that we are making our requests according to the will of God. One caveat to note when using scripture verses during prayer is to make sure to quote the verses in their proper context, and not try and make the verse mean something other than its intended meaning. For example, using Solomon as a basis for asking for many wives would not be according to scripture since God had said not to multiply wives (cf. Deuteronomy 17:17) Prayer is Handing over our needs and cares to the Lord In Peter’s first epistle he writes, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (NKJ: I Peter 5:6-7) Our Lord’s love for us surpasses any love that we could ever experience in this world. He cares for us deeply and desires that we not be burdened with any cares of this world, but that we would lay them at His feet and put our complete trust in Him to take care of all things. No matter what happens in our lives, if we trust in Him, it will ultimately work out for the good, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (NKJ: Romans 8:28) Our prayer time should be a time where we lay our needs and cares before the Lord and trust that He will provide for our needs (Note that there is a definite difference between “needs” and “wants”, e.g. we may need a car, but want a Porsche. God provides for our needs, and not necessarily our wants). For we are told in Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (NKJ: Philippians 4:6-7) The act of releasing our worries and concerns to our Lord during prayer is actually quite simple. All we have to do is to tell our Lord those things in our life that are burdensome to us, and believe that He will take care of them for us. That’s all there is to it, release and believe. Then, based on the previous verse, a calmness will come over us that will be beyond even our own understanding. Anxiety and stress should not be a characteristic possessed by a Christian, for we should be walking through life with our eyes focused on the Lord and trusting completely in Him. Through prayer, we are to release our worries and concerns to Him, knowing in faith that He will be faithful to provide for ALL our needs. How awesome is that? However, expressing our needs and cares to God should not be construed as telling the Lord something He did not previously know. By no means are these synonymous. The Lord already knows our needs even before we ask, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” (NKJ: I John 3:20) (cf. Luke 16:15, Acts 15:8, I Corinthians 3:20) Telling the Lord our cares and needs in prayer is not informing Him, but is merely a time where our words allow us to release these things to Him. Prayer is Enlisting God’s Power and Protection in our Lives Prayer is a time where we should come before our Lord and acknowledge our weakness and absolute dependence on Him for it is only through His power that we can achieve anything of eternal significance, ““I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (NKJ: John 15:5). Through our Lord, all things are possible, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJ: Philippians 4:13). In prayer, we should ask for success in our endeavors and protection from those spiritual forces that would come against us (cf. Ephesians 6:10-12). Our Lord is just waiting for us to ask for His power in our lives. The Lord desires that we should live a victorious life in Him, placing our reliance on Him and not ourselves. All throughout the Bible we have examples of victories through prayer and reliance on the Lord:

• Abraham’s servant prays and Rebekah comes (Genesis 24)
  

• Hannah prayed and Samuel was born (I Samuel 1)
  

• Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed and 185,000 Assyrians were killed by angels (II Kings 19)
  

• All throughout the New Testament prayer is used for healing (Acts 6:6, 9:40, 28:8) One of the reasons God allows trials in our lives is to push us away from relying on ourselves, and to push us towards relying on Him, “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.” (NKJ: II Corinthians 1:8-11) Prayer is a time where we can come to God and ask for protection, strength and power in our lives through Him.
  

Prayer Should Include Giving Glory go God Prayer is a time where we come before our Lord and bring our praises to him. We should exalt and give honor to Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. “ (NKJ: Hebrews 13:15) (cf. Psalm 7:17, 9:1, 22:23&26, 34:1, 96:4, 102:18, 104:35, 113:3, 118:28, 135:1, 138:1-5, 146:2, Isaiah 25:1, Daniel 2:23, I Timothy 1:17, Revelation 4:11, 19:5) Personally, I believe that the act of giving glory to our Lord in prayer is the most important part of prayer. By giving glory to God in prayer, we bow our hearts before Him, and humble ourselves in the presence of the Almighty. Glory is also given to God through answered prayer, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (NKJ: John 14:13) In our prayers, we are to bring our needs and requests before the Lord, and when those prayers are answered, glory, honor and praise should be given to our God in prayer. We are to thank Him in our prayers for the blessings and answered prayers we receive. 2. What Effect does our Walk (How We Live our Lives) have on our Prayers? As Christians, we can stand confident in the fact that our Lord will never leave us or forsake us, “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (NKJ: Hebrews 13:5) He is always there with us, looking out for us. However, our communication with him can be temporarily impaired when we are not living our lives according to His will. In His Word, the Bible, God has given to us His will for how we are to live our lives, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NIV: II Timothy 3:16-17) As a good parent will instruct and train their child on how to conduct themselves in life, so our Father in Heaven will instruct us on how we should live our lives through His Word. Yes, there will continually be times when we fall short of God’s perfect will for our lives, but, as disciples of Christ, we are to continually strive to be like Him and faithfully obey God’s Word in our lives. As such, one requirement for acknowledged prayer is that the person praying must be sincerely striving to live their lives according the Word of God, “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” (NKJ: I John 3:22-23) This is not saying that we must be living a perfectly sinless life, by