Read: Questions About Prayer (Dr. Roels)

Introduction

In the first lesson, we read many passages that teach us that:

(1) God invites us to pray

(2) God encourages us to pray

(3) God hears us when we pray

(4) God graciously answers us when we pray.

In this lesson we will see that God is ABLE to answer our prayers because He knows all things and controls all things. If God were not truly in control of all things, there would be little reason for us to pray. Why should we pray to someone who is not able to help us or answer us? And why should we pray to someone who doesn't really know what is best for us? God not only knows what is best for us, but He is constantly working out all things for our spiritual and eternal good (Romans 8:28).

But even though we know and believe all this, we might still have some important questions about prayer. For example, we might ask: If God already knows everything about us, why do we have to tell Him about our needs and concerns? Doesn't He already know them? And if He truly has the whole world under His control, why do we have to ask Him to help us? Won't He automatically help His children--whether they ask for His help or not? And if He is a sovereign God who has a divine plan for the world, will He really change that plan just because we pray?

In this lesson we will take a careful look at what the Bible says regarding these questions. We will also look at what the Bible says about some other very practical questions as to when and where and how we should pray.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT THE GOD TO WHOM WE PRAY?

The Bible makes it clear that God knows everything about every person and every thing that exists in this world. He has not only created the world but He continues to uphold the world and all that is in it. The Bible also teaches that God is able to do whatever He chooses to do or desires to do. There is no person or power or spirit or force that can keep God from doing exactly what He wants to do. Further, He is a sovereign God who has an eternal plan for this world and for everyone in it. Moment by moment He controls all that takes place in the world so that His appointed purposes will ultimately be fulfilled.

God's Creation and Control of the World Through His Son Jesus Christ

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

"For by him (Christ Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16-17

"[Christ Jesus is] far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And (God) put all things under his (Jesus') feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Ephesians 1:21-22

God's Knowledge of All Things

"And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

"The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.” Psalm 33:13-15

"O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.” Psalm 139:1-4

God's Power to Do Whatever He Wills

"Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” Psalm 115:3

"Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.” Psalm 135:6

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27

God's Plan for Individuals and for the World

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,
plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Ephesians 1:11

[Joseph said to his brothers]: "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 50:20

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THESE TRUTHS ABOUT GOD

God has made these things known to us for our comfort and encouragement. Since He knows everything about everyone, nothing can take Him by surprise. Since He has all power to do what He chooses, nothing can keep Him from answering our prayers, and nothing will be able to prevent Him from bringing His eternal plan to completion.

Because we know that God is gracious, loving, and just, we know that His plans for His children will always be gracious and loving and just. We can pray to Him with the complete confidence that nothing will take place in our lives or in the world which will be able to undermine His plans and purposes for us.

This does not mean, of course, that we will always fully understand the ways of God. Many times we won't. The apostle Paul acknowledged that, too. But Paul could still write with complete confidence and assurance in Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

ANSWERS TO OTHER QUESTIONS

Why should we tell God about our needs if He already knows them?

First, by bringing our needs and concerns to God in prayer, we recognize and acknowledge that He is the source of every blessing we enjoy. We confess that nothing ultimately comes to us because we earn it or deserve it. And we know that nothing happens by chance.

Every blessing we receive, every ability or talent we have, every pleasure we enjoy, and even every breath we take is ours only because of the mercy and grace of God. When we pray to God and tell Him our needs and ask for His blessing, we confess and acknowledge that He is the ultimate source of every good thing. And we remind ourselves of that as well!

Second, in His wisdom and providence, God has graciously determined to grant us many things simply because we ask for them. He has also determined not to give us some things because we do not ask for them! Or, in the words of a very familiar hymn,

"O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

God takes our prayers very seriously-so seriously that we sometimes may miss out on a blessing that He is ready and willing to give us but we do not receive it simply because we neglect to pray!

In summary: When we humbly and sincerely bring our needs and desires and concerns to God in prayer,

(1) we acknowledge that we are totally dependent on Him,

(2) we recognize that we receive all our blessings from Him, and

(3) we sincerely give all praise and honor to Him.

Is it true that we will not receive anything from God unless we ask for it?

No. Most of the blessings we receive from the Lord come without our asking for them. Each moment that we are able to see or hear or speak is a blessing from the Lord. When our bodies function normally and we are able to eat and drink and walk and talk and work and play--these are all blessings of the Lord. However, we sometimes forget about that until these blessings are taken away from us or until we see people who do not have them.

People who don't have a home in which to live may earnestly pray for shelter, while we who have a pleasant home may take our home for granted. The same is true with the blessings of clean water, good food, adequate clothing, and a multitude of other things we have enjoyed for so long that we just assume they will always be there.

Do not neglect to give God thanks for the blessings you haven't even asked for!

Will God change His sovereign plans simply because we ask Him to?

There are several important things we must remember in this regard. First, we must believe that God is sincere when He invites us to pray and when He promises to answer our prayers.

