Psalms 145:18-19 “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them.”
A study of prayer is a study of the single most powerful force given into the hands of men. It is the infinite, high, and holy God condescending to low and sinful man and granting him an audience with the King Supreme of the Universe! He does his speaking to us through His inspired Word, the New Testament; we are allowed to speak to Him through His Son as our Advocate, via prayer. We address our prayers to the Father through His Son: “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name. He will give it you” (Jn. 16:23). Our prayers must be the “effectual fervent” offerings of righteous men and women, and when they meet these conditions we are assured that the Lord hears them (I Pt. 3:12), and that they are such as will avail much (Jas. 5:16). Let us consider the subject of prayer.
Some general considerations would, at this point, be in order. It should be noted that prayer is a privilege, and not a right; and as such, it is restricted by the One who extends the privilege. That One is God, and He has stated that prayer is for those who are faithful to Him. David wrote: “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth” (Ps. 145:18). We learn from David’s son, Solomon, that the Lord is happy with the prayer of the righteous: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is His delight” (Pr. 15:8). This agrees with the truth expressed by the brother of the Lord: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (Jas. 5:16). Therefore we see that prayer is something we enjoy as a blessing, though undeserving, yet allowed by His grace.
Prayer is an exercise of the will. as in it the heart of man speaks to the God of man. We must choose to seek His counsel and favor out: “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near” (Is. 55:6). Though it may seem natural for man to turn to a higher power in times of trouble, it is still necessary for him to choose to call upon the God of the Bible. Further, we must choose to turn unto Him with our whole heart, and not just with our voices: “Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens” (Lam. 3:41). This kind of “seeking” the Lord is exemplified by David, who wrote. “When Thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face. Lord, will I seek” (Ps. 27:8). We choose, then, to pour out our whole heart out unto Him.
Prayer is as necessary to our spiritual make-up as food is to our physical. Jesus commanded a constant prayerful mind: “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Lk. 18:1). Paul said that prayer is always appropriate: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God” (Ph. 4:6). That prayer is to be a regular part of our spiritual regimen is also taught by this apostle: “Continue in prayer. and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2). Indeed, prayer ought to be regularly scheduled in our lives, as indicated by Paul to the brethren in Thessalonica: “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I The. 5:17-18).
Though good for man in every way, prayer is not just a “self-help” exercise. Our God has promised to hear and answer our prayers! With respect to Israel of old, Moses recorded: “I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant” (Ex. 6:5). Later in the same Old Testament Book. and with reference to the same people, Moses again recorded: “...If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry... And it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious” (Ex. 22-23, 27). The knowledge that God answers prayer was especially important to Job, the afflicted servant of old: “Thou shalt make thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear the...”(Job 22:27). We are assured that our confidence may be properly placed in the Lord with respect to this precious privilege: “They that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee” (Ps. 9:12). Again we read: “He forgetteth not the cry of the humble” (Ps. 9:12). There is an ever present connection in the Holy Word between righteousness and answered prayer: “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry” (Psalm 34:15), “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles” (Ps. 34:17), (cf., Jas. 5:16, I Pt. 3:12, John 9:31, & etc.).
The sacred script is replete with examples of prayers that met with positive answers, offering us encouragement and hope! David wrote, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill” (Ps. 3:4). We know that David was a man after God’s own heart, but we also know that (like ourselves) he was not perfect. This tells us that despite mistakes, if we turn, obey Him, we may have our petitions heard and our requests granted. Another imperfect human found himself in great trouble and turned to the Only One Great enough to deliver him: “Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine afflictions unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou hearest my voice” (Job 2:1-2). The Lord’s brother pointed to an answered prayer of old to encourage his readers of the efficacy of prayer: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit” (Jas. 5:17-18). When the Israelites were in Egypt at least some of them took their concerns to the Lord in prayer, and He heard them: “And it came to pass in the process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel. and God had respect unto them” (Ex. 2:23-25).
There is a connection in the Word between confession and forgiveness, and prayer as the means utilized by the one who would so confess. Through Moses God told Israel: “If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespasses which they have trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; and that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham; and I will remember the land” (Lev. 26:40-42) The same principle is set forth in New Testament passages, such as: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (I Jn. 1:7-10). Let us hear and heed the wise counsel of old: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Prov. 28:13).
Prayer is for faithful Christians. Faithful Christians are those who have heard and believed (Rom. 10:17, Heb. 11:6), repented (Lk. 13:3), confessed (Mt. 10:32), been baptized (I Pt. 3:21), and are being faithful (Rev. 2:10). Are you a faithful Christian?
Tim Smith 1272 Enon Road, Webb, AL 36376 (334) 899-8131
For questions or comments about this article, contact Tim Smith or email Don H. Noblin. If you decide to email me, please include the title of the article. Thank you.