no means. Rather, it is saying that we are earnestly attempting to live our lives according to the precepts laid out in the Bible. It comes down a matter of the heart. Is our true heart’s desire to follow after and be like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, or is our heart in rebellion against Him? Again, we are keeping His commandments because we are seeking His will in our lives. It is a heart issue. It is not the act of attempting to keep His commandments, but the sincere heartfelt desire to keep His commandments. There will always be times when we trip and fall during our walk with God. It is not a matter of being perfect, for that will never happen (“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us….If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (NKJ: I John 1:8,10) & “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (NKJ: Romans 3:23)). It is a matter of our heart yearning to seek after Him, to listen to and obey Him, and to please Him. God’s main priority for us (“us” being Christians) is to have us seeking and walking, i.e. living our lives, according to His will. Not that we are perfect or that we are not struggling, but that we are sincerely reaching out for Him and desiring to follow Him. In essence, the desire of our heart should be to obey God. When we are not attempting to follow after Him, but are being willfully rebellious, then all our prayers are apparently not heard, or, more appropriately, not acknowledged. This is evident in the following verses: “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”(NKJ: I Peter 3:12) “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, "Even his prayer is an abomination.” (NKJ: Proverbs 28:9) What is God’s will for our lives? God’s will for our lives is to live our lives according to His Word, the Holy Bible. All throughout the Bible we are given instruction on how to live our lives in accordance with the will of God. For example: -Abstain from premarital or extramarital sexual relations (I Thessalonians 4:3 & I Corinthians 6:18-20) -Sincerely love others (John 13:35, Romans 13:9, Matthew 5:43-45,22:39) -Children are to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1-3) -Do not lie (Colossians 3:9, Proverbs 6:16-17) -Do not create discord among other Christians (Proverbs 6:19) -Live our lives as witnesses for Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:14-16) -Provide for relatives in need (I Timothy 5:8) -Acknowledge the Lord before others (Matthew 10:32-33) -Do not love money, that is, do not let money control our lives or become a higher priority than our Lord (I Timothy 6:10) -Show forgiveness to others (Matthew 5:7,18:21-22) The above examples are only a small selection from our Bible relating to God’s will for how we should live our lives. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should be in continual study of the Word of God so as, if for no other reason, to be continually focusing on His will for our lives. Prayer must be sincere, for God knows our hearts, “And He said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’” (NKJ: Luke 16:15) We cannot hide anything from Him. One who knowingly and willingly chooses to live their lives contrary to God’s will, will not have their prayers acknowledged by God. 3. What are the Conditions of Answered Prayer Contrary to some teachings, prayer is not an open opportunity for us to come before the Lord and receive from Him anything we ask based just on our belief that it will happen (this belief is sometimes referred to as “Name it and Claim it” or, my favorite, “Blab it and Grab it”). By no means is this true. This would put the Lord in a position of being some sort of spiritual Santa Claus, to be available at our beck-and-call to fulfill our personal desires according to our own will. As we have been discussing previously, and as we will discuss in the subsequent sections, this line of teaching is contrary to what our Bible teaches. To properly understand the basis for answered prayer, we must turn from some of the external teachings that are floating around in some of the pulpits, and turn to the one true and faithful source of spiritual information—the Holy Scriptures. God has laid out for us certain guidelines for answered prayer. The following is a summary of some of the conditions for answered prayer: Do Abide in the Lord One condition for answered prayer is “abiding” in the Lord, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”(NKJ: John 15:7) The word “abide” indicates an extreme closeness and intimacy, a life sincerely reflecting God’s will for one’s life. When one is seeking after God’s will, what they ask for will be in accordance with God’s will and, according to Scripture, will be received. This is a very key point to be understood, which will be reiterated throughout this section, that is, that our prayers must be in accordance with God’s will to be answered. Certain false doctrines will refer to verses like the one above, and teach that through prayer we can receive whatever we desire. They do not acknowledge that the desires that we bring before the Lord in prayer must be in accordance with God’s will for them to be answered. God’s will should and always will reign above that of our own—as it should. One should ask themselves who they would want to be guiding their lives: themselves or the Creator of the Universe? Do Ask in the name of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is our one and only intercessor before God, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” (NKJ: I Timothy 2:5) His work on the Cross, broke down the barrier that had existed between God and man due to our sin. Through His blood, our sins have been forgiven, and we can have fellowship with our God and Father through prayer. In prayer, we come to our Father in the name of Jesus Christ, “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (NKJ: John 16:23) & “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (NJK: John 14:13-14) This is another area, as with the prior section on “abiding”, where we must be very careful to understand what the scripture is trying to tell us. We must discern what the scripture means by “asking in His name.” Asking in the name of Jesus is not speaking of His name like a magic word, like abracadabra, that when spoken will automatically prod God into action. “In My name” refers to us saying that we are disciples of Jesus Christ following after His example and desiring to be just like Him. Our will is to seek after His will, and, thus, what we ask will be received because it is His will also. Answered prayer is prayer asked according to the will of God. Prayer contrary to the will of God will not be answered. Above all, this precept must be fully understood and acknowledge. Without the acceptance of this Biblical fact, that is, that our prayers must be in accordance with God’s will to be answered, one cannot properly understand the act of prayer. Do Ask According to God’s will It has probably been noticed that the phrase, “according to God’s will”, has been referred to several times in this section. There is a reason for this in that all answered prayer leads back to one source: the will of God. The apostle John tells us in his first epistle, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (I John 5:14-15) The key phrase to note is “according to His will”. To assure that our prayers are heard, we need to ask according to His will. How do we know we are asking according to His will? A good place to start is knowing His word, that is, the Bible. Know His word, know His will. Do Have Faith that Our Prayers will be Answered Another key to acknowledged prayer is faith in the Lord and His willingness and ability to answer prayer, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (NKJ: James 1:6-7) God requires that we trust in Him. When praying, know and believe that prayer made according to His will will always be answered without fail (also remember that it will be answered in His timing not ours). In other words, don’t just throw a request out in prayer with the attitude, “Well, I will ask this from the Lord. I don’t believe it will probably happen, but let’s just throw it out there and see if He answers. If He does answer my prayer, then great, but if He does not answer my prayer, then that is what I kind of expected.” God promises that prayer made according to His will will be answered, but we must also believe and trust in His Word. However, having faith that our prayers will be acknowledged and answered, in and of itself, is not a sole determinant having our prayers acknowledged and answered. Based on our past discussions, this may seem an obvious statement; however, there are various verses on prayer in the Bible that are at times taken out of context and interpreted as meaning, “if we believe we automatically receive.” The following are two of those verses: -“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (NKJ: Matthew 21:22) -“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (NKJ: Mark 11:24) These verses must be viewed in context with all other verses on prayer. To take these verses in a vacuum, without making reference to all the other verses on prayer, would mean that we could ask for whatever our hearts desire, irrespective of how our requests line up with God’s will, and receive it if we just believe. This is obviously not the case. In context, Jesus is emphasizing faith in prayer as one aspect of prayer , not as the end all to prayer. Do Not Ask for Frivolous Things One aspect of prayer, which this section has been discussing, is bringing our needs before the Lord. However, we must discern between our needs and frivolous wants, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (NKJ: James 4:3) The Greek word translated as “pleasure” does not refer to those things that we merely enjoy, but to those things which are unethical or lustful. An implication can also be made here for “pleasures” representing those things possessing a selfish and/or extravagant nature. This can be viewed as the opposite of asking according to God’s will, but in contrast, asking based on our own desires that, at best, have nothing to do with God’s will, and, at worst, are in opposition to God’s will. Prayer is a time to seek after God’s will. God definitely wants to meet our needs, and He also desires to bless us beyond our needs. However, those blessings, above and beyond our needs, are not to be a focus of our prayers. Do Have a Humble Attitude When we come to the Lord in prayer, He is not looking at our appearance or the position of our body, and He is not even necessarily listening to the words coming out of our mouths. The Lord is looking at and listening to our hearts, “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (NKJ: Romans 8:27) (cf. Luke 16:15, Acts 1:24). If our attitude in prayer is not correct, that is, we are not coming to Him with a humble attitude, our prayers will not be answered. Jesus illustrated this principle in the following parable: “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’” (NKJ: Luke 18:9-14) When we pray, we are to come humbly before the Lord. Realizing that we are ALL undeserving sinners who deserve to spend eternity separated from God except for the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, and His work alone. Before Him, we have not one reason to exalt ourselves or to be proud. Such false feelings only separate our prayers from God. Do Be Living our Lives According to God’s Will See section 2 – “What Effect does our Walk (How We Live our Lives) have on our Prayers” for discussion on this area. 4. Do we need to word our prayers perfectly? God already knows our needs before we even ask. He desires fellowship with us and wants us to come to him with our needs. What a blessing to know that when we are fumbling for the right words or trying to organize our thoughts, the Holy Spirit is translating perfectly everything we are feeling and thinking, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (NKJ: Romans 8:26-27) We never have to worry about how we express ourselves in prayer. Pray with a sincere heart and God will hear exactly what you are trying to tell him. 5. For What should we Pray? As we have discussed previously, one aspect of prayer is laying before our Lord our needs and requests. These needs and requests can relate to ourselves and also to others. The list of things for which to pray is endless, but here are some examples given in the Bible: Pray for Our leaders and all those who are in Authority over Us “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority (NKJ: I Timothy 2:1-2) Instead of complaining about politicians, leaders, bosses, or any other person of authority in our lives, we should pray for them. If they have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, our first