Prayer

Overview

Prayer is one of the most important activities in most religious faiths; in Christianity, it is quite literally talking to or speaking with God. As children of God we are to pray to the Lord continuously about every matter in our lives, bringing ourselves before Him.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you – 1 Thess 5.16-18

Gift of Prayer

Prayer is a precious gift or ability that God has given to all His children. He allows us to pray to Him and He hears our prayer. God delights in the prayers of His saints which are like an incense or aroma to Him (Ps 141.2, Rev 5.8, Rev 8.3, and Acts 10.3). It is synonymous to the incense that the priest would offer in the Old Testament temple.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  – Phil 4.6

Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you. – 1 Peter 5.7

The Veil Torn and the Presence of God

“My house will be called a house of prayer” – Matt 21.13 (Isa 56.7, Mark 11.17)

In the Old Testament, there was a barrier or veil in the temple of God to separate the people of the Lord (the Israelites) and the Lord (Lev 16.2, 13). The presence of the Lord rested on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant behind the veil (Num 7.89). God would hear the prayers of His people but His presence was separate.

When the Lord Jesus died the veil was torn (Matt 27.51), and when He returned to Heaven He gave gifts to men (Eph 4), and the gift He sent was the Holy Spirit, whom distributes gifts as He chooses (1 Corin 12.11). One of the gifts or privileges believers have, because of Christ, is to be able to come boldly to the throne of grace with confidence and assurance that God desires to hear from us. The veil has been lifted because of Christ (2 Corin 3.15-16) and there is no longer a separation between God and men, for the Lord now dwells inside of believers (1 Corin 6.19).

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain (veil), that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water– Hebrews 10.19- 22

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need – Heb 4.16

For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words – Romans 8.26

Prayer by Faith

God teaches us we are to come to Him by faith trusting Him. Knowing that He is God first and foremost sovereign over all things (Ps 90.1), that He works beyond our understanding (Isa 55.8-9) and all glory and power is His (Ps 62.11).

It is impossible to please God without faith, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him – Heb 11.6

(Jesus said) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened – Luke 11.9-10

Our prayers to God are similar to a child asking something of his father. It is in the power of the father to give to the child; however God, just like any good Father, will give or restrain dependent upon His will and what is best. Notice that the Lord teaches what we are to ask for in Luke 11, that when we ask for the Holy Spirit, God will give Him to us. This is what faith is; to continually trust God.

Even though Luke chapter 11 was a lesson before the Holy Spirit came to dwell in every believer (John 7.39), it still retains the point we are to ask of God good and holy things that glorify Him, and that God loves to give.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! – Luke 11.13

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven – Matt 18.19

… whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith – Matt 21.22

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours – Mark 11.24

If you are able! —All things can be done for the one who believes – Mark 9.23

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son – John 14.13

let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. – James 1.6

How Prayer Works

Prayer is not meant to be a scheme or formula, and sadly this is how many people, even believers view prayer; because they think it is simply a way to get something you want. This is not the meaning of prayer at all, but rather, prayer is speaking or communing with your Heavenly Father. Prayer is meant to be a deeply intimate, meaningful, reverent experience between you and God. It is to seek Him! To humble yourself before Him and align yourself with His ways and His will because you love Him.

Understanding this, there is a pattern in which prayer does ‘work’, or rather, a pattern that helps us understand how all the various scriptures concerning prayer relate to one another. Why God doesn’t always answer prayer, what it means to ask in faith and what the purpose of prayer is.

Praying in Jesus Name

Jesus teaches us to pray in His name so that that Father and the Son will receive the glory, and as His disciples we are to represent Him in every one of our prayers. Jesus tells us we are to remain in Him, his word and His ways (John 15.7).

Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14. If you ask Med for anything in My name, I will do it.– John 14.12-14

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete – John 16.24

The Bible teaches us that Jesus name is above every name and that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, – Phil 2.9-10

Asking God Multiple Times

The Lord Jesus taught us to be persistent in our prayer life, and to continuously bring our requests before the Lord and ask God continuously for the things we desire. Jesus gave a few parables, first in Luke 11 about the travelling man that kept asking for provisions over and over and eventually his friend gave them to him. This teaching was to parallel God who loves us and will prove the more abundantly according to our needs, if we are persistent is asking.

I tell you, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs – Luke 11.8

Second is the widow asking for justice from the unjust judge in Luke 18. Even though the judge was unjust because of her persistence he eventually gave in to her, how much more the just judge of the universe will give justice.

