Priorities in Prayer

 

by Porter

Effective Prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings. -Don Carson

Introduction

Prayer in and of itself is not Christian. Jews pray, Muslims pray. Hindus pray, and so do Satanists. Almost everyone prays! One does not need to be a Christian to pray. But this does not mean that all prayers are Christian prayers. In fact, because many people from many diverse religions pray, Christians may become confused concerning how to pray as a Christian. And as Christians, this should be our goal. We must not conform to other forms of prayer. Rather, we are required to learn how to pray as Christians, so that we please God with our prayers. For glory to God is the ultimate goal of Christian prayers.

In this article we will not probe too deeply into the complexities of prayer, though there are times for such things this is not one of them. Rather, we will focus on the essentials of Christian prayer, though these, of course, are complex as well. Because this is our goal, not every passage on prayer will be discussed. Thus, this is not meant to be an exhaustive manual on prayer.

Though not every aspect on the difficult subject of prayer will be covered, it is hoped that what is discussed in this booklet will be helpful to the good people of Faith Community Church, Hudson. May your lives be characterized by prayer pleasing to God. Though we will talk about biblical principles which ought to guide our prayers, I am not seeking to write a do-it-yourself manual about prayer. Rather, in this booklet I take the approach of James Packer, who wrote,

I start with the truism that each Christian's prayer life, like every good marriage, has in it common factors about which one can generalize and also a uniqueness which no other Christian's prayer life will match. You are you, and I am I, and we must each find our own way with God. There are no instructions for prayer that can work for us like a do-it-yourself manual or a cookbook, where the claim is that if you follow the directions you can't go wrong.
Praying is not like carpentry or cooking. It is the active exercise of a personal relationship, a kind of friendship, with the living God and his Son, Jesus Christ, and the way it goes is more under divine control than under ours. Books on praying, like marriage manuals, are not to be treated with slavish superstition, as if perfection of technique is the answer to all difficulties (J. I. Packer, Knowing Christianity, 120-121).

Prayer in Jesus' Name

What is it?

At some point in your life, if you spent any time in a Christian worship service, you have no doubt heard the pastor close his prayer with "… in Jesus' name, Amen." Though this is a common and good closing statement in prayers, not all understand its significance in Christian prayer. For example, because of Jesus' words in John 14:13-14, some think that as long as you attach the phrase "in Jesus' name" onto the prayer, the prayer will be answered. But this phrase is no magical incantation!
What, then, is prayer in Jesus' name? Don Carson helps us here. He writes, "Prayers in his [Jesus'] name are prayers that are offered in thorough accord with all that his name stands for, and in recognition that the only approach to God those who pray enjoy, their only way to God, is Jesus himself" (Don Carson, The Gospel of John, 497). Ed Clowney similarly states, "To pray in his name does not mean simply to append his name to our prayers as a formula, but to confess his name, to acknowledge him as God the Son, the only Way to the Father" (Ed Clowney, A Biblical Theology of Prayer, 165).
Practically speaking prayers offered in Jesus' name are prayers offered on the basis of who Jesus is and what he has accomplished. Prayers offered in Jesus' name are based on his authority as the one who mediates between God and God's people (Heb 7:25-27). Prayers offered in Jesus' name are offered with the understanding that the only confidence we have before God is that Jesus died on our behalf, and that without Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection, we, because of our sin, would have no standing before God. Without Jesus interceding on our behalf we would have no confidence that God would hear our prayers (Prov 15:8, 29).
Praying in Jesus' name is what separates Christian prayers from the prayers of other religions. In fact, this is what makes prayer Christian. It is the prayer flowing from one who claims Jesus to be the only way to God (John 14:6). It is the prayer of one, who prays according to the teaching and character of Jesus revealed in the Scriptures.

Must we say 'In Jesus' Name?'

No where do the Scriptures say that we must say "in Jesus' name" when we pray. In fact, Jesus said that our prayers would be heard if they were prayed in his name, not if we said, "in Jesus' name." Thus, closing a prayer or petition with "in Jesus' name" is not necessary. In fact, continual use of this phrase may cause the reality to which it points to diminish in our hearts and minds.