order of prayer should be for their salvation. For without this precious gift from God, all is lost for them. In addition, we should pray that God would work in their hearts and lives. We can pray to God to give them such things as wisdom, discernment, ethical and moral character, loving hearts, or patience. True and lasting change comes from within, not from without. Prayer can pierce the hardest of hearts. Pray for Our Enemies “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (NKJ: Matthew 5:44) Here is one of those special areas where the Christian witness can shine. The world would have us curse our enemies, but God says just the opposite. What a powerful witness. Such behavior could ultimately turn an enemy into a friend. Praying for an enemy is also a cleansing action for ourselves. It can supernaturally enable us to have love and compassion for those who come against us. As one very popular saying goes, “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” Pray for Fellow Christians who are going through Trials “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” (NKJ: Acts 12:5) & “Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” (NKJ: Colossians 4:12) Prayer for our fellow Christians is important. It is like throwing a blanket of protection over them. I myself know how comforting it is to have my friends holding me up in their prayers. Pray for Wisdom “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (NKJ: James 1:5) In our walk through life, we should always lean on our Lord for wisdom in all aspects of our life whether it be work, relationships, ministry, or any other area of our lives. True and lasting wisdom only comes from God. Pray for Those who are Suffering and Sick “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (NKJ: James 5:13-16) Prayer is “powerful and effective” as James writes in his epistle above. Prayer can bring about physical and psychological healing power in our lives. When healing is needed in our bodies, we are called to both pray ourselves and to ask other fellow Christians to pray for us. Through prayer, if it is God’s will, we will be healed. However, as with all things, healing must be in accordance with God’s will. There are times when God may choose to have us remain unhealed to serve a higher purpose in our lives. We have an excellent example of this in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NKJ: II Corinthians 12:9-10) Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, explains how this “thorn in the flesh” related to an actual physical infirmity. “You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.” (NKJ: Galatians 4:13-14) Paul prayed to the Lord three times to remove his physical infirmity, but God’s purpose for Paul’s life was better served with this physical infirmity remaining in Paul. Once Paul realized that it was God’s purpose for him not to be healed, he rejoiced in his infirmity. Why? Because he realized that it was God’s will for his infirmity to remain, and there is no better place to be than in God’s will. We can all find solace in Paul’s words to the Romans, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. “ (NKJ: Romans 8:28) Even in our infirmities, as Christians we can have comfort knowing that if we keep our eyes focused on our Lord, He will ultimately work things out to our benefit. Therefore, we are to pray when we are sick and for those who are sick, but we must also realize that there may be times when our Lord’s will is for us or others to remain in that condition for a time to best serve His purpose in our lives (See Bible study on “Trials”). Pray for Blessings for Others “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (NKJ: Phillipians 1:9-11) As we should covet the prayers of others, so should we bless others by praying for them. Pray to Overcome Anxiousness and Stress “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (NKJ: Phillipians 4:6-7) Even the most spiritually mature Christians will have times in their lives when the stresses of life will become a significant burden. God desires that we especially look to Him in these times for relief. When we come to him in these times of turmoil, He promises to supernaturally take away our stress and replace it with His peace. And He will do it in a way that will blow our minds, surpassing our own understanding. Throw away all your books on relaxation and stress relief techniques; the Creator of the Universe can give you true inner peace. Pray for Deliverance from Trials “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (NKJ: Matthew 26:29) Here we have the perfect example of how we should pray for deliverance from trials. Our Lord and Savior is facing a cruel and painful death on the Cross. He asks God for deliverance from this trial, but at the same time acknowledges that if it is God’s will that He should go through this trial, then that is what He will do, “not as I will, but as You will.” There are many profitable purposes for trials in our lives (See Bible study on “Trials”), and at times it is God’s will that we go through these trials. We should always pray to God for deliverance from trials that we are experiencing, but we should also realize that it may be God’s will for us to go through a specific trial for our own benefit. Trials will be a part of every Christian’s life, and are not to be viewed as a sign for a lack of faith and/or a poor walk with God: “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” (NKJ: I Peter 4:16) & “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (II Timothy 3:12) Pray for Strength against Temptation “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (NKJ: Matthew 26:41) When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, the Holy Spirit will enter into us and become a controlling factor in our lives, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (NKJ: Romans 8:9) However, our old nature also still exists as a controlling factor in our lives as well, and is at constant war with the Holy Spirit within us, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” (NKJ: Galatians 5:16-17) There will be many times in a Christian’s life where one will be tempted to follow after the desires of their old self and to conduct themselves contrary to the will of God and the Holy Spirit within them. It is in these times where we are told to pray to God for spiritual strength to enable us to turn from temptation and