Reading: Lesson 8 - Exploring Further (Video Slides)

By Edwin D. Roels

1. What is prayer?

In its simplest form, prayer is communicating with God. That communication usually finds expression in spoken words or conscious thoughts. However, at times people also communicate with God through tears of confession, unspoken longings, unexpressed desires, or other ways of directing their hearts and minds to the Lord. In this lesson the focus is on communication with God through spoken words or unspoken thoughts.

2. Does a person have to be a born again believer in order to pray to God? Does a person have to be born again in order to have his prayers answered?

The answer to both questions is NO. God is very gracious and invites every sincere person to share his deepest feelings and longings with him in prayer. Not only is God willing to hear and listen to the prayers of those who sincerely and humbly seek him, he also often answers them. People who are not (yet) believers but who sincerely cry out to God—even when they are not sure that God exists—may receive a gracious answer from God. The Lord does not promise to answer the prayers of everyone in the way they desire, but his ears are open to all who earnestly seek him and cry out to him. Consider the following passages: Deuteronomy 4:20; 1 Kings 8:46-50; Isaiah 14:1-5; Isaiah 55:1, 6-7; Psalm 65:2; Psalm 78:34; Joel 2:13; Malachi 3:7-8; Luke 11:10; Luke 15:20.

3. Is it desirable to have set times for prayer? Or is it better to pray only when we feel like praying, so that our prayers will be genuine and sincere?

It’s very helpful to have set times for prayer each day, since this will almost certainly strengthen our prayer life. If we don’t have set times, it is easy to neglect praying because of busyness, laziness, interruptions, tiredness or forgetfulness. Most of those who have a strong prayer life do have set times for prayer and usually also pray frequently throughout the day (or night) when they are aware of any special need or blessing—whether in their own life or in the lives of others.

An effective prayer life does not come automatically when we become Christians. Many people, even very sincere people, let their prayer life slip to the point where they are no longer intense and passionate about prayer and spend less and less time praying. And as they pray less often or less fervently, they lose their sweet communion with the Lord, they see fewer answers to their prayers, and they become less effective in their Christian life.

Jesus himself prayed frequently and fervently. Paul was also a man of prayer. And in the Old Testament, Daniel was known for his faithful prayers and the wonderful answers he received as a result of his faithfulness. See, for example, Luke 5:16; Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18; and Daniel 6:10.

4. How can we strengthen our prayer life?

It is helpful to maintain some kind of schedule for regular, daily prayers. Included will be prayers in the morning after rising, prayers in the evening before retiring, and prayers at meal times. It is also helpful to develop and maintain a list of things for which to pray. This list should be readily accessible, if possible, so that you can write things down whenever you think of them—and before you forget them. It is also helpful to maintain a record of prayers that have been answered in a special way. Looking back over your list of answered prayers will give you additional incentive to pray about other significant things that come to your attention. Also, when you see on your prayer list things that have not (yet) been answered in some definite way, you will be reminded to pray again for them. It is also helpful to write down the date when you first prayed for a specific need or situation and, when appropriate, the time when the prayer was answered.

It can also be very beneficial to have some set times for praying with others. By doing so, you can encourage one another while also being made aware of other special needs and concerns for which to pray.

Some people are also blessed and encouraged to pray by reading stories or articles or books on prayer. It’s a great blessing to read the stories of great prayer warriors in the past (or present) who are exceptionally faithful and effective in their prayer life. It can also be instructive and helpful at times to read the prayers which have been offered by others. Sometimes it may become somewhat routine to pray all the time for the same things in the same way. By reading (or hearing) the prayers of others, you may be able to add a certain richness and effectiveness and diversity to your own prayers.

The many prayers in the Bible can be especially helpful for guiding and enriching your prayer life. Indeed, the most important aid to prayer is reading the Bible regularly. Prayer is speaking to God, and reading the Bible is listening to God. The Holy Spirit helps you to pray more wisely and effectively as you respond to the Spirit speaking through Scripture. Prayer becomes more interactive and not just a one-way attempt to speak to God.

5. What are some reasons why God might not answer our prayers in the way we would like?

There are various reasons why God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way we would like. Included are such things as disobedience, secret or unconfessed sins, indifference, selfish pride, a lack of concern for others, a desire to have things that are not good for us, our intention to use what God gives us for purposes that do not honor or please him, or praying for something which is contrary to the will of God.

We should not always conclude, however, that the reason some of our prayers are not answered in the way we desire is because of sin in our lives or because of wrong motives. At times God withholds things we desire because he knows what is best for us and he knows that his will for us is much better than anything we ourselves might desire or ask for. Read some of the following passages to gain a clearer and fuller understanding regarding what we call “unanswered” prayers: Deuteronomy 1:45; 1 Samuel 14:37; 1 Samuel 28:6; Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 1:28, 21:13; Zechariah 7:13; James 1:6-7; James 4:3. See also Exodus 33:20; Deuteronomy 3:26; 2 Samuel 12:16; Ezekiel 20:3; 2 Corinthians 12:8.

