Biblical Instructions On Prayer (Part One)

As Christians, we know in our hearts that God wants us to pray to him, yet we may not necessarily know to how, what, where, when, and why we pray. Drawing from our instruction manual, the bible, we will work our way through the scriptures to develop answers to these important questions about prayer. This study is not meant to lay out a precise, step-by-step formula that must be followed every time you pray. Far from it. Rather, the purpose is to provide some guidance to the new Christian who really has never prayed much before, and would like to know more about it. For Christians who have been praying for a long time, but find themselves in a prayer rut, this study should bring elements of prayer into focus that will rejuvenate your time spent with the Lord. As we should before any study of God's word, we need to ask him to fill us with wisdom and spiritual understanding, to illuminate our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit.


How


In the sermon on the mount, our Lord gives us some fantastic insight into both how to pray, and how not to pray:
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This, then, is how you should pray: `Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

This may well be some of this richest scripture from an instructional standpoint in the entire New Testament. Before we dive into the Lord's Prayer, let's review what Jesus has to say about "where" and "how" to pray (and how not to).

In the first verse, we see that public prayer that is an attempt to "show off" to our friends and neighbors, where we are almost in a contest to show just how spiritual we are, is not what the Father desires from us. Rather, he is looking for our prayers to be a one-on-one relationship with Him, where we spend quality time alone with Him. We are told that he will reward us for having this kind of intimate relationship with him.

In the second verse, we can see that God also is not interested in hearing us drone on and on, repeating things over and over with the expectation that this vain repetition will improve the odds that God will hear and answer their prayers. No, he knows our prayers even before we ask them of him, and isn't that a comforting thought? He knows our needs even before we bring our petitions to Him! Does this mean that we should not ask for something from God more than once? absolutely not. We will see later in this study that the Lord encourages us to bring our requests before him repeatedly. We're just being instructed not to be repetitious during a prayer, particularly if we are in the company of others. Now that we have an idea of "where" and "how," let's take a look at "what."

The Lord's prayer was not meant to be an end in itself. Rather, it forms an outline to help us in our time alone with God. Once you learn the richness of this prayer outline, you may well find yourself taking up to an hour just to complete this outline. Whole books have been devoted to understanding the depth and richness of this prayer, such as "Could You Not Tarry One Hour," by Larry Lea. In this study, we will look at some of the key points, just to get you started. Once God reveals to you what is hidden here, you can discover for yourself how this prayer outline will forever change the way to communicate with God.

Let's look at the first verse of the prayer. "Our Father." By what right do we call God our Father? The answer is found in scripture. Gal 4:6 (NIV) Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out "Abba, Father". Luke 11:13 (KJV) "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Take a moment to thank your heavenly father that he loved you so much as to want to adopt you into his family.

HALLOWED BE THY NAME.

Our heavenly father's names reveal what he has promised to be in us and what he has promised to do for us and through us. So what exactly does "hallowed" mean? It means to sanctify, or set apart. It is the expression of our desire to see God's name set apart and adored. So what makes a name important? In the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC): "In Bible times a person's name stood for the person - and represented him and his characteristics." Take for example this passage in the book of 1 Samuel, (1 Sam. 25:25) "May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name - his name is Fool, and folly goes with him." Proverbs 18:10 tells us that, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe."

When praying, it is very useful to meditate on God's nature as revealed in adjectives associated with His name in Hebrew. As you read each name, think about how the Father has lived up to his name in your life. Study the verses shown next to each name, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you how God has revealed himself to you in each of these special ways:

Names of God The Meaning The Benefits Scriptures
Jehovah Tsidkenu The Lord My Righteousness Forgiveness Of Sin 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Cor. 1:30, Rom 1:17
Jehovah Ma-kaddesh The Lord Who Sanctifies Freedom From Sin 1 Cor. 6:9-11, 1 Thes. 5:23, Rom 8:29 & 6:17-18
Jehovah Shalom The Lord My Peace Fullness Of The Spirit Isaiah 53:5, Heb. 4:9-10, John. 14:27, Philippians 4:7, Col. 1:20
Jehovah Shammah The Lord Is There Fullness Of The Spirit Ex. 3:13-15, Ezekiel. 48:35b, Ephes. 2:21-22, Heb. 13:5
Jehovah Rophe The Lord Who Heals Soundness Of Body & Spirit 1 Pet 2:24, Rom 8:2, Gal 3:13, Col 2:13-14
Jehovah Jireh The Lord Who Provides Provision Of Our Needs Gen. 22:14, 2 Chron. 16:9a, Psalms 34:15,18
Jehovah Nissi The Lord My Banner Security Ex 17:15, 1 Cor. 15:56-57
Jehovah Rohi The Lord My Shepherd Security Prov. 18:24b, Ps 23, 1 Pet 2:23



Let's look at each of these in their turn:

Jehovah Tsidkenu – Jer. 23:5,6
Our righteousness comes from Him. When you pray, thank God that he has already forgiven us of our sins. The veil in the temple was four inches thick, yet was torn in two at Christ's death, giving all who believe in Christ, access to the Father.

Jehovah M-kaddesh – Leviticus 20:8
God's Holy Spirit indwells us as believers and empowers us to live holy live and to be spiritually and morally pure. We should praise him because the blood of Christ not only washes away our sin, but also breaks the power of sin in our lives. We should also thank God that the blood of Christ does not overlook sin, it overcomes sin.

Jehovah Shalom – Judges 6:24
Because we are believers in the new covenant, the Father has sent to us his Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, we have God's peace, a peace that comes from harmony with God; a contentment and satisfaction in life.

Jehovah Shammah – Ezekiel 48:35
The over-flowing, ever present one. This name is the promise of a holy God dwelling in the midst of his people. Indeed, as believers, the Holy Spirit indwells us, the temple. We need to thank God because our sins have been forgiven and because of that, we can be filled with himself, filled with His Holy Spirit. Indeed, he will never leave us, nor foresake us.