to yield to the Holy Spirit within us. Prayer can keep us from following after temptations that come into our lives. Pray for Ministry “Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (NKJ: Luke 10:2) & “meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains” (NKJ: Colossians 4:3) Do you want to pray something that you know is in God’s will? If so, then pray that God will provide ministry opportunities for yourself and others. God’s desire is that His Word is preached throughout the world, and that everyone will be saved through His Word, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (NKJ: I Timothy 2:4) (Note: This is the only place where God’s will will not be done, that is, that everyone will be saved, for He has chosen to let each person make their own decision -- See Bible Study on “Free Will”) God will always honor our sincere requests to be used by Him to reach the world for His Son, Jesus Christ. However, He, not us, will choose the time, place, and method; therefore, keep your eyes open for ministry opportunities so as to not miss an opened door. Pray for Forgiveness “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (NKJ: I John 1:9) When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, we receive the free gift of salvation through His work on the Cross. This gift will never be taken away (See Bible Study on “The Security of our Salvation”). Our sins--past, present, and future--have been forgiven once and for all through the blood of Jesus Christ. However, as long as we are here on this earth, we will sin. These daily sins will have a negative impact on our lives in various ways and can also become a hindrance in our fellowship with our Lord. However, through prayer we can bring our sins before the Lord, with a sincerely repentant heart (it is important to note that for us to bring our sins before the Lord, we must be repentant, that is, realizing that what we did was wrong and sincerely wanting to not repeat that behavior), and be freed of their burden in our lives. Pray for Guidance “And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen” (NKJ: Acts 1:23-24) Our Lord is always there to guide us in our lives, in all aspects, not only spiritual. We should be in the habit of always bringing our important decisions before the Lord and asking for His guidance, as well as with even our not-so-important questions. He is there for us at all times. Pray for Boldness in ministry “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word” (NKJ: Acts 4:29) Intimidating situations can arise in which the Lord has opened a door for a ministry opportunity, but due to the circumstances we may feel shy about sharing the Gospel. In these times, we should look to the Lord and ask that He take away our shyness in the situation and give us a supernatural boldness in sharing His Word. This is usually for me a silent prayer, since I am most often right in the middle of the situation at the time. Pray for Relief from Cares “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (NKJ: I Peter 5:7) The cares of this world are not to be a burden to us, for we have a loving and faithful God who will meet our needs and see us past or through all trials that may come into our lives. Through prayer, all our cares are to be literally thrown away to the Lord with the knowledge that our caring Father in Heaven desires to take complete care of us. It is amazing for me at times, when I bring my cares before the Lord in prayer, that after my prayer time I can feel so refreshed, and the cares that seemed so heavy before are now just minor nuisances. There is no other word for it but supernatural. Pray to Worship & Praise the Lord “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (NKJ: Hebrews 13:15) One of the most, if not the most, important things that we can pray is that of giving praise and worship to our Lord. If for no other reason than for the work that He did on the Cross for each one of us, opening the way for us to inherit eternal salvation--the most precious gift in all of creation. Pray to Thank God for good friends “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now…” (NKJ: Phillipians 1:3-5) True friends are an awesome blessing in our lives. We should always thank God for these precious gifts. Pray to God for Thanksgiving “And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.” (NKJ: John 6:11) We should always have a thankful heart towards our Lord, and to give thanks to Him in our prayers for all the blessings in our lives such as met needs, family, friends, successes at work, emotional healing, and even trials (trials in that we know that He will use them to work for the good in our lives – See Bible Study on “Trials”). 6. We Should ask for Prayer. Prayer is powerful, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (NIV: James 5:16) Paul knows this fact very well, and throughout his epistles elicits prayer for himself and his companions, “Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.” (NKJ: Hebrews 13:18-19) & “Brethren, pray for us.” (NKJ: I Thessalonians 5:25) We to should follow this example of requesting prayer from our Christian friends as well as providing prayer for such friends. In James’ epistle he writes, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (NKJ: James 5:14) Here James stresses the importance of asking for prayer when we are sick. But our requests for prayer should not be limited to just sickness, but any trial that may come our way. Sometimes the Lord will deliver us from our trials, but other times He may give us the strength to go through our trials with the purpose of building us up in our faith, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (NIV: James 1:2-4) When faced with trials, we are to lay ourselves in the Lord’s hands through our own prayer and the prayers of those around us. Knowing by faith that He will be faithful to either lift us over the trial or carry us through the trial. The privilege of prayer is an awesome gift of God that should be asked for, and used, as often as possible, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (NKJ: I Thessalonians 5:16-18) There is no such thing as too much prayer. 