Read: Seven Final Questions (Dr. Roels)

Introduction

In this final Lesson we will consider seven important questions related to prayer and the believer. Since sincere and thoughtful believers may have different answers to some of these questions, the information presented here may help you reflect thoughtfully and prayerfully on what the Bible teaches about each subject.

QUESTION 1: TO WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?

According to the Bible, we should pray to God and God alone. No one else has the power to help us, save us, or answer us. No one else knows our minds and hearts as He does, and no one else has the wisdom and power that He has. No one else can forgive our sins, give us power to overcome our weaknesses, heal our bodies, protect us from evil, or provide us with wisdom and guidance the way He can.

The Bible, therefore, never suggests in any way that we should pray to anyone other than the Triune God.

Though many people may be able to help us in various ways while they are here on earth, we never find any indication in the Bible that those who have died, no matter how sincere or faithful or holy they may have been, have either the power or the knowledge or the ability to help us.

There is only one true God who is able to answer our prayers.

Most religions have gods of one kind or another and many of them emphasize the importance of ritual or formal prayers. However, most of them do not teach that there is a living, loving, omnipotent God who is able and eager to hear the prayers of His people and is willing to respond to their petitions and requests. Some religions teach that there are thousands or even millions of gods, each of whom has control over some aspect of life, but the Bible teaches that there is only one sovereign, personal, loving, and forgiving God who is in control of all things.

Only the one true God hears and answers the prayers of His people, provides for their needs, forgives their sins, and grants them an eternal life with Him in glory. And the Bible assures believers that they are able to pray to this sovereign God with confidence, courage, and boldness because Jesus, God's Son, has opened the way for them into His presence.

Scripture References

"Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Exodus15:11

"And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.” Deuteronomy 8:19

"They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.” Isaiah 45:20

When some people looked upon Paul and Barnabas as "gods” and started to worship them, they said:

"'Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.'” Acts 14:15

QUESTION 2: WHY SHOULD WE PRAY IN THE NAME OF JESUS?

Jesus is the divinely-appointed Mediator between God and man. Jesus has already demonstrated His great love for us by giving His life for us, so we are confident that He will graciously hear and answer our prayers as He promised He would.

Jesus has opened the way for us to come to God in prayer whenever we wish, wherever we are, and whatever we need.

When we pray to someone else or pray in any name other than the name of Jesus, we dishonor both the Father and the Son.

Scripture References

Jesus said, "'All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.'” Luke 10:22

Jesus said, "'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” John 14:6

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5

Jesus said, "'Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.'” John 14:13-14

The Authority of Jesus

After He died and rose again, Jesus was given a position of authority and power over all other powers or rulers in heaven and on earth. Since all authority has been given to the resurrected and glorified Jesus, we can come to the Father in His name in the confidence and assurance that He will hear us and answer us.

Scripture References

Jesus said, "'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'” Matthew 28:18

God raised Christ from the dead and "seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 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 he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Ephesians 1:20-22

"Therefore God has highly exalted him [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” Philippians 2:9-10

Jesus has died for us and opened the way for us to come to the Father as His children. Jesus is seated in glory at the right hand of the Father with power over everything and everyone. He loves us perfectly and with an everlasting love. No one has more power or authority or love for us than Jesus does!

Why, then, would we seek to come to the Father through anyone other than Jesus?

When we offer our prayers "In Jesus' name” or pray "for Jesus' sake,” we are bringing our prayers to the Father in the name of His Son, confident that we can come boldly to the Father because of Jesus' grace and merits on our behalf.

QUESTION 3: IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR US TO PRAY TO THE SON AND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT AS WELL AS TO THE FATHER?

According to the Bible, there is only one true God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When we pray either to the Father or to the Son or to the Holy Spirit, therefore, we are praying to God.

Although the majority of the prayers recorded in Acts and the Epistles are addressed to God the Father (e.g., Ephesians 2:18; 3:14; 5:20) or simply to God (e.g., Romans 10:1-2; Philippians 1:3), some prayers are also addressed directly to Jesus.

Stephen, the first Christian martyr, prayed just before his death, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And then, as Stephen prayed for those who were putting him to death, he added, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:59-60).

