What Is Prayer?

Psalms 116:1-2  "I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.  Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live."

Prayer and Study of the Word of God, are two of the greatest disciplines in the Christian life. Prayer, just like Study of God's Word, is often the most NEGLECTED discipline in the Christian life. This should not be the case. You see, from the very beginning God created Adam with fellowship in mind. Adam was not a "great experiment", but God's earnest desire to create a being that would willingly fellowship with Him. He created the angels, super beings that had access to His very throne room. They came in and out on a daily basis, and some even became arrogant enough to challenge His authority. Angels were superior to man in form and power, but man had something that the angels never had - he was created in the image of God. God created a being that could, if he would, communicate with his Creator out of a sense of love and duty, who could build a relationship with the Eternal Majesty, who could love Him as He loved us. Sadly, we're often too concerned with ourselves to take the time to communicate with Our Father.

In my short life span I have seen prayer abused, misused, and ignored by believers. I have sat in services where the preacher prays, but as he prays he "preaches" to God. I have seen people write down prepared prayers so they would be "fulfilling" when said in the worship services of the Church, and watched in awe as people have rattled off meaningless and repetitive prayers ("Hail, Mary, Full of Grace ..." or "Our Father Who art in Heaven...") over and over again, as if emptiness repeated will bring a better blessing. Prayer is none of these things. Prayer is communication, pure and simple, to the Father of all. Prayer is the communication that the lesser being (man) directs toward the greater Being (God), in faith that the greater Being (God) will answer. Prayer, quite simply, is TALKING TO GOD.

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."

Matthew 18:19-20  "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

When I was a young boy I often asked my daddy for things. When we were growing up, life was hard. Dad only made about 40.00$ a week, and we had to be very careful that there was enough money for the necessities. I didn't understand that then, but I do now. Anyway, I'd ask Dad for things, and sometimes he'd say "yes", other times "no", and sometimes it was "let me think about it". I remember when I entered High School I wanted to join the band, but in order to join you had to purchase your instrument. Dad said "no", and I was heartbroken. In fact, though I understand the reason why, I'm still a little bothered by it today. That's the human in me, and I hope you forgive me.

The thing was, when I asked Dad for things I never dropped to my knees and said "Dearest Daddy, Thou art the ruler of this household, the King amongst us. Wilt thou give me ___?". Yes, I know that sounds silly. If I'd asked Dad that way, he's have sent me to a home! You see, Dad and I had a RELATIONSHIP, and I communicated in simple terms my wants and needs. In the same way, we need to communicate (pray) to our Heavenly Father. I was never disrespectful to my Dad, I was afraid to be that way. In the same way, we are never to be disrespectful to our Heavenly Father. We should be afraid to be that way. Yet many of us are disrespectful to our Heavenly Father when we pray.

My Dad was limited in his resources, and this was the reason I didn't often get what I wanted. God our Father, on the other hand, has unlimited resources. Look what Jesus said: "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them". God is not limited by resources, but He is often limited by our relationship to Him. If we pray thus: "Father, I'd like ___, though I know in my heart you'll not give it", then don't be surprised when God doesn't hear your prayer. Too often we pray EXPECTING NOT TO RECEIVE and we don't receive, then we say "Well, I knew it all along". What an insult to God!

Look, God is your Heavenly Father, and He is also the best Friend you'll ever have. He expects you to build a relationship with Him through prayer. As your relationship grows, your spirituality grows, and your ability to be blessed grows. If you pray DISbelieving, you are wasting your (and God's) time. Pray believing that He loves you, pray believing that He will only answer if it is in your best interest, pray establishing a relationship with Him. Then your prayers will be effective.

Jeremiah 33:3  "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

Isaiah 65:24  "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

Call on God expecting to receive a blessing, and expecting Him to answer in a mighty way. You have to expect a blessing to receive a blessing. You cannot expect a blessing until you have matured as a believer to the point where you CAN expect a blessing. I doubt that you'll be able to finish reading this study then say (for the first time in months) "All right, God, now I'm ready. Let's Pray!" and get a great blessing. For one thing is certain: prayer is a discipline, something that you must work at. When you build a habit of prayer, a habit of seeking God's face, then His presence becomes more powerful as time goes by.

Luke 5:16  "And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed."

Luke 22:44  "And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

Jesus our example and Savior often prayed, and made prayer to the Father a part of His everyday life. When He prayed He focused on the One He was praying to, not on the great words that He might utter to bring the audience to rapture. Jesus threw Himself into His prayers, prayers both public and private, and ignored all but the One He was addressing.

Many people have the idea that you need to have a degree from Seminary in order to pray effectively. Nothing is farther from the truth. There was once a great Seminary, run by the most Powerful Religious Man who ever lived. This Man taught His class how to pray, when to pray, how to approach God, and these men graduated from that excellent course three years later just as ignorant as when they went in. This Seminary was run by Jesus Christ Himself, and the students were eleven men whom He called "disciples". Look how well they did:

Matthew 26: 36-45  "Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."