7. What Did Jesus Have to Say Concerning Prayer In the sixth chapter of the book of Matthew, our Lord is speaking to His disciples regarding how to properly pray. In verses five through thirteen of this chapter, we have a perfect model of how we should pray, personally laid out for us by our Lord. As we will see, though, this is a general model and is not to be taken as a scripted prayer for which we are to recite verbatim every time we come before the Lord in prayer. Verses five through eight give us some general guidelines on primarily what not to do when we pray, then, in verses nine through thirteen, Jesus gives us a model, or example, of the proper way to pray. Verses 6:5-8: What not to do when we pray Verse 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Our prayer time should be with correct motives, that of desiring to talk and fellowship with our Lord, and not to make a show for other people. It is interesting to note that the Greek word used for “hypocrite” originally referred to actors wearing masks to portray a character. The Lord in this verse is pointing to those people who would try to falsely portray themselves as being very spiritual by making public prayers. The lesson here is obvious. Prayer should never be done out of false pretense, but should be with sincere motives of fellowshipping with our Lord. Verse 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Here we are encouraged to spend intimate time in prayer with our Lord in private places; thus, taking away the potential of hypocritical prayer and providing an environment for us to be completely open and honest with our Lord. Privacy can check our attitude and motives. God desires quiet time with us in private. Aside from group prayer time where a number of people come together to pray as a group, individual prayer is to be an intimate time between God and the one praying, and should generally be done in private. Jesus Himself would often seek time alone with the Father in prayer, “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” (NKJ: Luke 5:16) However, we must not take this verse out of context, that is, to an extreme to where we believe that all prayer should be done alone in private. For group prayer is also encouraged in the Bible (cf. Acts 1:14, 2:42, 4:31, 12:12) Our Lord desires that we come together and fellowship (cf. Hebrews 10:25), and part of our time of fellowship should include group prayer where we come together as a group and lift up each other in prayer. The Lord enjoys spending time with us in prayer as a group (Matthew 18:20), but He also enjoys those intimate times of fellowship where it is just the two of us. We are told in this verse that such sincere prayer will receive rewards from our Lord, probably referring to answered prayer. What is important here is the motives of our heart. Earnest prayer receives rewards, but false prayer receives no reward. Verse 6:7 “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” God knows our needs already (cf. Matthew 6:8). There is no need, and we are discouraged from, repeating our requests multiple times during prayer and/or using lengthy dialogues during prayer, that is, “vain repetitions.” Such prayer has a strong tendency of not coming from our hearts, but consisting more of cold robotic words which do not reflect our true feelings and desires. The term “vain repetitions” also refers to the use repetitive scripted prayers, of such we are to avoid. This verse clues us in that the prayer Jesus is about to give in verses nine through thirteen is a framework, but no to be used word for word, especially time after time. Pray is to come from our heart, not from artificially scripted words. Think about when you have conversations with your closest friends or family members. When you talk with them, do you discuss the exact same things using the exact same words each time you see them? Of course you don’t. Then why would you speak with the Lord in such a manner? Again, pray from the heart. We note in this verse that Jesus makes a reference to “their many words”, and how they think that by having lengthy prayer that their requests will surely be heard. Lengthy prayer is fine when it comes from the heart and we sincerely have a lot of stuff to talk about. But lengthy prayer just for the sake of length has no more effect than a short prayer. Again and again we will see that prayer is a heart issue, and, in this case, we see that the length of our prayer has no effect on its effectiveness. In fact, lengthy is discouraged by the Lord. Verse 6:8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Jesus here in this verse sums up the past three verses by saying, “Therefore, do not be like them.”: -Do not pray with the purpose of being seen by other people -Do not use purposeful repetition of words -Do not make artificially-long prayer This is not a suggestion to us, but a command on how to behave in prayer. We are then further reassured by the fact that our Lord already knows all our needs even before we ask Him, “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Our Lord knows our hearts, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.” (NKJ: Luke 16:15) In prayer, we are not informing God of our needs for He knows them already. We are making request of Him that He work in our lives and provide for our needs. There are probably many times when the Lord is just waiting for us to ask of Him so that He can provide for and bless us. And as always, our desire should be to align our will with His and not the other way around. Verses 6:9-13 A model for prayer Verse 6:9a “In this manner, therefore, pray:” Jesus is now going to lay out for His disciples how they should pray. The Greek word interpreted as “manner” implies an example not a set format to be repeated word for word. This implication is further supported based on verse 7 above where Jesus warns against using “vain repetitions.” Verse 6:9b “Our Father in heaven,” The term “Our Father” expresses an intimacy and closeness with our God. Our God in heaven is not a cold distant God, but a loving God who desires a relationship with us. “Our Father” symbolizes our relationship to him, and, as such, we would expect blessings as well as discipline as we would from our earthly fathers (cf. Mat 7:11, Heb 12:5-7). We should listen to and obey Him as a child to a father (cf. Mat 12:45, I John 2:3). Verse 6:9c “Hallowed be Your name.” God is our Father, but also our Holy God, the Creator of the Universe. He is omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere), and omnipotent (all powerful). Our prayers should acknowledge His holiness and magnificence. Verse 6:10a “Your kingdom come.” God