The disciples were probably praying directly to Jesus in Acts 1:24 when they prayed for wisdom. Paul likely addressed Jesus in Acts 9:5 when he prayed, "Who are you, Lord?” Ananias also seemed to pray directly to Jesus in his prayer recorded in Acts 9:10-15. And in 1 Timothy 1:12, Paul wrote, "I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service.”

On the basis of these passages and Jesus' own teaching in John 14:14 ("'If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.'”), it is clearly appropriate to pray directly to Jesus as well as to pray to the Father in Jesus' name.

Since the Holy Spirit is truly God, it is also appropriate for us to address Him directly in our prayers. However, we are not commanded to do so and there are very few (if any) examples of prayers directed specifically to the Holy Spirit in the Bible. Though Paul does not teach us directly to pray to the Holy Spirit, he does emphasize that we should always pray "at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18).

Besides, there are times when our minds and hearts seem to focus particularly on the Holy Spirit and in those times it would seem perfectly appropriate to address our prayers directly to Him.

It is interesting to note in this connection that many of the songs in our church hymnals are really prayers which are sung directly to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. Examples of such hymns are the following: Dwell in me, O Blessed Spirit; Spirit of the Living God; Eternal Spirit, God of Truth; Holy Spirit, Light Divine; Spirit of God, Dwell Thou Within My Heart; Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus; Jesus I Come; Jesus the Very Thought of Thee; and many others.

So, even if we do not address the Son or the Holy Spirit directly in our spoken prayers, most of us do "sing our prayers” to both the Son and the Holy Spirit as well as to the Father.

QUESTION 4: HOW SHOULD WE APPROACH GOD WHEN WE PRAY?

When we pray, we should always come to God with humility, confidence, reverence, and with deep respect. We should never address God casually or thoughtlessly. Though God is truly our Father and we may think of Him and address Him as our Father, we should never forget that He is also highly exalted, infinitely holy, and glorious in majesty. We should never think of Him or address Him simply as a casual acquaintance or "buddy” or refer to Him as the "man upstairs” or in some other disrespectful way.

Scripture References

"The Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.” Psalm 47:2

"For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?” Psalm 89:6-8

Approaching God as our Father

On two occasions in the New Testament, Paul refers to God as "Abba” (Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:16). This word was apparently used by children to address their earthly fathers as their "daddy,” someone whom they deeply loved and someone who deeply cared about them.

The use of the word "Abba” therefore suggests that we may have a warm, loving, personal relationship with God because of His eternal love for us in His Son Jesus. And because of this relationship we may approach God with a sense of intimacy, joy, expectation, and delight.

At the same time, however, we should remember that the word "Abba” does not intend to take anything away from the awesomeness of God or the reverence we owe Him. Though God is truly our loving Father, He is also the infinite, eternal, exalted Creator of heaven and earth, and we must never forget that.

Scripture References

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "'Abba! Father.'” Romans 8:15

"And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'” Galatians 4:6

See also Mark 14:36 where Jesus addresses His heavenly Father as "Abba.”

Approaching God with Confidence

Even though God is highly exalted and is infinitely greater than we are, we may still approach Him with confidence and assurance. Since Jesus has opened the way for us into God's presence, we do not have to wonder whether or not He will hear us or whether He is willing to answer us. He will hear us and He will answer us--not because of any merit or worthiness on our part, but because we come to Him in the name of Jesus and on the basis of His merits.

Scripture References

"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.” Hebrews 4:16

"In [Christ] we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” Ephesians 3:12

QUESTION 5: WHY SHOULD WE PRAY FOR OUR ENEMIES?

In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.'” Matthew 5:44-45

The disciples may have wondered why Jesus told them to pray for their enemies, since in Old Testament times people often prayed that God would punish or destroy their enemies. (See, for example, Psalms 58, 59 and 69:19-28.) The enemies who are referred to in these Psalms, however, were not simply personal enemies who were making life difficult for others.

These were enemies of God who defied God and opposed Him and enticed His followers to depart from Him. As long as these enemies continued to fight against the Lord and His people in this way, believers prayed that they would be punished or destroyed.

The New Testament clearly teaches that those who persist in their opposition to God and who continue in their sin will surely be punished. The Apostle Paul also indicated that the Lord would deal appropriately with those who opposed him and his work for the Lord (2 Timothy 4:14-15).