Here it was, graduation day, and the disciples fell victim to sleep when they should have been praying and watching with Jesus. They knew that the time was short - Jesus revealed how short it was before His execution at the Passover. He emphasized His death was coming in just hours, and asked, as His final request, that the disciples pray with Him. These men walked the earth with the Son of God. They had the best instruction possible, knew how to pray, but failed when Jesus needed them most. Rather than focus on God and lift up Jesus they instead focused on their own need of sleep. The point? Great instruction and a Great Teacher doesn't make a prayer warrior. Great instruction gives you the information you need, but unless you actually DO THE PRAYING on a regular basis you'll never be effective in prayer, either public or private.

Psalms 66:18  "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me"

1 John 1:8-9  "If we say that 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."

Public prayer is something that every Christ should be able to do. When you pray out loud in the Church, your prayers lead the Body into a closer walk with God or drive it farther away. But public prayer is only effective if you already have a PRIVATE relationship with God. Unless you have a relationship with Him you cannot lead others in a public conversation with Him.

When you get off by yourself to pray to the Father, the very first thing you should do is EXAMINE your life. Have you sin in your life? Are you where you ought to be with God? Be honest, because God already knows the answer to this one. When you start praying, first "confess" any known sins that you have in your life to God. "Confess" is the Greek HOMOLOGEO, which means "to assent to, acknowledge, say the same thing about". When you HOMOLOGEO your sins you uncover them, bring them out into the open. You tell God, "Father, I have sinned by ___, and ask your forgiveness in the name of Jesus". Do not justify your sin ("Lord, I know I did this, BUT"). Do not seek to minimize its evil in the sight of God. Just ADMIT it, repenting, and ask God to forgive you of it. Believer, if you pray with sin in your heart you're just blowing off hot air! Whether it's a bad lifestyle, destructive behavior, or even a "little" sin then HOMOLOGEO, admit it.

Active sin in your life is one of the nine reasons that God doesn't answer your prayers. Here's the other reasons:

1. You pray without faith (Matthew 18.18-20; 21.22; Mark 11.24). Praying without faith is akin to calling God a liar. God loves you, and only wants the best for you. If you pray doubting as you pray you are saying to Him "I'm really not sure You love me, care about me, or even exist". Don't expect any answer if you pray with doubt in your heart. And if you have a grain of doubt, then while praying be honest about it with Him. Say "Lord, I believe - help my unbelief" (Mark 9.23-24). God respects honesty, not deceit.

2. You pray selfishly (James 4.2-3). I have heard of Christians playing the Lottery (which I detest) and praying "God, let me win". Why? What's your reason for wanting this money? Will it advance the Kingdom of God, help someone in need, or honor Christ. The selfish prayer is never heard - pray with the right motivation.

3. You pray, but have no compassion for others (Proverbs 21.13). Are you living your life like Jesus did, selflessly giving and trying to love others?  Or are you living greedily, only for yourself, for no one else? Until you try to walk like Jesus walked, giving of yourself and your riches to those less fortunate, then God will ignore your selfish prayers.

4. You pray, but your household is in disarray (1 Peter 3.7). Men, if you treat your wives poorly, beat them, shun them, treat them as anything less that a Gift from God then expect God to ignore your prayers. Women, if you nag you husband, insult him publicly, refuse to love him, treat him as less than a Gift from God, then expect your prayers to be ignored. Man and wife are ONE FLESH, and that unit cannot be in disarray else God will ignore your prayers.

5. You pray pridefully or self righteously (Job 35.12-13; Luke 18.11-14). Believer, we are all human approaching a Holy and Righteous God when we pray. None of us deserve Grace, we all deserve hellfire and eternal damnation. We are not worth the price He paid for us, but He paid it out of Grace. When you pray, don't be lifted up in yourself. We are all sinners and hell bound but for the Grace of God in Christ Jesus.

6. You pray from your own power, without the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6.18). The effective prayer is the surrendered prayer. Surrender yourself to the anointing power of the Holy Spirit when you pray, and God will be in your prayers.

7. You pray in disobedience (1 John 3.22). If you have been living a life of sin, ignoring God, and then come to Him in prayer your prayers won't have much punch. Obey His leading in your life, then your prayer life will be rich and rewarding.

8. Finally, you pray outside of the Will of God (1 John 5.14). We must ask God in ACCORDANCE with His will. Now you may ask, "How can I know that will?" The answer is simple, the reality harder. Unless you are studying God's Word on a regular daily basis you may never understand the Will of God. The effective prayer warrior is the one who spends time in His Word, REVERENTLY spends time, on a regular basis. As the Will of God unfolds to you through His Word then you begin to understand and apply this Will to your prayer life. The Scripture will reveal His Will, and your prayers will show you a deeper relationship in Him. You must have both, prayer and meditation on the Word.