Jehovah Rophe – Exodus 15:26
The word rophe means to restore or cure or heal. Sometimes we tense up a little bit when we hear about "healing," but this does not mean just physical healing. This also refers to spiritual healing. Healing of this kind is already a finished work as far as God is concerned (1 Pet 2:24 and Is 53:5). Remember the stripes that Christ took on his back for our us.

Jehovah Jireh – Gen 23:14
As our provider, God is able to meet all our needs. He never promised to make us rich or famous, but he does provide for our needs. We need to thank him for the little things that happen in our lives. Christ has also provided a way for us to have eternal life - thank him for that!

Jehovah Nissi – Exodus 17:15
He is our banner. He goes before us in situations that are fearful. Christ has gone before us in death and has paved the way for us to have freedom from the fear of death and hell. Christ's death & resurrection have rendered he who had the power of death, Satan, to be powerless. Christ's banner, behind which we rally is love, and that love will never fail us.

Jehovah Rohi – Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd. The primary meaning of rohi is to feed or to lead into pasture. Jesus is our shepherd. When our days have come to an end, He will be there to lead us into the promised land.

THY KINGDOM COME. THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

Did you ever stop to notice that "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done" is more of a commandment than it is a mere statement? Do you really pray that God's kingdom would come? Are you ready for that? If you don't have complete peace about the coming of the kingdom of God and the end of life as we know it, there are really only three possible causes of that unreadiness. Certainly if you have not trusted Christ as your personal savior, then you have good reason to be uneasy about praying for the coming of the kingdom of God. If you are not 100% sure that you will go to heaven when you die, then stop right here and follow this link to find out how you can have that complete assurance. The second reason is because you are not yet ready to see the end of the world. Perhaps you feel like there are so many lost souls, and so little time to save them all. Perhaps you need more time - you have not lived your life in a manner that is worthy of the crowns rejoicing, righteousness or life that are described in the epistles. If so, when you pray that God's will be done, pray that He would use YOU to accomplish his will, and look forward to heaven coming quickly. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:9, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." It's going to be great!



Remember when Jesus was in the garden on the night of his betrayal? He was in anguish, knowing what was coming, asked that the Father would take this burden away from him, "...Yet not as I will, but as you will... May your will be done." (Matt 26:39,42 NIV) was his plea.

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD,

Living in an affluent society such as we have in the U.S., it is sometimes difficult to pray this prayer with conviction. Proverbs 30:8 says it best, " "Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread." What other kind of "bread" might we want? In John chapter 6, Jesus tells us that he is the bread of life, that whosoever comes to him would not hunger, whoever believes in him shall never thirst. When we take communion, we take the bread as a reminder of Christ.

AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.

It is always wise to keep a short accounting with God. Let's face it, we sin every single day, either by what we have done, thought, or what we have not done. When we sin, we break fellowship with God, but that fellowship is restored by an earnest desire to repent of that sin and to ask for His forgiveness. Sometimes we find ourselves in a pattern of sin that we can't break out of, yet we feel awful when we have done it again, so we ask for forgiveness. When we go through the cycle of sin, ask for forgiveness, then do the same sin again, It's like taking your garbage out to the street, then taking it back into the house again. To repent means that we will really turn away from our sin. If we ask the Holy Spirit to help us turn from our sin, he will!

What about those who have sinned against us? When you meditate on this verse, ask the Lord to bring to mind those people who have offended you. When they come to mind, forgive them, even if they haven't asked for forgiveness. In Matthew 6:14-15 we are told, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."(NIV) In Luke 6:27-28 the Lord commands us, "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them who spitefully use you.(KJV)"

AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL

How do we resist temptation when it is all around us? How do we stand up to temptation? In Ephesians chapter 6, the apostle Paul tells us to "put on the full armour of God." Here is the complete "armor, beginning with verse 11: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." It is highly advisable to memorize these verses and pray them each morning before putting a single foot out of bed. You will come to realize that you indeed have a supernatural protection when you earnestly pray though these verses.


Further Study on Prayer

Earlier in the study, we saw the Lord's commandment that we not use vain repetition in our prayers. Did that mean that we should bring our petitions before God only once? Indeed not. Let's take a look at two other scriptures dealing with this subject: Matthew 26:36-44
"36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." 40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." 42He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." 43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing."

Luke 18:1-8
"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, `Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, `Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

From the passage in Matthew, it is clear that even the Lord himself asked the Father three times to grant his request. From the passage in Luke, the Lord's parable is absolutely telling us that a dogged persistence can bring the desired results. Notice, however, that the parable tells us that the judge is giving the widow what she is asking for because it is the right thing to do - he is granting her the justice that she deserves. In other words, she is asking in accordance to his will! When we find that our prayers are not being answered, it is important to realize that they may not be in accordance to his will. Perhaps we are praying for something that is not in line with his plans. After all, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways are higher than our ways. It is also possible that we are praying according to his will, but it is not in his timing, so keep on praying until you get a sense that you need to realign to his will, or that perhaps you just need to keep praying until the timing is right.

Concluding Remarks

Prayer is probably the most important part of the Christian life. It is our primary means of communicating with God. The bible has given us some do's and don'ts about prayer. We have seen in this study how the Lords prayer is far more than a tradition, is really a prayer outline. When you apply this outline to your next prayers, ask the Lord to reveal how it relates to you and your own personal circumstances. We have seen that persistent prayer is not ignored by the Lord, but rather, is answered if we are praying in accordance with His will. In Part Two of this study on prayer, we will continue examining the merits of persistent prayer and will take a look at the "other" Lord's Prayer. Stay tuned



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