"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path". Ps 119:105

PRAYER

Reading: Psalm 107

When we consider that God is the Creator of everything, for us to be able to pray to God in heaven is a wonderful thought. God is the greater than we can ever imagine, yet prayer is a privilege that He has given to every one who is humble and recognises that God is the Creator and source of everything. Prayer can seem to be a difficult matter, because there is such a great gulf between the Great Creator in heaven and His creation on the earth. Yet God has always made it plain that He is willing to be approached, and for men and women to talk to Him. The only condition being, that they have the right spirit and attitude of mind, one ready to accept and believe His word.

"Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool, but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word" (Isaiah 66:1-2)

So we are promised that God will respond to our prayers if we come to him in true humility.

We may think that it is not easy to pray directly to God. Indeed, in the Old Testament we read that people were fearful when they thought they were in the presence of the Almighty. For example, when the people of Israel came out of Egypt, the glory of God came down on Mount Sinai and everyone, including Moses, was terrified. Then when God spoke the people fell back and stood a long way off. (Please read Exodus 19v17-20 and 20v18-21.) God was willing to be near His chosen nation, but on His terms. Such was the splendour and power of God, the Israelites felt unable to come into His holy presence. They feared the glory of God and rightly so, for man is not fit to be in the presence of God, who has said that no man may see his face and live. [Exodus 33v20] We also would have felt the same fear.

They and we, must show reverence and Godly fear in the presence of God. The people of Israel were so afraid that they asked Moses to be their mediator with God. Thus that became the way that God communicated with His people, through a mediator.

God commanded Moses to build a place where he would meet with His people. Moses was given intricate instructions to build the Tabernacle, the tent of meeting. When the Tabernacle was built as a place of worship in the wilderness, the glory of God shone over the "ark of the covenant" in the Most Holy Place. No one could go into this "presence of God", except the High Priest on one day each year, on the Day of Atonement. On that day he entered into the most Holy place and confessed before God all the sins of the nation of Israel. Thus it was that the High Priest had the role of mediator, praying to God on behalf of the people. For many generations this was the pattern that the Jewish people followed in obedience to the Law, as given by God to Moses. They had to approach God by the way He appointed. (It also pointed forward to the work of Jesus as a mediator for his disciples. When he went to heaven he became a "faithful High Priest" for all those followers, whether Jews or not, who have been baptized "into Christ".

Can anybody Pray to God?

It is reasonable to ask the question, 'was there no other way to come to God except through the Jewish High Priest, any priest, or by offering sacrifices?' What was the situation also for the people who lived before there was a nation of Israel? For people who were not Jews? For the Jews later on, when they lived in exile away from the Temple? Could anybody in these circumstances pray to God directly?

To answer these questions lets have a look at some examples of prayer in scripture:

1) The first example that we can take is one recorded in Genesis 24, about the servant of Abraham, who prayed for success on his journey to find a godly wife for Isaac, Abraham's son. He prayed:

"O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham."

Then continued asking God to give a sign that he would answer his prayer.

"See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, `Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, `Drink, and I'll water your camels too' --let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master." Gen 24v12-14 [NIV]

The servants faithful prayer and trust in God was answered. Rebecca was the daughter of a relative of Abraham. So many miles the servant had traveled, not knowing where exactly he was going and yet God overruled his journey. God answered his prayer and he was successful in his journey. The first thing we observe is that he immediately thanked God when his prayers were answered: "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives." Gen 24v27 [NIV]

2) We can read in Job 42 of how Job prayed for his friends after God had healed him from his sickness. God said to Job's friends:

"Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job." Job 42v8

So in this case Job is acting as a mediator for his friends and God was willing to accept his prayer on their behalf.

3) Hannah, the mother of Samuel, prayed to God because she was childless:

"And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head" .... "Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard:" (1 Samuel 1v11-13).

We note that Hannah spoke in her heart, we have no need to speak out loud God is well aware of our thoughts and feelings. We also can learn from what is recorded of Hannah after she had prayed:

"So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad."