1 Thessalonians 5:18  "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Ephesians 5:20  "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

God our Father doesn't want us to regard Him as that "Great Santa Claus In The Sky" or the "Great Spirit In The Wind". When you pray, thank God for the things He's already given you by Grace. Thank Him for the fact that Jesus died for you, and rose again. Thank Him for that great Gift of salvation. Thank Him for letting you live another day to serve Him. How would you feel if you did something for someone, then, instead of thanking you they asked for more things. It's kind of like being the rich uncle that everyone's nice to for the money, but they really don't love him. Don't treat your Father that way! Tell Him how much He means to you, how much He's blessed you, and thank Him for being there for you. God wants to build a relationship with you. He can't do that if you're mercenary in your prayers.

Ephesians 6:18  "Praying (PROSEUCHOMAI = to pray to God, i.e. supplicate, worship) always with all prayer (PROSEUCHE = from Greek  PROSEUCHOMAI = prayer) and supplication (DEESIS = a petition) in the Spirit, and watching (AGRUPNEO= to be sleepless, i.e. keep awake) thereunto with all perseverance (PROSKARTERESIS = persistency) and supplication (DEESIS = a petition) for all saints"

Every believer should be praying for others. Every believer should have a prayer list, a list of people who needs your prayers, that you remember before God. Too often in our prayers we think of ourselves first, then others last. The truth is, each believer is a PART of the Body of Christ, the Church. If one member of that body suffers, we all suffer.

Think about this: rather than complain about your preacher, how he's not quite meeting the needs of your Church, how about lifting him up in prayer? I you want a better preacher, a better pastor, then pray for the one you have. Has the Church you're attending grown a little stale? Pray for the Church, for the believers you worship Christ with. Pray for your deacons, your elected leaders, the person you sit next to at Church.

Matthew 5:44  "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you"

Luke 6:28  "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you."

Rather than seek out ways to "get even", pray for those who hate you or have abused you. Jesus set the perfect example of the Cross when He looked out at the jeering crowd and said "Father, Forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23.34)". He was nailed to some old previously used, blood stained boards, struggling for each breath while the crowd made fun of Him. What have your enemies done to you? Some years ago, when I was in the military, I left my home Church to go overseas. Though I made every effort to find an overseas home Church, and though I worshipped in many different assemblies, I never found a Church I could move my membership to. After six years I and my family came home, back to our original Church. When we came back I noticed that the members seemed uneasy around me and my family, and things were just a little to the right of center. Anyway, I began to faithfully attend Church with my family, and slowly the members began to open up to us again. After about six months I discovered the cause of the problem - the Associate Pastor had warned the Church that I was coming back to "take over the Church". I was branded as a heretic, and had no idea why.

I sought out the Associate Pastor and asked him why he had conducted this smear campaign, and also asked the Pastor his reasons for allowing this to go on. The root of the problem was, I found out, something I did when I and the family came home on vacation one year. I preached a sermon (at the invitation of the Associate Pastor) that didn't set right with him, and he allowed that sermon to drive a wedge between himself and (unknown to me) myself. When he heard I was returning to my home Church he began a smear campaign to discredit me, and thus "rob me of power".

Well, I was shocked, and also hurt. I thought this man was a good friend, a man who would sponsor and support me as the Lord led me to the fields of ministry. Instead, he was doing his level best to paint me as a scoundrel. I considered retaliation, then reconsidered. God quietly led me to pray for this man, for the Church, and I have to confess - this was the toughest thing I've ever done. The Sin Nature in all of us tells us to strike back when struck. But I prayed that God would resolve the issue. In time, peace (or a truce - I don't know this man's heart) came between us both. The pastor licensed me to the ministry, I left this Church to seek a pulpit, and God rewarded my pitiful obedience in prayer. If Jesus can ask forgiveness for the crowd that nailed Him up like a bug, we can all forgive the decidedly smaller infractions that others throw our way. Pray for your enemies that God might convert them. Pray for your friends. Pray for strangers who need prayer. Pray for your family, those you love. Pray for those in the Lord's service, for they need your prayers most of all.

Hebrews 4:16  "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

When you have met all the other requirements of prayer, remember to pray for your own needs. God tells us that we can "come boldly" to Him in prayer. He loves us - we are His children. We are purchased by the Blood of Jesus Christ, saved, adopted by Love. We do not need to be disrespectful when we come to the Throne of Grace, but on the other hand we do not need to be timid. When I was a child I always asked Daddy straight out if I wanted something. Your Heavenly Father wants you to be the same way, to ask Him directly. You do not need to go through some Priest or medium to get to God. Your prayers already filter through Jesus Christ to get to Him - you need no greater medium.