Though the use of the phrase is not required by Scripture, the phrase does point to an important reality, which the Christian must never forget. That is, we can only approach God on the basis of Jesus' life and work. The point of praying in Jesus' name is not the phrase, but the apprehension of this reality. But, instead of always stating "in Jesus' name" it may be better to begin your prayer with "Father, thank you for sending the Son to die on my behalf, so that I can have confidence to stand before you and ask you the following." Or "Father, hear my prayers, for I bring them to you on the authority of Jesus." There are many different ways we could say these things, so the specific phrase is not crucial. But, though a phrase is not crucial, the understanding and acknowledgement of it is. Christians ought to remember that it is on the basis of Jesus Christ that we come to God. Some may find this too stuffy, but let us remember the one to whom we are speaking. This is a holy God that we approach, a consuming fire (Heb 12:29). We must not approach him lightly. Just as we would never say when speaking to the President of the United States, "Hey! Bushy," we must not treat God too lightly. Also, verbally stating to God that we approach him in the authority of Jesus the Messiah, we remind ourselves that Jesus died for us to have this great privilege. This in turn will bring about in us praise to the God who dreamed up this plan and has already begun to accomplish it.

We are on Earth

We are Creatures

Though Ecclesiastes 5:2 is in the context of making vows in the temple, v. 2 does relate to our prayer life. Just as it is foolish to make vows to God, which are either impossible to keep or we do not intend to keep, it is foolish to heap words upon words in the presence of God. Because of our culture's emphasis on casualness, we can bring this idea to our prayer life, and forget that the one to whom we present our requests is God. In doing so we can become rash and hasty with our talk to God. We can treat him as a "buddy" and speak all kinds of nonsense to him. But this type of familiarity is far from biblical teaching.

Consider the following verses:

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent (Proverbs 10:19)
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble (Proverbs 21:23)
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:7-8).
A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him (Ecclesiastes 10:14)

We are admonished by these axioms to keep ourselves from much talk, because the multiplication of words brings about transgression. Just as we are to restrain our speech in our human conversation, we should restrain our speech in divine communication. In relation to this, let me dispel a common misunderstanding. Many of us may think that planning out our prayers is superficial. That is, we may think that spontaneity is "real." Thus, any type of planning concerning our conversation with God is inauthentic. Though there are times and places for spontaneous prayers (e.g., A prayer for God to intervene, while the plane is going down.), much of our prayer life should be intentional. We should not approach God and speak to him with whatever may come to mind. Instead, there should be internationality with our prayers.

The difference may be seen in the following illustration. On September 11th there were many prayers offered on behalf of those trapped in in the World Trade Towers some of them were spoken thusly,

God, if you could just do something for those who are in the towers. Please, God, if there is some way that you could work to rescue the people in the towers, then please do it, God. Please, God, just do something soon and quickly.

Now compare that prayer with the following:

God, you are the God who redeemed Israel through the sea, who preserved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire and Daniel in the lions' den, the God who raised Jesus from the dead. You are the one who is supreme and able to save. Thus, God, extend your mighty arm to deliver many from the fire. Work a miracle that all would see your glory, power, and greatness.

Notice the difference between the two prayers? The former prayer lacks confidence, because it lacks an understanding of who God is. The latter is bold and confident, because it recounts who this God is. Again, no doubt spontaneous prayers are necessary in this life, but they should not be the norm. This is one of the reasons why Bible reading and prayer are emphasized as part of a healthy quiet-time or devotional time with God. Why? Because reflection on who God is ought to lead us to offer prayers which correspond to his character and his promises. In other words, Bible reading should lead us to offer prayers to God in accordance with his will.

One discipline, which is helpful in fostering an intentional prayer life is writing out prayers to God. When you draw near to pray to God, you write out your prayer to God as if you are writing him a letter. This discipline will aid you in thinking about your prayers. It will cause you to pause and reflect on what you are saying, how you should say it, and to whom you are saying it. The process will slow you down, and cause you to contemplate your requests. Also, the process will cause you not to ramble, use rash words, or "filler" words such as, "um," "like," and "uh."

Another benefit of writing down prayers is that the prayers become a record of what was prayed, and when it was prayed. Sometime later these records become fodder for praise, as you read and remember how the Lord has worked in your life. The answered prayers become reasons for praise, just as Paul said they would, when he wrote,

"You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many" (2 Corinthians 1:11, ESV).

A second discipline to cultivate is reading the prayers in the Bible, as examples of how to pray. Though I do not recommend the book The Prayer of Jabez, the idea of modeling our prayers after biblical prayers is good and right. For example, if a family member or co-worker is defaming your name and causing you great distress, how should you pray? A great example can be found in Psalm 6. What are godly requests to bring concerning your children and close friends? Read through Paul's prayer (usually written out in the introduction of his letters) for the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:15-23. What does Paul pray for here?