In other words Hannah trusted God to answer her prayer and indeed her prayer was answered in due course.

4) Daniel, a captive in Babylon despite being in exile still trusted God:

"his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime" (Daniel 6: 10)

Daniel sets an example of how often maybe, we should pray each day.

5) We can also consider King Solomon's request that God would hear the prayer of strangers:

"Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake; (for they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee" 1 Kings 8v4-43

All these examples of prayer we have briefly looked at and the many others we can read of in scripture, can teach us lessons about not only how to pray, but about what attitude of mind we should have towards God.

So what about all those people in our day and age who call on God when they are in trouble? Will he hear them, even if sometimes they have forgotten Him? The answer is clearly yes, if they are sincere, humble, repentant and trust God. They must believe the word of God, the gospel message of salvation, then respond to the goodness and mercy of God by being baptized and putting faith into practice.

In this context we can consider the examples given in Psalm 107:

The hungry and thirsty are fed (verse 5-6); those who rebel against God, but then repent are forgiven (verse 13); God hears those who "draw near to the gates of death" (verse 18); God hears those who are in danger of being shipwrecked (verse 28).

The lesson is summarised in verse 6:

"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of all their distresses."

How Should We Pray to God?

The first requirement of prayer is that we have faith. Paul writes:

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11v6

During his ministry Jesus told a parable about a Pharisee and a Publican ('publicans' and 'sinners' were despised by the Pharisees) The Pharisee went before God and prayed thus:

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican." Luke 18v11

We note that it says "he prayed with himself", God was not willing to hear a man justify himself before God condemning others and not recognising his own need for forgiveness. Jesus comments about this man "every one that exalteth himself shall be abased;" [ Luke 18v14]

On the other hand the Publican, bowed his head and smote on his breast and prayed, so we read:

"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". Luke 18v13

Jesus goes on to say of this man, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified". God is willing to hear the prayer of the humble and repentant sinner, but not the proud justifier of self.

Thus we see that God has always provided a way for sincere people, whoever they are and wherever they live, to approach Him in prayer. The same principle applies in our day and we can learn many lessons from these Biblical examples. The man or woman who is truly seeking God and is studying His Word will indeed feel the need to pray. A person seeking God will wish to offer praise and reverent worship; to give thanks for all the blessings of life and especially for the word of God, contained in the Bible. When he learns about sin he will want to confess his own sins to God, and God will hear and forgive him.

There is however a fundamental point to note:

God will only forgive sins in the way He has appointed, that is, through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must associate ourselves with Jesus. Faith must be put into practice, this requires the believer to be baptized, then God is willing to forgive our sins for the sake of Jesus Christ. Thus we read "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." [Mark 16v16]

The Roman centurion Cornelius gave a good example of acceptable prayer. We read he was:

"a devout man and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway" Acts 10v1

Cornelius' prayers were heard and God through an angel told Cornelius "Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God". Then following the instruction of the angel he sent for the apostle Peter to complete his instruction and then to baptize him into the name of the Lord. Note what Peter says:

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Acts 10v34-35

It does not matter who or what we are, all that is important is that we have the right attitude before God, humility and sincere repentance, then he will hear us. After hearing and accepting the gospel message Cornelius was then baptized by Peter "he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." The example of Cornelius is one for those entering into prayer to follow, to be devout, fear God, be generous to others, pray 'always'

Possibly the most important prayer for a man or woman learning about God is found in the book of Psalms:

"Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Psalm 119: 18)

There is a need for prayer that God will bless our reading and study of His Word, so that we can learn about God and what His will for us is.

Does God Answer Prayer?

Whatever our need or problem we can bring it to God in prayer. But many will ask, will God always answer prayer? Does He always care? Can He always do what is needed?