… the Lord said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge. 7. Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help? 8I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. – Luke 18.6-8

Both of these examples where requests for good things; provisions for needs, and petitions for justice and right cause. God teaches us to continuously come to Him for our needs because He cares to hear us and cares about our needs (1 Peter 5.7).

Throughout the New Testament we find examples of praying continuously for the same things. The Apostle Paul continuously prayed for the Church of Colossians, for wisdom and understanding:

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives – Col 1.9

Are we to only pray for wisdom or provisions once in our lives? No. God teaches us to come to Him for all our needs and believe by faith, knowing that He proves for us. However, asking for the same thing is no burden to God neither is it necessarily an act of faithlessness. God is working in all His children towards faith.

Why would a person ask again if they didn’t believe in the first place (Heb 11.6)? Unless they are double minded (James 1.8). Even if we lack faith, we are able to ask God for the faith we need to carry on (Mark 9.24). Faith is also a gift from God, not a product of our self.

By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – Eph 2.8

To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom … to another faith by the same Spirit – 1 Corin 12.8-9

Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. – Romans 10.17

Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith – Heb 12.2

To those who have been allotted faith equally precious as ours – 1 Peter 1.1

Pray According to God’s Will

God teaches us that we are to pray according to His will. Prayer is not some activity to a deity so that you can have your wishes granted. Prayer is the petition of the children of God, coming to Him to connect and commune, to continue in their relationship with Him.

God makes this clear through His word that He is God and there is no other (Isa 45.5), and that it is the will of God that determined and has already determined everything in the universe (Isa 45.7). He is God, we are not; and He is sovereign over all things and to Him alone belongs the glory, honor and praise for everything (Ps 115.1)!

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! – Romans 11.36

• See – Glory of God

God teaches us that as we learn what His will is, and we ask for things according to His will He will do them, they align with what He takes pleasure in and the things He is already doing. The Holy Spirit works in us to will and to act according to His will (Phil 2.13). We learn to ask for things that are in accordance with His will since He is changing us to be more like Him; we delight in what He delights in, and therefore ask for the things that align to His will because those things are our desires.

(Jesus said) If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you – John 15.7

… this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. – 1 John 5.14-15

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart – Ps 37.4

As God’s children, God desires us to partake in His activities, and one of the ways we do so is through prayer. God does make adjustments to events, preordaining and knowing that we would ask for specific things before the foundations of the world (Eph 2.10). God makes it clear that it is because of our requests that specific events have taken place. 

When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. – Matt 6.7-8

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven – Matt 6.10

The Son Does the Fathers will

Even the Son seeks to do the Fathers will, and He tell us that He can only do what He sees His Father doing.

Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing – John 5.19

Even Jesus was denied this prayer, because it was God’s will for Him to go to the cross. This serves as an example that we can pray for God to change things, however sometimes God’s answer is no, because it is for a greater purpose (Rom 8.28).

Jesus prayed “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. – Luke 22.42

Not Praying in God’s Will or in Faith

The Bible warns believers that if you do not ask or pray in faith or according to God’s will, or are asking according to your own carnality, you will not receive.

… you do not have because you do not ask God. 3. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions – James 4.2b–3

The Bible teaches us we are to pray in faith and not to doubt, because if you doubt you are double minded, not really trusting God. Therefore, that person is still trusting or putting their faith in something else and should not expect to receive anything from God (this is the meaning of being double minded). This term being tossed like a wave is used when speaking about other doctrines of belief in Eph 4.14, it is the distortion of the truth that causes us to become unstable in our faith, then effecting our prayers.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. – James 1. 5-8

Hindrance to Prayer

The Bible teaches there are various circumstances in which we should take care of duties before prayer, or other circumstances that can cause our prayers to be hindered because of our own unjust actions.

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened – Psalms 66.18

… your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear – Isaiah 59.2

… if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24. leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. – Matt 5.23-24

… when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins – Mark 11.24

Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered – 1 Peter 3.7

… when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words – Matt 6.7

God Hears the Righteous Believer

The Bible teaches that God does not hear the prayer of the wicked, but of the righteous. God is merciful and loves to give even to the wicked (Matt 5.45) for everything good comes from God (James 1.17).

