Prayer- Part III
LET US STUDY TOGETHER the inerrant, fathomless, holy Word of God. I remind you that the complete title for this message is “What the Bible Says about Prayer.” That is to state that our source for our knowledge about this most important subject is Scripture and not our own imaginations, not what we have surmised from observation, not what we may have heard or read outside the Bible. We are seeking to understand what the Bible says about prayer.
THIS IS THE THIRD WEEK IN A SERIES OF MESSAGES ON PRAYER. In the first message we concluded that basically prayer is simply talking to God. We learned also that the Hebrew and particularly the Greek words used in the Bible to translate “prayer” tell us that prayer is essentially asking God for things, not just any things, but things that are in accordance with His divine will…
NAS John 14:13 “And whatever you ask in My name (in accordance with the character of Christ), that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
NAS James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
PRAYER IS TALKING TO GOD, AND ASKING HIM FOR THINGS that are revealed in Scripture and are in line with His divine will. After studying the subject for many years, and after studying it anew these past weeks for these most recent blogs, I am confident that is what the Bible simply and essentially says that prayer is: imperfect, often frail human beings talking to God Almighty and asking Him for things they need that are in accordance with His will.
ALWAYS IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS WILL. Even Jesus, in His humanity, prayed to the Father in the Garden the night before He went to the Cross, He uttered these familiar words, words most significant to our understanding of prayer…
NAS Matthew 26:39 And He (Jesus) went a little beyond them (His disciples), and fell on His face and prayed (προσευχόμενος), saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”
OUR PRAYERS AND THE REQUESTS WE MAKE IN THEM must always be in accordance with God’s will. Prayer is talking to God and asking Him things that are in accordance with His will.
BUT I’D LIKE TO ADD TO THAT DEFINITION a little in this writing to help us see it more clearly in our minds.
THIS WEEK I HAD THE PLEASURE OF being with some fine Christian men, teachers and pastors with many years of experience in Christian ministry. I asked them individually what they thought of my definition and invited them to make comments. While they all to a main agreed with the definition, a couple of them did make comments as to possible additions to the definition. I want to share two of them with you in hopes they will sharpen the picture of prayer you are most probably in the process of forming in your minds.
ONE PROFESSOR SAID he would add the element of fervency to our definition of prayer. Although we do not find this dimension present in the definition of the individual Hebrew and Greek words, it is, certainly, present in many of the contexts in which we find the word prayer in the Bible. We spoke of fervency in prayer last week. Allow me to read the same verse I quoted last week…
NAS Luke 6:12 And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.
“FERVENCY” IS A GOOD WORD TO ASSOCIATE WITH OUR DEFINITION of prayer. “Fervent” means to have or show great emotion or zeal. It literally means extremely hot, glowing. When we pray, we should most definitely pray with fervency.
LUKE TELLS US THAT JUST AFTER JESUS MADE HIS STATEMENT concerning God’s will (“yet not My will, but Thine be done”) Jesus made this statement…
NAS Luke 22:44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.
“FERVENCY” BELONGS IN THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF PRAYER.
THE SECOND EXCELLENT COMMENT I received this week concerning the definition of prayer had to do with those times when we may have plenty of fervency but can’t seem to find the right words to express ourselves in prayer…
NAS Romans 8:26 And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
NOW, LAST WEEK I SAID WE WERE GOING TO LOOK THIS WEEK AT…
KJV 1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; (NAS 1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,)
MY PURPOSE IS TO SHOW YOU THAT THERE ARE DIMENSIONS OF PRAYER, there are distinctions in biblical prayer. Here in this one verse we see four different distinctions: supplications or entreaties, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings. Time will not permit us to go into each of these four dimensions, nor it my intention to directly focus on each of these words in this blog. Suffice it to say, when each of these prayerful terms is examined carefully, it may be clearly seen that each may be seen to involve the centerpiece of asking. Incidentally, there is also confession and praise to consider. We will speak about praise in some detail in a moment…
CONFESSION OF SIN IS essentially saying the same things about our sins that God says about them in His Word. In our prayers we should confess our sins to God. Unconfessed sin can prevent our prayers from being answered positively…
NAS 1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
THESE TERMS ARE DISTINCTIVE, BUT THEY ARE COMPLIMENTARY. These terms overlap and harmonize. So, given that fact we might simply say that…
OUR PRAYERS SHOULD NOT BE ONE-DIMENSIONAL. Our prayers should include these distinctive elements or dimensions…
“SUPPLICATION/ENTREATIES” – We express our needs to God, asking Him to meet them.
