THE CHRISTIAN LIFE AND PRAYER

 

By Gary Ray Branscome

 

          For a Christian, prayer is not a work! We are not doing God a favor by praying to Him. On the contrary, He is doing us a favor by allowing us to approach Him in prayer. And, any answer that we receive is not a reward for praying, but a gift of His grace.

Because those who are lost do not have any assurance of God’s grace, they tend to be afraid of God. In contrast, we who know the love of Christ have His own assurance that our prayers will be heard. The words, “They [Adam and Eve] heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves,” reveal the natural inclination of those who have done wrong to hide from God (Genesis 3:8). In contrast, the words, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give to you. Up to now you have not asked anything in my name: ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be fullFor the Father Himself loves you,” assure all who trust in Christ that because their sins have been washed away, God will hear their prayers (John 16:23-27). Furthermore, praying in Christ’s name is not just a matter of tacking the words, “in Christ’s name” on the end of a prayer, but approaching God in the confidence that your prayer will be heard because your sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ. As it is written, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believes,” for “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us of all sin” (Romans 10:4, 1John 1:7).

 

          The words, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He [Christ] in the same way took on flesh and blood; so that through His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil; And free those, who throughout their lives were enslaved by fear of death,” tell us that those without the assurance of forgiveness in Christ live in fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). While the words, “You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father,” tell us that while those who are under the law [bondage] are motivated by fear, we can approach God without fear, as a child approaches a loving Father (Romans 8:15). For that reason, Christian prayer presupposes a relationship between God and man that only those who have been born again have. And, the words, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the promised Savior is born of God,” tell us that we are “born of God” [born again] through faith in Christ (1John 5:1).

 

          Therefore, Christian prayer involves more than just dependence on God. Why even the heathen can be dependent on their gods. However, as Christians we have no need to fear God [unless we do evil] or appease His wrath [Christ has already taken care of that]. We come to God as to a friend, a loving Father, who cares for us. And, if you do not know what to say, just talk to Him about it. Thank Him for forgiveness, thank Him for His blessings, ask for His help in dealing with life’s difficulties, ask for wisdom and greater faith, pray for those in authority, think of Him as a constant companion, and no matter what happens keep in mind the words, “All things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28).

 

The words, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive,” give us a promise on condition of faith (Matthew 21:22). However, the faith being spoken of is not just a matter of believing it will happen, but believing that “the blood of Jesus Christ” has cleansed you “of all sin” (1John 1:7). For, the forgiveness that you have in Christ includes forgiveness for any imperfection in your prayer. Now, the words, “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us,” tell us that our prayer has to be in accord with the will of God (1John 5:14). But that does not mean that we need to figure out what the will of God is. On the contrary, the words, “The Spirit also helps our weakness: for we do not know what we should pray for as we should: but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us,” assure us that the Holy Spirit will move us to pray for those things that are in accord with the will of God (Romans 8:26). And, the words, “Continue steadfast in prayer, being watchful therein with thanksgiving,” urge us to pray for help before problems arise (Colossians 4:2).

          The words, “Seek the welfare of the city to which I have caused you to be takenand pray to the LORD for it: for when it fares well it will be well with you,” tell us that it is God’s will for us to pray for our land (Jeremiah 29:7). The words, “I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and giving of thanks, be made on behalf of all men; For kings, and for all who are in authority; so 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 Savior,” tell us that it is God’s will for us to make those requests necessary for us to “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1Timothy 2:1-3). And, the words, “Pray without ceasing.” // “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,” are not telling us to pray twenty four hours a day, but are telling us not to give up on prayer, or stop praying and seeking God’s help (1Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18).