6. Is there any value in fasting along with our prayers?

Yes! Appropriate fasting can help us pray more sincerely and enable us to focus more consistently on the things we are praying about. When we fast, we may be able to get our minds off earthly things, focus on God’s mercy and grace, and take our praying more seriously. Fasting is not helpful, however, if it causes us to become less focused on our praying because of the weakness of our bodies or minds. Fasting is also inappropriate if we use it as a “bribe” of some kind or if we believe that we can merit something by our fasting. Fasting by itself does not merit anything! God’s answers to our prayers are always by grace—whether we fast or whether we don’t.

 Fasting is relatively common in some Christian circles while almost totally absent in others. Both those who fast often and those who rarely or never fast should evaluate the reason why they do what they do. Those who presently do not fast might seriously ask why they do not do so and thoughtfully consider the possibility of doing so in the future.

7. What kinds of prayers seem to be offered most often: Prayers of Confession, Praise, Thanksgiving, or Request? How can we develop a good balance in our prayer life?

Many people consider prayer to be primarily “asking for something.” Though many people do add prayers of confession, praise and thanksgiving to both their private and public prayers, prayers of petition or request often seem to dominate. Perhaps this is somewhat understandable, but it is unfortunate if prayer is understood to be primarily a matter of placing our requests before God.

It is also important to make sure that our prayer requests do not focus primarily on material blessings for ourselves—especially if those requests go well beyond the things we really need. In the Lord’s Prayer there definitely is a strong emphasis on requests, but those requests include the opening petitions that God’s name be hallowed, that his kingdom come, and that his will be done. There is also a request for daily bread, but there is no request for lots of other material things. Another request is for forgiveness of sins and for the grace to be able to resist and overcome temptation. Finally there is the element of praise, as the prayer concludes with the words: Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. (Note: these last words are very familiar to many believers, but they are not found in many early copies of the Bible.)

Perhaps one of the best ways to make sure that we don’t focus too much on material things is by deliberately and thoughtfully including specific elements of praise and thanksgiving in our prayers. It may even be helpful to write out some things about which we should be praying, so that we do not neglect them.

8. What are the benefits of praying alone? What are the benefits of praying with others?

Praying alone can help us focus our thoughts and desires on the fact that we are talking directly with God himself. When praying alone, we will most likely include some of our very personal needs, our struggle with certain sins, and our thankfulness for the special blessings we have personally received or enjoyed—things we might not wish to verbalize when we are praying with others. And, while praying alone, we can pour out our hearts to the Lord without being concerned about the reactions of others to our tears, passion or exuberance.

Praying with others can also be very beneficial, since others may pray about important matters which we have forgotten or not thought of. Others may also help us to focus on God and the things of his kingdom at a time when pressing personal concerns make it difficult for us to do so. And we can profit from the spiritual gifts and talents of others who seem to have the special gift of praying in a way that many others cannot do. It’s also often encouraging to be joined together with other members of the family of God as we bring our praise and thanksgiving to the One who is the source of all our blessings.

9. Is it desirable for us to share with others God’s answers to our prayers? Should we also share with others the times when God does not seem to answer our prayers?

The answer to both questions is YES. Others will often be encouraged when they hear how God has answered the prayers of fellow believers. It will not only lead them to give thanks to God for his answers to the prayers of others; it will also help them to anticipate God’s answers to their own prayers. And it will also encourage them to continue presenting their thanks and praise, as well as their petitions, to the Lord in fervent prayer.

But if believers will be encouraged to pray by God’s answers to the prayers of others, will they not be discouraged from praying if they hear about prayers that were not “answered”? Not necessarily. If people hear only about answered prayers, they might begin to wonder why some of their own prayers have not been answered. But if they hear that other people also have both answered and “unanswered” prayers, they may be encouraged to continue praying in faith and confidence—even if the Lord has good reasons not to answer some prayers in the way they desired.

10. Is the Lord’s Prayer more important or more sacred than other biblical prayers?

Not necessarily. The Lord’s Prayer is obviously of very great importance since it was taught by Jesus himself. However, prayers of enormous value are found throughout God’s Word. Most of the Psalms are prayers, and many other prayers appear in various parts of Scripture. It’s important to remember that the entire Bible has been inspired by God; no parts of the Bible are more sacred than others.

Even so, it’s highly desirable for all believers to memorize and pray the Lord’s Prayer, which is the only prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. Some people think that this prayer was intended to be a model prayer for us to follow without necessarily limiting our words to the brief prayer which Jesus taught. Jesus himself spent many hours in prayer when he was by himself, so it is very unlikely that he wanted us to pray this prayer over and over again without adding many thoughts and petitions of our own.

Sometimes it is good to speak the Lord’s Prayer to our Father using the exact words Jesus gave us. At other times the Lord’s Prayer can provide a valuable guide for more detailed praying. Each brief phrase can be expanded in more detail as we speak to God. We can pour out many heartfelt reasons why we love “our Father in heaven” and are glad to be his children. We can talk with our Father about particular areas in our life, family, church, community, and world in which we long for God’s name to be honored, his kingdom to come, and his will to be done. We can pray about various physical and financial needs associated with “our daily bread.” We can admit particular sins against God for which we ask the Lord to “forgive us our debts,” and we can talk to God about sins others have committed against us in order that he may help us to “forgive our debtors.” When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one,” we can be honest with God about temptations that we find especially hard to resist and tactics of Satan to which we feel most vulnerable and from which we most need deliverance. In short, the Lord’s Prayer can serve as a valuable outline for more extensive, detailed, personal prayers.