These are reasonable questions, and there are clear Biblical answers. However we must realize prayer is not an opportunity for us to put all our wants to God, so that He can give us everything we want to have. Prayer is an integral part of our worship, it gives us the chance to examine our thoughts and attitudes, in the presence of God. Through prayer we learn to rely upon God and trust in his overruling hand. The apostle Paul says:

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

We are to pray in faith, but we should pray in accordance with God's will: "Thy will be done." This means reading the Bible to find out God's will and purpose, and not praying for things we are told we cannot have. Nor must we forget that God often answers prayer by requiring us to wait, sometimes for a long time. Abraham prayed, but had to wait many years for the son God had promised him. At other times God answers by not giving us what we ask; for He knows what is best for us, better than we do. However God never ceases from caring and love for His children, we read that, "His ears are open unto their cry" (Psalm 34: 15)

Learning to Pray

Prayer is a sublime privilege, as a child we learn to talk to our parents to seek help, to have our needs cared for, to thank and express love. Prayer to God is no different. The Bible is filled with examples of prayer. The book of Psalms contains 150 different ones to learn from, or we can turn to the prayers of Jesus and his followers.

If we read the Scriptures daily, we will develop a mind which is pleasing to God. Knowledge of the word of God will shape the way we think and therefore the way we pray to God. We can also influence others by our prayerful attitude, such as giving thanks to God before meals with the family, commencing our day with prayer and ending the day in prayer before we go to sleep.

We can pray at any time, as often as we wish, whether we are at home, traveling, or at work. Jesus liked to go out alone, early in the morning, to somewhere quiet. But we can also pray in the middle of an emergency, or offer a spontaneous prayer thanking God for things that are going well and for all our blessings. Many people find it helpful to have regular times for personal prayer, often in the morning or evening. [Consider Daniel who prayed 3 times per day] But we should never neglect any opportunity to pray to the Lord.

The Prayers of the Baptised Believer

Those who have been baptized into Christ have a privileged and special relationship with God. Just as the High Priest was a mediator for the Israelites, so Jesus Christ is a mediator for his true disciples. This special relationship with God through His Son is something to look forward to with joy for all who truly seek God, learning his ways and desiring to serve him and become part of His purpose. Such will accept the need for baptism into Christ as way of entering into a covenant relationship with God. Through the mediatorship of Jesus when a believer confesses their sins to God in the name of Jesus, He will forgive their sins. Not merely a forgiving, but He will blot them out for ever.

Jesus Christ is the Mediator for Baptised Believers

The law of Moses required sacrifice of animals as a sin offering. But the sins of the people of Israel were not taken away when they offered animal sacrifices, animals were not of the same nature. The offer of the sacrifice in effect was being taught that he deserved death because of his sin, but his act of faith in offering the sacrifice was acceptable to God. We read in Hebrews 10v4; "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." But Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because he offered his sinless life (Hebrews 9v12). He was of our nature, he was sinless and so was totally acceptable to God. Thus those who are baptised into Jesus have "a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God". Jesus we read "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4: 14, 15) God is willing to hear prayer if we have faith in Jesus and strive to follow his example.

Jesus Christ is the High Priest for Baptised Believers

True Christian baptism had the effect of washing away sins (Acts 22v16) Once we have been baptised we can then come to God through Jesus Christ, in the sure knowledge that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1v9). Jesus taught his disciples to pray:

"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" Luke 11v2-4

We need to note that Jesus teaches that we should forgive others for the things they do against us, just as God forgives us. God will not forgive us if we do not show the same love and mercy that we have received, to others.

Indeed as the Psalmist writes "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Psalm 32v11)

Summary

• We must approach God in the way He has commanded.

• God will hear the prayers of all who are humble and sincere.

• We should offer praise and thanks, confess our sins and ask for God's guidance and blessing.

• We should also remember others and their needs in our prayers

• We must learn to pray for the right things in the right way.

• Prayer is a great privilege and blessing; we must pray often.

• After we are baptised we may pray through the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. We then have the privilege of addressing God as our Father.

PASSAGES FOR READING

Acts 10    Psalms 51,102    Luke 18: 1-14

Study 12 Questions

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