has given us many promises and revelations for the future. The ultimate promise is for the return of Jesus Christ to Earth, and the establishment of His rule on Earth. We should be anxiously looking ahead to this time in prayer. We should also be praying for His kingdom to be established now in our hearts. His perfect will to be our will. As Christians, we are only travelers passing through this time here on earth with our ultimate destination that of our eternal home in Heaven, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (NKJ: Phillipians 3:20-21) Verse 6:10b “Your will be done” As has been evident throughout this entire study of prayer, we are to always look to God’s will and not our own. In prayer, all our requests should have the caveat attached, “but not our will, but yours be done.” Even our Savior, in His prayers, would always yield to the Father’s will, “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’” (NKJ: Matthew 26:39) Our prayers should be focused on having God’s will in our lives. Prayer is not a time to bring God in alignment with our will, but prayer is a time in which we are to seek God’s will in our lives. In our prayers, we should be asking God to change our hearts in those areas where our will is contrary to His. Verse 6:10c “On earth as it is in heaven.” In heaven there is God’s perfect rule and will. We look forward to the time when God’s perfect rule and will will be here on earth. Please note that this will not happen by any natural means, as with the human race on their own creating a utopian society, but will occur by supernatural means with the return of Jesus Christ (cf. Revelations Chapters 19-22) Therefore, with verse 10c we are praying for the return of Jesus Christ and His rule on earth. At the same time, this can also be taken more specifically to having us ask for His will to rule in our lives. Verse 6:11a “Give us this day our daily bread.” The use of the word “bread” can be looked upon as symbolic of our needs, and the word “daily” is an acknowledgment of our daily reliance on Him for our needs. We are to rely on Him each day, not worrying but trusting. Our troubles always seem to start when we begin relying on ourselves and not on God. Our prayers should reflect a sincere acknowledgment of our reliance on Him for all our needs. Verse 6:12a “And forgive us our debts,” The word “debts” is referring to moral obligations or our sins. We are forgiven once and for all for all our sins—past, present, and future--from a judgment and salvation standpoint (i.e. sometimes referred to as “positionally” forgiven) through the work Jesus Christ on the Cross. Once we are saved, we never again have to worry about our eternal future (See Bible Study on “The Security of Our Salvation”). However, when we pray, we should ask for forgiveness of any sins that we have committed to avoid having our sins interfer with our communion/fellowship with God, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (NKJ: I John 1:8-10) In prayer, we are to sincerely repent of our sins, and ask for forgiveness. Now this should not be taken to an unbiblical extreme to where we have to list every sin we have committed since our last prayer time. A simple statement asking the Lord for forgiveness of those sins that we have committed is sufficient. If there is a specific sin(s) that is heavy on our heart, we can mention that sin specifically. As always, the important issue is the condition of the heart, that of being truly repentant of our sins and desiring to live our lives in accordance with His Word. Verse 6:12b “As we forgive our debtors.” As we look to God for forgiveness of our sins, so are we to forgive others. Forgiveness is included in the beatitudes which is a part of what is called Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (NKJ: Matthew 5:7) We are to show mercy and love towards others even when they sin against us. We must forgive to be forgiven. Again, this is not referring to positional forgiveness, which is once and for all, but relationally which refers to our fellowship with God. Unforgiveness can fester inside a person making their hearts hard and not open to hearing God; however, forgiveness will have the opposite effect of softening the heart, “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.” (NKJ: Proverbs 19:11) Unforgiveness in our lives towards other can interfer with our relationship with God, ”Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” ( NKJ: Matthew 5:23-24) We are to come before our Lord with a forgiving heart towards others, not a heart bearing ill feelings towards others. In the book of Matthew, we have a time where one of the disciples, Peter, comes to Jesus and inquires about forgiving others. Jesus answers and then expounds on His answer with a parable: “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.’” (NKJ: Matthew 18:21-35) The ten thousand talents would have been the equivalent of many millions of dollars to day (some historians even estimate as much as a billion dollars), whereas, the 100 denarii was equivalent to 100 days of pay for a common laborer. The amount forgiven the first servant by his master dwarfs the amount that his fellow servant owed him. Nevertheless, the first servant was not mindful of what had been forgiven of him, but instead treated his fellow servant extremely unfairly. As is with us, in that our God has forgiven us much through the blood of His only son, but we at times will harbor ill feelings and unforgiveness towards those who act wrongfully towards us. We forget the mountains of sin that were forgiven us, and focus on what in comparison are tiny specks of dust thrown at us by others. We have been forgiven so much, how can we not forgive what, in comparison, is so little. Verse 6:13a “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” The “evil one” refers to Satan. Satan’s first goal for each one of us is to have us never come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Once we are saved, then Satan’s first goal for our lives is permanently thwarted since once we belong to Jesus, He will never let us go (see Bible study on “The Security of our Salvation”). However, Satan has a secondary plan, that of interfering with our relationship with our Lord. One of Satan’s main tools for accomplishing this secondary goal is “temptation.” He will try to throw temptations at us that will tempt us to go against God’s will for