Prayer

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With Christ came the ability to access His throne directly, without any mediator except Christ, who Himself is God. He has entrusted us with many things, and given us many privileges, prayer being a major one. Prayer has multiple purposes, petitioning being one of them, and it’s probably the most commonly thought of reason.

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

But too often we forget this second aspect: praise. The blessings the Lord has given us are many, and He deserves our never-ending adoration of Him. This is a second purpose for prayer – to praise the Lord.

Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Here, in the example of prayer Jesus gives us in Luke, we see that in the beginning part of the prayer, He is praising God. Before He even makes a request, He praises the Lord.

There are several aspects to prayer I’d like to consider here. In the verse mentioned earlier, Philippians 4:6, it mentions praying with thanksgiving along with your requests. We already have so much to be thankful for, but we should also be thankful for the things He is going to provide for us, with expectance of those things to come.

1. We must pray with faith

Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

James 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Prayer is a powerful tool for petitioning God, and it must be done with faith in the God Who we are praying to. When we lack faith, making a request through prayer is asking for something you don’t really believe God is capable of. The importance of faith in God is spread throughout the Bible, emphasized in such passages as Hebrews 11, and it is a key aspect of prayer. But it is not the only aspect.

2. Prayer must be submissive

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

3. Prayer must be humble

A critical aspect of submissiveness is humbleness, so it follows that prayer must also be done with a humble spirit before our all-powerful God. We have the example of the publican who, Jesus said, left his prayers more justified than the Pharisee:

Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

Psalm 102:17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

Those who are destitute have nothing, and are considered lowly people. Humbleness is bringing ourselves low before Him, making ourselves destitute in our hearts. Being submissive and humble before God is a part of our daily walk with Christ as believers. It is a matter of having a right heart before Him, ensuring that we are devoting ourselves to following Him.

4. Prayer must be from a right heart

Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

Proverbs 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

It’s important to remember that faith is the key to salvation through the righteousness of Christ, not the “magic prayer” (though praying for forgiveness is a consequence of repentance). This is why a repentant sinner can pray for forgiveness! As Christians, our righteousness is of Christ. When we were dead in sin, we were filled with selfish desires, as Ephesians 2:3 mentions. But we must, in our newness of life, in the righteousness bestowed us by Christ, pray with hearts resigned to His will. Being resigned to His will includes following and seeking after His desires for us in our daily life, shunning the lusts of the flesh and all that translates to in our actions. Our desire to have a right heart before the Lord must be constant, as must be our prayer before Him.

5. Prayer must be a lifestyle

Rom 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

There are many verses, particularly in the New Testament, that talk about believers being constant in prayer. What I believe this amounts to is that prayer should be one of the biggest parts of our lives. As Hannah and I prepare for marriage in less than two weeks, one of the things that both my dad and hers have emphasized to me is the importance of communication, and the same is true with prayer, the church being the bride of Christ. We need to be in constant communication with our Lord, continually praising Him, submitting ourselves to Him, and asking for His help in our lives.

It is easy to lose sight of the privilege that prayer is. We are but dust, and yet He sets His love on us and gives us the opportunity to speak to Him, praise Him, and make requests of Him. May we walk as is pleasing to Him, grateful for the blessing and power of prayer.
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