However, when we encounter those who seek to do us harm, we should not return evil for evil, but we should seek their good and leave appropriate retribution up to the Lord. (See Romans 12:17-21; 1 Peter 2:19-23 and Proverbs 25:21-22.) Jesus sincerely taught His followers to love their enemies, to forgive them, and to help them find life and salvation through faith in Himself.

In the Sermon on the Mount, He taught His followers to pray,"'And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors'” (Matthew 6:12).

When Jesus explained what this meant, He said, "'For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses'” (Matthew 6:14-15).

Jesus practiced what He preached when He prayed for His enemies while dying on the cross. He said, "'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do'” (Luke 23:34). Later, Stephen, the first Christian martyr, prayed for those who were stoning him to death, "And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them'” (Acts 7:60).

As believers we will be able to pray for our enemies only when we remember how much God has forgiven us and when we recall the tremendous price that Jesus paid so that we might be forgiven and accepted by our Father in heaven.

"When [Jesus] was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

By following the example of Jesus and living according to His teaching, we will be able to live as children of our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:45).

Scripture References

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:20-21

"You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” 1 Peter 1:18-19

"Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:9

So, how should we pray for our enemies? We should pray that those who oppose us or persecute us will repent of their sins, turn from their evil ways, and come to faith in Jesus Christ. We should pray that they will become fellow heirs with us through the mercy of God and the grace of the Lord Jesus, so that instead of being our enemies they will become our brothers and sisters in Christ. And if they refuse to repent and believe, we pray that we will have the patience, courage, and wisdom to leave appropriate retribution in the hands of God.

QUESTION 6: SHOULD CHRISTIANS FAST AND PRAY?

In biblical times, sincere prayers were often accompanied by fasting. People abstained from taking food and drink while they focused on praying to God. Both Elijah and Moses in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament fasted for forty days at one time! There are also many other examples of fasting in the Old Testament when people acknowledged and confessed their sins or when they presented the Lord with special needs or requests.

Old Testament References

Moses
fasted because the people had sinned grievously against the Lord. He said, "I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed.” Deuteronomy 9:9,18

David
fasted as he prayed earnestly to the Lord for the health of his child. "And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.” 2 Samuel 12:15-16

Ezra
"proclaimed a fast there . . . that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.” Ezra 8:21

Nehemiah
"sat down and wept and mourned for days, and . . . continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:4

Daniel
"turned [his] face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” Daniel 9:3

On other occasions people fasted when they experienced great sorrow or special need (I Samuel 1:3-7) or when they prayed for healing (2 Samuel 12:15-18), for wisdom, for guidance or for some other special blessing (Daniel 6:18; 10:2-3).

New Testament References

Specific references to fasting in the New Testament are less common than in the Old Testament. However, it is likely that the people fasted rather frequently-just as faithful and sincere believers did in Old Testament times.

"Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” Matthew 4:1-2

Jesus said, "'When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.'” Matthew 6:16-18

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

"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” Acts 13:2-3

"And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” Acts 14:23

There is no specific command or requirement in the New Testament that God's people should fast and pray. However, in Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus seemed to assume that His followers would fast (even as many people did in Old Testament times). He also indicated that His disciples would fast after He was gone (Luke 5:35).

In the Book of Acts we read about two or three special occasions when people fasted and prayed, indicating that at that time fasting was still practiced by sincere believers--especially at important times in their lives (Acts 13:2-3, 14:23).

Proper Motives for Fasting

Though fasting is usually presented in a very favorable light in the Bible, fasting can become a formal or routine ritual without true repentance and without genuine concern for learning and doing the will of God. When that happens, people fast when they think it is their duty to fast (Luke 18:12) or when they want to impress others by fasting (Matthew 6:16-18). On some occasions people fasted because they felt that fasting would somehow "obligate” God to give them a special blessing (Isaiah 58:2). However God made it very clear to them that fasting with wrong motives was of no value whatsoever and was very highly displeasing to Him.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Since much has been accomplished through fasting and prayer both in biblical times and in church history, we should not quickly or lightly declare that fasting for spiritual purposes is no longer desirable for us today. Even if we choose not to fast ourselves, it is still profitable to learn what the Bible teaches about fasting and to learn about the blessings that others have experienced through fasting. At the same time, we should not quickly condemn those who do not fast as if they are violating a clear and direct command of the Lord.

If we fast with wrong motives, or if fasting interferes in some way with our praying or with our Christian living and service, or if it causes us to focus more on fasting itself than on sincere and thoughtful praying, then fasting becomes more of a hindrance than a blessing.