We do not have to figure out exactly how everything fits together in God's eternal plan before we can pray sincerely.
We simply have to trust what He promises and obey what He commands. If God tells us that He will answer our prayers, we can be confident that He will!

Second, both the Bible and history demonstrate over and over again that things do change when people pray. God provides healing, rain, victory, wisdom, guidance, peace, protection, security, food and so much more because people pray.

Third, we may be confident that God has answers to our questions even though we do not. He is an eternal, infinite, all-knowing God. We are only finite creatures with very limited knowledge and understanding.

Rather than being overly concerned about mysteries that we cannot fully understand, we can rejoice in knowing that our Almighty God graciously makes room in His sovereign plan for our humble and sincere prayers.

By His own intention and design, our prayers do make a significant difference in what happens in this world. Because of that, we may continue to pray in the confidence and expectation that God will definitely hear and answer us when we pray.

As we consider all these things, we may be comforted and encouraged by the words of Isaiah 55:8: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.”

How should we pray?

We should always pray humbly, honestly, and sincerely--whether we pray privately or in public. And we should also always pray in the name of Jesus. [We will discuss this point at greater length later in the course.]

When we pray we do not need to use special words or a special tone of voice. And we certainly should not pray in a way that seeks to "impress” other people. When we pray, we are speaking to our Father in heaven--not to anyone else. We may be praying for other people, but we are not praying to them.

Jesus said: "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And 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.” Matthew 6:5-8

Is our bodily posture important when we pray?

The Bible does not give us specific directions about what we should do with our bodies when we pray. However, our physical actions often reflect the sincerity of our prayers and the attitude of our hearts. Many people choose to close their eyes when they pray. This helps them focus more directly on God and keeps them from being distracted by things around them. Others fold their hands for the same reason. Folded or clasped hands also reflect an attitude of "asking” or beseeching God for His favor.

When we bow our heads or get on our knees before God in prayer, we express our humility and unworthiness in His presence. We acknowledge that He is a holy, glorious, and awesome God while we are simple, sinful, and finite creatures.

Some people may bow or kneel before God in prayer simply because of tradition. However, when we bow before Him thoughtfully and sincerely, it is a very appropriate way to approach our great and exalted God.

When we lie prostrate before the Lord in prayer, we demonstrate the intensity of our desires or the greatness of our needs. People who lie with their face to the ground before the Lord in prayer usually do so with the very deep feelings--feelings of unworthiness, repentance, sorrow, or need.

Lifting our hands in prayer helps us focus on our glorious and merciful Father as we reach out to the One who is high and exalted and worthy of all our thanksgiving and praise.

What we do with our bodies when we pray may not be the most important dimension of our prayers. However, those who are careless with their bodies when they pray, fumbling with their hands, roving with their eyes, or slouching with their bodies, show disrespect for God and a lack of reverence, sincerity, and humility before Him.

When should we pray?

At the time the Bible was written, there were specified times when God's people were expected to come together for prayer. (See, for example, Acts 3:1 and Acts 10:30.) Hours were set aside for prayer at the Temple both in the morning and later in the afternoon.

Most people also prayed at other times.

Some chose to pray by themselves in the morning.

"O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” Psalm 5:3

Some set aside time at noon for prayer.

"The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.” Acts 10:9

Some focused on praying in the evening.

"Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” Psalm 141:2

Some spent time each morning, afternoon and evening in prayer.

"Daniel . . . went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” Daniel 6:10

Already in the Old Testament there were situations and times when people meditated or prayed or cried out to the Lord day and night.

"I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.” Psalm 6:6

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water . . . when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” Psalm 63:1, 6

The same situation was true in the New Testament.

"We pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith.” 1 Thessalonians 3:10

"[Anna] did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.” Luke 2:37

"She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on
God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.” 1 Timothy 5:5

Jesus Himself often prayed early in the morning and also, at times, throughout the night.

"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35

"In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12

Where should we pray?

In Old Testament times and in the early years of the New Testament, the Temple in Jerusalem was known as a "house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7 and Matthew 21:13). God specifically designated the Temple as the central place where sacrifices were to be brought and where prayers were to be offered (1 Kings 8:29-30).

However, in both the Old and New Testaments, believers also prayed wherever they happened to be. There were no limits whatsoever as to where people could pray. They prayed in their homes, they prayed on the battlefield, they prayed in their fields, they prayed along the way, they prayed on the rooftop, they prayed in their "closet,” they prayed in prison . . . and they prayed whenever their hearts moved them to seek the Lord or bring Him praise.

The people of Israel were surely encouraged by the words of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 4:7: "For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?”

One of the special blessings we have as believers is that our God is ready and willing to hear our prayers at any time, in any place, in any situation, about any subject, and under any circumstances. Neither time nor place nor posture is ultimately of major significance. The Lord is both willing and eager to hear the earnest and fervent prayer of every one who earnestly and humbly seeks Him.

We may still have some lingering questions about the subject of prayer, but none of those questions should ever keep us from coming into the glorious presence of our gracious God in sincere and humble faith that He will hear and answer us when we pray.