“PRAYER” – Almost identical in this context, “prayer” is probably seen here as more general and more reverent, more worshipful than supplication. One commentator made the point that praying for the lost brings God glory (2 Cor 4:15).
“PETITION/INTERCESSION” – This particular word appears only here and in chapter 4 (v. 5) in the entire NT and is, therefore, somewhat difficult to define with precision. I believe it may be seen that the word involves compassionate concern for others. Our prayers should include requests to God for others. In this very verse Paul commands believers to pray “on behalf of all men.” If we are honest, we would probably admit that our prayers are too often confined to our own needs.
“THANKSGIVING” – This is the easiest word to define. Thanksgiving means just that. Our prayers should not be only asking God; they must also thank God for what He has already given us.
AND THANKSGIVING LEADS US TO PRAISE. Our prayers should include large amounts of praise.
THE BIBLE IS FULL OF PRAISE and exhortations to praise the Lord…
KJV Psalm 113:3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised.
PRAISE IS VERY CLOSE TO THANKSGIVING. Consider for but one of many examples this verse which treats the two terms as almost being synonymous…
NAS Psalm 69:30 I will praise (הלל) the name of God with song, And shall magnify Him with thanksgiving (תּוֹדָה).
KJV Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
BUT I HUMBLY MAINTAIN THE TWO TERMS ARE NOT IDENTICAL and we should strive to keep their distinctions clear in our minds and in our prayers…
THE HEBREW WORDS FOR “PRAISE”…
הלל (ha-lal) be boastful, praise
יָדָה (ya-da) throw, cast – give thanks, laud, praise
הִלּוּל (he-lool) rejoicing, praise
תּוֹדָה (toe-da) thanksgiving, thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship, praise
זָמַר (za-mar) make music in praise of God (Ps 21:13; 57:7; 108:1)
THE GREEK WORDS FOR “PRAISE”…
επαινεο (eh-pie-ne-o) (6) to commend, praise
ἔπαινος (eh-pie-nos) (11) commendation, praise
δοξα (dox-a) (168) [only 4 times as praise] glory, estimation, honor, renown, splendor
αἰνέω (eye-ne-o) (9) to praise, only of praise to God
αινοσ(eye-nos) (2) praise to God
ευλογεω(eu-la-geh-o) (44) [overwhelmingly translated bless] to praise, invoke blessings on; to bless, cause to prosper
WHEN YOU PUT THESE TOGETHER, PRAISE MEANS TO SPEAK WELL OF GOD. While it may be said that thanksgiving is a form of praise, I believe the Bible uses the terms distinctively. Any serious argument that praise means thanksgiving must come from the OT. But even there, I believe there is a distinction. Thanksgiving is when we thank God for something He has done; praise is when we extol His personal attributes and virtues. There is a difference. If you get a new job that pays more money, you thank God. If you speak well of the character, attributes or deeds of God, you praise God…
NAS Matthew 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.
THAT IS PRAISE…
SPEAKING WELL OF GOD as in saying that His name should be honored is praising God, not thanking Him. To thank Him for something may be seen as praising Him (because that is certainly speaking well of Him), but praising Him is not truly thanking Him.
CHRISTIAN MUSIC AND SINGING are closely associated with praise…
KJV Ephesians 5:18-19 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
KJV Psalm 150:1-6 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
“PRAISE HIM THROUGH THE NIGHT” is a gospel song I play often. It is not only a great song, but it has a great theme. What the song says is that during the “night” of our experience – whatever the experience – during the difficult times, we should praise God. It is a helpful thing, a potentially transforming thing, to speak well of God when we ourselves are experiencing difficulty.
IMMATURE PEOPLE SPEAK SLIGHTINGLY, INDIGNITY, even bitterly and heretically about God in times of extreme difficulty (“Why God! Have You allowed this to happen to me?! If You were a good God You would never have let this happen to me!). Mature people speak well of God in times of extreme difficulty. Mature people “Praise Him through the Night.”
THE FAMILIAR WORD “HALLELUJAH” MEANS, “PRAISE THE LORD.” I think there should be an exclamation point following each mention or allusion to Hallelujah.