However, if fasting helps us become more aware of the seriousness of our sins, if it helps us pray more earnestly and sincerely, if it helps us pray with fewer distractions and with greater spiritual power, or if it helps us to focus our attention on the Lord and spiritual things rather than on ourselves and material things, then fasting can be a great blessing in our prayer life.

QUESTION 7: SHOULD CHRISTIANS PRAY IN "TONGUES”?

Speaking and praying in tongues or unknown languages is very common among some Christians. Other Christians, equally devout and sincere, do not speak in tongues themselves and believe that the era of "speaking in tongues” was intended only for the early church.

The first occasion of speaking in tongues in the New Testament took place on Pentecost, just a few weeks after Jesus returned to His Father in heaven (Acts 2:1-4). The people who were present on that occasion were amazed to find that the Holy Spirit gave the disciples the ability to speak in languages they had never studied or learned. Peter, speaking for all the others, indicated that their ability to speak in these languages was a fulfillment of a prophecy made by Joel hundreds of years before. (See Acts 2:17-21).

Since some believers spoke or prayed in tongues while others did not, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about the proper use of this special gift and urged people not to misuse it or abuse it (1 Corinthians chapters 12-14).

Paul not only was able to speak and pray in tongues himself, but he also thanked God for the fact that he spoke in tongues more than others did (1 Corinthians 14:18). However, he also indicated that he would rather speak five words in a language that others understood than to speak ten thousand words which they did not understand (1 Corinthians 14:19).

Paul also wrote that having the gift of being able to speak in "tongues” was worth nothing if a person did not demonstrate true love for God and for others (1 Corinthians 13:1). Finally, he taught that the "gift” of tongues was given by the Holy Spirit only to some believers and not to all of them (1 Corinthians 12:10-11 and 12:30).

Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth that they should not forbid speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:39). However, he also warned against the misuse or inappropriate use of this gift since speaking in tongues, even if "genuine,” can be done with wrong motives or at inappropriate times or in ways that are not edifying. He also emphasized the importance of praying in a way that others can understand what is being said (either because they understand the language or because someone is able to translate the message for them). This is especially important when a person prays or speaks in tongues in public so that others are not wondering what is being said or prayed. (See Paul's careful teaching on these matters in 1 Corinthians 14.)

Summary and Conclusion

Those who do not speak or pray in tongues and do not desire to do so should be very careful not to condemn any genuine work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of others. And those who claim to have the gift of praying in "tongues” should humbly seek to use their gift in a way that truly glorifies God and edifies both themselves and others.

A FINAL WORD ON THE BLESSING OF PRAYER

After we have been believers for some time, we may tend to forget what a tremendous privilege it is for us to be able to pray to a loving, gracious, and all-powerful God who promises to hear and answer us.

Moses reminded the people of Israel of that truth long ago when he said to them, "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?” Deuteronomy 4:7

David wrote: "Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found.” Psalm 32:6

And Paul reminded us to "Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit . . . but test everything; hold fast what is good. . . . May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely . . . He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-26

HOW, THEN, SHOULD WE PRAY?

Let us pray humbly, recognizing that God owes us nothing but grants us all the blessings we enjoy only because of His mercy and His grace.

Let us pray confidently, believing that God is willing to forgive every sin we confess and will meet every need we express and will strengthen and encourage us in every situation we experience.

Let us pray persistently without quickly concluding that God has chosen not to answer our prayers.

Let us pray continually, remembering that God's ears are open every moment of every day to every prayer we offer.

Let us pray wisely, seeking not first of all a life of comfort and ease for ourselves but praying that our lives will significantly promote the kingdom of God.

Let us pray unselfishly, being concerned about the physical and spiritual needs of others as well as our own.

Let us pray thoughtfully asking the Lord to teach us how to pray, even as His disciples did.

Let us pray reverently, remembering that though God is our loving heavenly Father, He is also the Lord of the universe and the King of kings.

Let us pray joyfully, giving thanks and praise to the One who has saved us and is preparing a home for us in glory.

And let us continue to pray faithfully that people around the world may soon come to know Jesus as Savior and as Lord.

To God be all the glory for granting us the Blessing of Prayer! May all His children join together in giving thanks and praise to the triune God both now and forever.