our lives. It is through God’s strength that we overcome these temptations from the evil one. These trials in the form of temptations will come into the life of every Christian, and not in any small number. God will allow temptations to come into our lives, but He also promises in His Word, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (NKJ: I Corinthians 10:13) Our Lord will never allow a temptation or trial to come into our life for which he has not also given us the ability to overcome through faith in Him. Trials, in the form of temptations, will come into our lives and serve as vehicles for building our spiritual muscle of faith, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (NKJ: James 1:2-4) As Christians, we are not to be discouraged by trials and temptations, but we are to view them as situations where we can build our faith in the Lord. Therefore, this verse is not asking for our Lord to take all temptations out of our life, but to give us strength to overcome these temptations. There will be times when the Lord chooses to take a temptation out of the way, but, more often than not, He will allow us to go through the trial of temptation for our own benefit, that is, to build our faith and trust in Him. Verse 6:13b “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” We give to Him all honor, glory and praise. Humbly, we are to come before Him, acknowledging His all-encompassing majesty as Creator God. Notice how the prayer begins with praise to the Lord, and then ends with praise to the Lord. Praise and exaltation of our Lord in our prayers is extremely important. 8.Do we have direct access to God or do we need someone else, i.e. a “religious person”, to pray for us? In the Old Testament times, Before the Cross, it was the High Priest that would intercede for the people with God. Once a year, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Hollies (the Holy of Hollies was a special room in the Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was located. This room was entered only one time each year, and then only by the High Priest. The High Priest would enter this room and make intercessory prayer to God for all His people. The room was separated from the rest of the temple by a very large cloth-woven divider hung from the ceiling. It is speculated that this divider was probably around 18 inches thick making it a very formidable barrier (cf. Ezekiel 26:33, 30:10; I Kings 6:16, 8:6; Hebrews 9:25)). However, upon the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, God Himself symbolically tore the woven divider in two, symbolizing the elimination of the barrier, i.e. sin, between God and His people (cf. Hebrews 9:12-14), “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.” (NKJ: Matthew 27:50-52) No longer would there be a barrier between God and His people. Through the blood of Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross, those who would accept Him as Lord and Savior of their lives have been permanently and irrevocably reconciled to God, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” (NIV: Colossians 1:21-22) When Jesus Christ died for our sins on the Cross, the chasm between ourselves and God was forever filled with the blood of our Savior. Through Him, we have direct and continual personal access to our God in Heaven. Through the work of the Cross, we are able to come directly before God through Jesus Christ, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (NKJ: I Timothy 2:5) Making requests of other people to pray for us is fine and is encouraged, but believing that we require some “Holy” person to come before God on our behalf is denying the work on the Cross. Our God desires to have a personal and direct relationship with each one of us. He is always their patiently waiting to have personal time with us. 9.When and Where should we pray? When Prayer is to be an integral part of the Christian life. There is never a time when prayer would be considered inappropriate. Now circumstances at times may be such that silent prayer, verses audible prayer, is deemed the best approach. Nevertheless, one should never feel constrained not to pray in any circumstance. We are called by our Lord to be in continual prayer, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (NKJ: Ephesians 6:18) and “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ” (NKJ: I Thessalonians 5:17) The emphasis here is not that all we should do every minute is pray, but that prayer should be a common occurrence in our lives on a daily basis. Where ​When it comes to the question of where we should pray, there is one thing for certain, and that is that, generally speaking, there are no “off-limits” places for prayer. In other words, we are not relegated to specific locations of prayer such as church or other Christian gatherings such as Bible studies. As we read through the scriptures, we find men praying in all sorts of locations: -In prison: Acts 16:25 -In a garden: Matthew 26:36 -The wilderness: Luke 5:16 -On the roof of a house: Acts 10:9 -At home: Acts 10:30, Acts 12:12, Daniel 6:10 -On the side of a river: Acts 16:13 -On the seashore: Acts 21:5 -On a ship: Acts 27:29 -In a fish’s belly: Jonah 2:1 (one of my personal favorites) Prayer is an important part of the Christians life and should be exercised as much as possible. Our Lord wants us to depend on Him for everything, and this dependence is often times communicated through prayer. We should avail ourselves to prayer whenever and wherever we feel the need. The only caveat is to make sure that we are not determining our location of prayer with the improper motive of attempting to impress other people. 10. Does the Position of our body Matter When we Pray? Throughout the scriptures we have men and women praying in all sorts of positions: standing, sitting, kneeling, bodies prostrate on the ground, heads bowed, heads facing up to heaven, hands held high, hands held low, etc. No set posture or position is required for proper prayer. However, our posture should be a sincere reflection of our personal devotion, and should not in any way have the purpose to be that of drawing attention to ourselves from other people. Furthermore, we should always be sensitive to cultural and/or circumstantial sensitivities when we pray in public. Ultimately, though, we should always realize that when we pray, our Lord cares about the position of our hearts not our bodies.