• The Spirit to give wisdom and revelation, so that the Ephesians know God better and more richly (v. 17)
• The opening of the eyes of their hearts that they may more fully know their hope in Christ, their inheritance as saints, and the great power of God wielded for the good of the saints.

Why does Paul pray these requests? Because they are inline with God's purposes, and thus, the requests will be answered, because they are in accord with the will of God. Consider some of the other prayers of Paul: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Colossians 1:9-14; Philippians 1:9-11; Ephesians 3:14-21. Learn from how Paul prays, and then incorporate what Paul prays into your prayers. Doing this will help you to pray God's thoughts and it will always give you something to pray for yourself and for your friends and enemies.

God Knows

Many people after learning of God's foreknowledge (i.e., The biblical doctrine that God knows all that will happen, because he has planned it to happen), begin to wonder about the significance of prayer. The logic is thus: if God has already planned what will take place, then why should I pray and ask him to work? This is a good question, which ought to cause Christians to wrestle. Though God's foreknowledge ought not keep us from praying, for God commands us to pray, it should shape our prayers.

For example, with all of our talk about prayer as conversation between a believer and God, we must remember that our conversation with God is analogous to human conversation; it is not exact. That is, when we converse with humans, we most often are telling them things about our day to inform them of things they did not know. In fact, much of our communication with other humans is just that, informing others. But our conversation with God is not intended to inform God of things he does not know. Rather our conversation with God should be characterized by petitions, confessions, and praise. That is, we come to God in prayer to ask him to work on our behalf and on behalf of others. We come to him to confess our sin and seek forgiveness. And in response to his goodness we praise him.

Another way in which God's foreknowledge shapes our prayers is that we must not think of prayer as attempting to get God's attention. Though I have no way to prove this, I suspect that Jesus had the story of Elijah and the priests of Baal from 1 Kings 18 in his mind as he said these things. In 1 Kings 18 (cf. James 5:17-18) Elijah proposes a duel between himself and the prophets of Baal to see if the Lord is God or if Baal is God. Elijah proposed that altars be set with an animal upon them, and the deity which answered by sending fire proved himself to be God. Well, Elijah allowed the prophets to go first. They set up the altar, and then they began to call on the name of Baal, pleading for him to answer their requests with fire. After some time without an answer the prophets of Baal began to dance around and cut themselves, no doubt displaying their earnestness, hoping the Baal would see their dedication and answer. But, of course, Baal did not answer.

Elijah, on the other hand, after fixing the altar and pouring water all around it simply said,

• "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back" (1 Kings 18:36b-37, ESV).

After this simple prayer, fire poured down from heaven, engulfing the altar, the bull, and the water poured upon it. The Lord showed himself to be God!
Unfortunately Christians can sometimes take the view of pagans and think that they must say certain mantras or religious phrases to get God's attention. But this is not so for the Christian. We do not inform God of things he does not know, and we do not need to get God's attention by dancing around, jumping, repeating phrases, saying mantras, cutting ourselves, offering a sacrifice, etc. Why? Because God knows what we need before we ask. Christians do not present their cares and requests to a god who is distant or aloof. We do not present our requests to God because we hope he cares, but because we know he cares. Peter writes,

"Cast all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7, NIV).

Our Weakness and God's Sufficiency

Prayer According to the Will of God

We have already hinted at this, but now is the time to more fully flesh this out. Petitions which God honors align with who God has revealed himself to be (1 John 5:14-15). I use the phrase "revealed himself to be" not to connote that God is really different from what he reveals about himself, but to emphasize that God has revealed himself truthfully and accurately in the Bible, and if we desire to know who God is, then we must read the Bible diligently. We cannot come to know God by simply viewing his creation or talking to others who claim to know God. We must come to know God through Bible reading.

Prayer according to God's will, then, is prayer offered in keeping with God's character, revealed plan, and purposes, which are derived from the Bible. Though prayers offered according to God's will are expected of Christians, it is difficult to answer the question, "What is it that God wants us to ask for?" Carson writes concerning this, "That is not a superficial question, and the answers are rarely easy to come by. Thoughtful, balanced answers depend on a growing grasp of just what the Bible says in its parts, and as a whole. For example, what, precisely, should we be praying for with respect to each member of our family-and why?...A very useful book could be written on the subject, provided it were written by someone not only learned in the Scriptures but also schooled in years of prayer. No matter how well done, such a book would have a lot of loose ends, precisely because effective prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings. Besides, there are countless situations in which we simply do not know what to pray for" (Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation, 33).

---