LET US CLOSE WITH WHAT I WILL TERM THE “ATTITUDE” of prayer. The more I study and meditate upon prayer, the more I see how fundamental one’s image and comprehension of God is to one’s prayer life. Someone once went so far as to say that the most important thing in life is your view of God. Think about that: How exactly do you picture God? It is so important to have the correct attitude in prayer. That attitude basically has to do with our concept of God.
“IT IS A GOOD HABIT just to review God’s character when you pray and remember that He is a God of infinite love, glory, grace, majesty, mercy, and wisdom. He is all-powerful, everywhere present, and all knowing. God’s attributes are evident in His works. By reviewing His many great works (creation, deliverance, miracles, etc.), we remind ourselves of how worthy and invincible He is – and, we praise Him at the same time. When we spend time in praise, reviewing all that God is and all He did for His people in OT times, all that Jesus Christ accomplished for sinners, what God did throughout church history, then our problems fade.” – John MacArthur
WHEN WE REMEMBER HOW GREAT HE IS, we are humbled and encouraged. This great God loves me and will help me in my difficulty. Hallelujah!
HOW WE SEE GOD DETERMINES OUR ATTITUDE IN PRAYER…
OUR ATTITUDE SHOULD BE A MIXTURE OF INTIMACY AND AWE… Let us talk about those two words as we conclude – at least for now – our study of prayer…
HADDON ROBINSON TELLS THIS STORY: When his two children, Vicki and Torrey, were young, Haddon played a game with them. He would take a few coins and then close his hand over them. His youngsters would crawl up in his lap and try to pry open his fingers one at a time. Once they captured the coins, they would scream with delight and jump down to treasure their prize. “What I enjoyed about that game,” Haddon said, “was having my son and daughter sit in my lap, and feel them close to me. The pennies, of course, really didn’t mean much to me, but in anther way they meant everything to me because, during my penny play, my children laughed and talked with me while I expressed, with hugs, my deep love for them.” Haddon Robinson goes on to say that when we pray, we often concentrate on the gifts in God’s hand and ignore the hand of God Himself. We pray fervently for new jobs or for the return of health. When we gain the prizes, we are delighted. And then we have little more to do with God. If only after the coins, God’s hand serves only as a way to make the house payment, buy clothes for the children, or pay for the groceries. After the need has been met, the hand itself means little to many of us. Although God in His grace does give good gifts to His children (James 1:17), He offers more than that. He offers us Himself. Those who are satisfied with the trinkets in the Father’s hand miss the best reward of prayer – the reward of communicating and communing with the God of the universe…
HE IS OUR LOVING, FORGIVING, ALL POWERFUL FATHER, Who would not want to talk to such a One? And then, to think that this wonderful One loves hearing from us in our prayers…
NAS Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
“TELL GOD ALL THAT IS IN YOUR HEART, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself and others. If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from each other never want for subject of conversation. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.” – Church Swindoll
YES, OUR IMAGE or perception of God has a great deal to do with our prayers, the intensity of them and the success of them. The address “Our Father in heaven,” in Matthew’s record of the so-called “Lord’s Prayer,” really the disciples’ prayer, not only recognizes the intimacy that we have with God as our Father, but it also speaks of the awe we should have as we come to Him in prayer.
WE ASK GOD FOR THINGS MATERIAL AND IMATERIALWHEN WE TALK TO HIM IN PRAYER, AND we listen to Him when we open our Bibles to read as it speaks to us of the awesomeness of God, such as this…
KJV Psalm 97:1 The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
“I STAND IN AWE OF YOU… You are beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words, too wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard. Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom? Who can fathom the depth of your love? You are beautiful beyond description, Majesty enthroned above.” – Hymn
IF GOD DOES NOT HAVE FIRST PLACE IN OUR LIFE, if instead of God we have placed family or career, or anything else, upon the throne of our heart, we will not make prayer a priority.
ONCE MORE, PRAYER IS TALKING TO GOD, AND ASKING HIM FOR THINGS that are in accordance with His divine will. Prayer, in the proper attitude of intimacy and awe, is an act of worship. Prayer is our lifeline to God. It is our spiritual breath. When we stop praying we are cut off from our source of power. When we stop praying we stop breathing spiritually. This is why God tells us to…
NAS 1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing;
WE NEED AT LEAST THREE MORE WEEKS, BUT, for now, that’s what the Bible says about prayer.
– Professor Thomas A. Rohm