The only prayer for deliverance that God never answered was the prayer Jesus made "let this cup pass from Me" (Psalms 22.1-18). God may not remove the burden itself, but He will certainly provide a means whereby you can handle that burden if you pray. Pray with others: When believers get together to pray for an answer, and prevail in prayer, God often answers in a mighty way.

Acts 12:5-8  "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.  And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.  And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.  And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me."

When Peter was in prison the Church got together and asked God to release him. Peter was the Chief Apostle, and the Church needed him to help them grow in strength and power. God heard this prevailing prayer, and sent the angel of the Lord to release him. Prevailing prayer through the Church, with the Church in one accord and of one mind, has the ability to release the awesome power of God on the earth. No amount of "Hail Mary's", no vain repetition of empty words has the power to do this. Prayer does not BELONG to the Church, but is a discipline that each believer must pursue as his right and privilege before God. When we bind together as the Body of Christ and pray in one accord our prayers become one, and this has the potential of releasing the power of God on the earth for us.

Revelation 1:6  "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

Every believer in the Church Age is a priest before God, and the sacrifice we offer up before Him is our prayers and service. We direct our prayers to God the Father (not Mary, not some saint, not even to Jesus) as our Lord Jesus taught us:

Luke 11:2-4  "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.  Give us day by day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

Jesus never told us to pray to the Holy Spirit or even to Himself. Our prayer is always to the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 7.25; Romans 8.26-27). The Father, as the Head of the Trinity, ordained the Plan of Salvation that Christ through the Spirit brought to us. We therefore honor Christ and the Spirit when we pray to the Father, as Jesus commanded.

Our Heavenly Father is in the prayer answering business, but we need to realize that that answer may not always be "yes". God answers prayers in a variety of ways. There's an old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it". This is very true in prayer.

God may answer your prayer by granting your petition, but the petition that He grants may not satisfy the desires of your heart. For instance, God fed Israel Manna in the wilderness for forty years. But Israel began complaining about the food, so God sent Israel a flock of quail forty miles long and two miles wide. He gave them meat in abundance. However Israel, in their greed, made themselves sick eating this meat.

Psalms 106:15  "And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul."

Do not offend God when you pray! He does not like to hear your grumbling, your bitterness, your foolishness. He is Almighty God, and when we forget that we often do so at our own peril. Israel prayed that God would send them a King, because they "wanted to be like other nations". God's theocracy wasn't good enough, they had to have a King. So God sent them Saul, perhaps the worst King Israel ever saw (1 Samuel 8.5). I have seen Churches seek out highly educated "Doctors of Divinity" so they could be like the other "big" Churches and have a "Doctor" as their Pastor. Great education does not necessarily make a God called pastor, as many Churches have found out. Saul, religiously educated under Gamaliel, murdered a number of Christians before he was saved. Great personality does not necessarily make a God called pastor. Apollos was one of the most personable ministers of his day, but his ministry caused division among the Corinthian Church. Call the Pastor that God wants you to have, not the one you want out of pride. Then after you call him, PRAY FOR HIM.

Sometimes God ignores our prayer petition but gives us the desire of our heart. Abraham prayed that Ishmael would be the chosen child, the child that God would give him (Genesis 17.18), but God wouldn't allow Ishmael (a child born out of faithlessness) be his heir. Instead, God allowed Sarah to become pregnant with Isaac, the child of faith. The desire was answered, but not in the way Abraham expected it. In Genesis 18.23-33 God answered Abraham's prayer by saving Lot, but He destroyed Sodom and Gomorra. Abraham asked that Sodom and Gomorra be saved in order to save Lot, but God just saved Lot. In 2 Corinthians 12.7 Paul asked that the thorn in his flesh be removed, and instead God gave him peace in the midst of the trial. It was not His will that the trial go away, but it was His will that Paul have perfect peace. Desire was answered, though the specific request was denied.

Sometimes God answers both the petition and the desire of the believer. In Judges 16.28 Samson asked for both death and vengeance on his enemies, and God allowed him to have both. Not because God condones vengeance, but because it suited His plan to destroy this people. In Luke 23.42 the dying thief on the Cross next to Jesus had both his prayer and desire answered. He prayed that he be forgiven, and Jesus both forgave him and gave him eternal life.

Finally, as we discussed before, sometimes God just says "No", and leaves the desire and the petition ungranted. This occurs, either when we totally ask for something outside of the will of God, or when we are guilty of something that hinders our prayers (again, see above). This is not the norm with our Heavenly Father. He stands ready to hear our prayers, ready to build a relationship with us through prayer and meditation on the Word. Start building your relationship with your Father today by prayer. You'll be blessed, He guarantees it!

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