Prayer

Basic Christian Doctrines 38

1.      Prayer is a Great Privilege.

One of the most important parts of the Christian life is prayer. It is also one of the most neglected. Yet what a great privilege it is. Imagine, being granted the privilege of speaking with God Almighty Himself! Though God rules the whole universe and knows everything, He condescends to listen to us unworthy sinners. It is a privilege, not a right. God lets us approach Him in prayer (Ezek. 36:37). Done rightly, prayer is for our good and for the glory of God.

 

2.      Prayer is a Great Duty.

Not only is it a privilege, it is a duty. All men are duty-bound to ask their Creator for the things they need. In this sense, even unbelievers ought to pray and acknowledge God. Yet God will not hear their prayers until they are converted. As for believers, we are frequently commanded to pray and are given many examples in the Bible. Though God is sovereign, we have the responsibility to pray. In a deep mysterious way, God uses our prayers to carry out His eternal will.

 

3.      We Must Confess Our Sins Regularly.

There are several aspects of prayer. One of the most important is confession. We ought not to barge into God's presence with unclean hands. Like the Old Testament priests who were to wash their hands before entering the Temple, so we must confess our sins before proceeding further. To confess means to acknowledge and admit, without any excuses. It also means to repent and be willing to turn from sin. We cannot shift the blame onto others, no, not even Satan or Adam or other people, least of all God. We have nobody to blame but ourselves, and confession means taking the blame. It means submitting to the consequences of chastening. If we confess our sins, God will forgive them (I John 1:9). God will cleanse us and restore us to the fellowship with Him that was broken by our sin. Unless we confess our sins, God will not hear our prayers (Psa. 66:18, I Peter 3:7).

 

4.      We May Ask God for the Things We Need.

God has granted us the privilege of asking for the things we need. This is called supplication. We request these things from God, we cannot demand them by right. See Phil. 4:6. There are many things we do not have because we have not asked for them, or because we have asked in the wrong way (James 4:2-3). No request is too small or large to bring to God. This does not mean that we sit back and do nothing. No, we are to do what we can and open the channels by which God may answer our prayers. For example, we are to ask for our daily bread, but that does not mean we quit our jobs. It is important to keep priorities in their right place when we pray. Spiritual needs are more important than material needs. We ought to pray for food, clothing, work, health and so on. But we ought to pray even more for growth in grace, humility, more faith, an increase in love, opportunities to witness, and so on.

 

5.      We May Ask God for the Needs of Others.

This is called intercession. As with supplication, we may ask for the needs of others, especially their spiritual needs. Take a look at what Paul prayed for in his epistles. I Tim. 2:1-2 is a good summary. We can pray for anyone, especially those in authority, for God's will to be done, for their salvation, etc. It is best to pray mostly for those known to us, then to others less known to us. Information about needs helps

 

6.      We Must Have Faith When We Pray.

James 1 tells us that we must have faith when we pray, otherwise we will not receive what we ask for. This does not mean that we must have giant-like faith - Jesus said that faith as small as a mustard-seed can move mountains by prayer (Matt. 17:20). This does not mean that we can "Name it and claim it", as some teach. That would be ludicrous. On the other hand, God does not honor lazy prayer. We are to persevere in prayer over and over again (Luke 18:1-3, Eph. 6:18, I Thess. 5:17).

 

7.      We Must Pray to God Alone.

God forbids us from praying to anyone else. This is because prayer is a form of worship, and we are to worship God alone. We must never pray to any other god, such as Allah. Nor may we pray to angels or Christians in Heaven, as Romanism teaches. It is one thing to ask another living person to pray for you; it is quite another to ask a dead person to pray for you or answer your prayers. God strictly forbids us from trying to contact the dead. Prayer means speaking with God alone. It includes meditation on His Word. This is not Transcendental Meditation or talking to yourself. God speaks to us in the Bible. We reply in prayer. 

 

8.      We Can Pray Anytime Anywhere.

We need not be in a church meeting to pray. We may and should pray at anytime, such as in an emergency in the middle of the night. We can pray anywhere, too, such as in our cars or in the hospital. For example it is a good practice to pray before meals, as they did in the Bible. We may pray when we are alone or with others. In fact, the Bible gives us examples of prayer meetings with others. This is very important to the health of a church. No church is stronger than its prayer meeting. Also, parents should have daily family devotions with their children to lead them in prayer and Bible-reading.

 

9.      Prayer Must Be in Christ's Name.

We must pray on the basis of the merits of Christ, not our own. We do not use these words as magic words, but with the meaning that we are relying solely on Christ's worth and authority. This is much the same as what the Bible means when it says we are to pray according to God's will (I John 5:14-15). We ought not to pray for things God has forbidden or which are outside the scope of prayer. For example, we ought not to pray for certain spiritual blessings for unbelievers which really belong only to believers (see John 17:9). We must pray for the conversion of unbelievers first, then the rest. Prayer must be regulated by God's Word. We must not borrow ideas of prayer from pagan religions, such as burning candles, spinning wheels, using beads, incantations, repetitious words, etc. We ought to follow the example of Christ.

 

10.  Worship is the Highest Form of Prayer.

If confession is the low notes on the prayer scale, then worship is the high notes. This is the most important aspect of all, for it alone will continue into eternity. We ought to thank God in prayer. Unthankfulness is a great sin. We ought to praise God, both for what He has done and for what He is in Himself. We should meditate on His Word and let our hearts dwell on His person. Worship means to humble ourselves before God and exalt Him as God. It may be vocal, it may be silent. Adoration is the very zenith of this aspect of prayer. Adoration is that lovely combination of love and worship. It is loving worship and worshipful love. In this God is most glorified, and in it we fulfill the purpose for which we were created. We can find no happier or holier place than the place of true worship.