          The words, “Pray to the Lord of the harvest, asking Him to send forth workers into His harvest,” tell us that the Lord expects our prayers to play a part in world evangelism (Matthew 9:38). Therefore, we know that such prayers are in accord with the will of God. The words, “When you said, Seek my face; my heart said to you, I will seek your face, LORD,” tell us that the Holy Spirit, which is in every believer, makes us responsive to the will of God, and that would include being responsive in prayer (Psalm 27:8). The words, Pray “for me, that utterance might be given unto me, that I may open my mouth fearlessly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,” tell us that it is God’s will for us to pray for those who spread the gospel (Ephesians 6:19). The words, “Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may continue to spread, and be received and honored, even as it is with you,” tell us that it is God’s will for us to pray that the gospel be received and embraced by those who hear (2Thessalonians 3:1). And, the words, “I urge you, brethren, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive with me in your prayers to God on my behalf; That I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe,” tell us that it is the will of God for us to pray for God’s protection for those who spread the gospel (Romans 15:30-31).

          The words, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son,” tell us that God is glorified by answered prayer (John 14:13). And, the words, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you: For every one who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it will be opened,” encourage us to pray for every need (Matthew 7:7-8). However, Christ’s prayer, “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup be taken from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as you will,” tells us that we should want our prayer to be answered in the way God thinks best (Matthew 26:39).

 

          It should be obvious that God will not hear prayers addressed to false gods, as the words, “They are all estranged from me through their idols,” indicate (Ezekiel 14:5). However, the words, “If I make excuses for sin in my heart, the Lord will not hear me,” tell us that God will also not hear the prayers of those who are unrepentant (Psalm 66:18). Of course that can change if a person repents, as the words, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” tell us (1John 1:9).

          The Bible also says, “When you pray, do not use empty repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they will be heard because of their many words” (Matthew 6:7). This verse is not talking about regular use of the Lord’s Prayer. What this verse is talking about, is repeating a prayer over and over again. Because those who worship idols have no assurance that their prayer will be answered – to use modern terminology – they keep repeating their prayer in the hope that they will hit on a time when the line isn’t busy.

          Although the Bible speaks of people praying in different positions the Bible does not require us to be in a specific position. The words, “He arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven,” speak of kneeling in prayer with hands uplifted (1Kings 8:54). The words, “Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him,” speak of praying face down (Genesis 17:3). And, the words, “A little folding of the hands to sleep” mention folding the hands before going to sleep (Proverbs 24:33). Likewise, the Bible does not tell us how to pray. The words, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much,” speak of fervent prayer, yet it would be wrong to assume that you can manipulate God by faking fervency (James 5:16). The seventeenth chapter of John records a prayer in which Christ talked with God. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus pleaded with God (Matthew 26:36, Luke 22:44). Yet when His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, He gave them the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). And, its use of plural words [i.e. OUR Father] indicates that it is to be a group prayer. Reciting group prayers was a part of Jewish worship that Jesus never criticized. All of that tells us that many kinds of prayer are acceptable to God, and each of them has its place. I might also add that our prayers do not need to be loud or even audible to those around us. We should pray throughout the day, even if our prayers are quietly whispered as we speak to God in our heart.

          Finally, Christians have no business praying to saints. The words, “Surely you are our father, even though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not recognize us: you, O LORD, are our father, our redeemer; your name is from everlasting,” tell us that saints – namely Abraham and Israel – are not even aware of us (Isaiah 63:16). The words, “I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel that showed me these things. And he said to me, Do not do it: for I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets worship God,” warn us not to pray to anyone other than God (Revelation 22:8-9). And, the words, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give to you,” assure us that God hears our prayers (John 16:23). The idea of praying to saints [or asking them to pray] was invented by Satan to keep people from seeking God’s help and forgiveness. The proponents of that heresy not only keep people from praying to God, they destroy faith by telling them that the saints are more willing to hear their prayers than God is. That heresy is refuted by the words, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” which tell us that God loves us far more than any of the saints ever could (John 3:16). Besides, those who claim that a saint can be present to hear their prayer and know what they are saying are ascribing divine attributes to that saint, which is idolatrous. Christian prayer is made to God alone, and is heard because, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son” has cleansed “us of all sin” (1John 1:7).

 

Our Father in heaven,

May your name be exalted.

May your kingdom come.

And your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our wrongs, as we forgive those who wrong us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory is yours forever,

Amen.