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry – Ps 34.15

God hears the prayers of the righteous – Pr 15.29

Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him – John 9.31

 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. – 1 John 5.14-15

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working – James 5.16

God Doesn’t Hear the Wicked

Te Bible teaches there are certain people that God will not hear, those who are the wicked. The Lord does not fellowship with the wicked and He tells us why, He will not gather with those who do evil and refuse to join with the wicked.

I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked – Ps 26.4-5

The prayer of a lawless man is an abomination – Pr 28.9

Jehovah is far from the wicked; but he heareth the prayer of the righteous – Pr 15.29

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him – Pr 15.8

The Lord said to me: ‘Do not pray for the welfare of this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them – Jer 14.11-12

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil – 1 Peter 3.12

Does this mean is a sinner comes to repentance God will not hear them because they are wicked? No. These verses are revealing that because a sinner only cares about selfish ambition or wicked desires, they will not receive their desires from God. However, if a sinner repents and turns to God and begins to seek is will and what He desires, God will hear them (2 Chron 7.14, 1 John 1.9).

Types of Prayer

The Bible speaks of different types of prayer. The Etymology of the word prayer has been discussed; however, we find two additional terms in 1 Timothy 2.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people – 1 Timothy 2.1

Supplication

Supplication is the act or prayer of asking or begging for something in earnestly and humility. Servants make supplication to their masters and subjects to their kings. The children of God make supplication to their Heavenly Father.

… praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints– Eph 6.17-18

Intercession

Intercessory prayer is the act of praying on behalf of another or praying for someone else. Moses gives a great example in Exodus of praying for the people of God, acting as intercessor on behalf of the people.

Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin – Exodus 32.30 (Numbers 14.13-30)

The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked – Numbers 14.20

This is what the Lord God showed me. And behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5. Then I said, “Oh Lord God, please cease. How can Jacob stand? He is so small.” 6. The Lord relented concerning this. “This also shall not be,” said the Lord God. – Amos 7.4-6

The Bible teaches that believers are to intercede for others, the lost and for our enemies. To ask God to give mercy and forgive others and that they would be led to repentance.

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you – Matt 5.44

Jesus our High Priest Prays for Us

The Bible teaches that Christ makes intercessor prayer for all His elect while He is in Heaven. For those who are His, meaning those that come to God through Him, and He makes intercession for them, and He is able to save them completely.

But He (Christ), because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore, He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. – Hebrews 7.24-25

Praying in the Spirit

The Bible teaches us to pray in the Spirit, in fact the Bible teaches that we do not even know how we ought to pray, but rather the Holy Spirit prays for us making sounds too deep for words.

… praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints– Eph 6.17-18

we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words – Romans 8.26

Is praying in the Spirit the same as praying in tongues?

There is a confusion from many believers, who state that praying in the spirit is the same as praying in tongues. However, we find this is not what the scriptures teach but are rather two distinct activities, that can however intersect. Based on the previous two verse, and additionally, when the Apostle Paul speaks about tongues:

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.15. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; – 1 Corin 14.15-16

This verse draws a clear distinction between praying with one’s spirit (in a tongue) and praying with one’s mind (intelligible words with your understanding). When you pray with only your spirit your mind is unfruitful, therefore Paul says we are to pray with both.

Looking back at Romans 8.26, we find that the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, meaning that they are words that cannot be uttered by the persons mouth (too deep for words), this cannot be tongues as tongues is uttered by the mouth of the believer. Eph 6.17 says we are to pray at all times in the Spirit, so if praying in the Spirit was only praying in tongues, that would mean every time we pray, we are to be praying in tongues, which would contradict 1 Corin 14.15.

Corporate Prayer

Corporate prayer is when a group of believers pray together. The Bible gives us an example of corporate pray throughout the Old and New Testament. Throughout the New Testament we find examples f the church performing corporate prayer within their local body of believers, coming together to pray for various things together in agreement.

This fulfills Jesus statement that when two or more are gathered in His name, He is with them and whatever they ask for in agreement will be done for them.

… if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven – Matt 18.19

Throughout the book of Acts we find multiple examples of corporate prayer being done by the church of the first century; verse Acts 1.14, 2.1, 2.42, 3.1, 12.5. This was a common practice, to pray together to God with other believers.

… pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people – Eph 6.18

Resources

The following resource contain various information about prayer experiments prayer to heal, and documented miracles from prayer and healing and from God.

Prayer Experiments

Documented Miracles by Prayer

References

Openbible.info – List of Verses on Prayer

Got Questions – What is Prayer

Desiring God – The Veil of the Temple

Got Questions – Unanswered Prayer