To “pray the Word” is, of course, to base one's
petition on the written word of God.
God loves to hear His people say, “Lord, I base
my prayer on Your word,” and then quote His word to Him by chapter and
verse.
In fact, God is obligated to answer only those prayers
that are based on His word.
“I will hasten my word to perform it” (Jer. 1:12).
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he
should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken,
and shall he not make it good?” (Num. 23:19).
“And this is the confidence that we have in him,
that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us” (1 John
5:14). The only way to ask something according to His will is to base it
on His word. His word is His will in written form.
His angels are assigned as our ministering spirits
(Heb. 1:14). They work in our behalf to bring our prayers to pass. However,
our ministering angels are specifically instructed to only “do His commandments,
hearkening unto the voice of His word” (Ps. 103:20). So, God's angels only
work to answer the prayers we make that are based on the written Word of
God.
I have been a Christian for many years and have
joined many other Christians in many prayer meetings. Consequently, I have
heard many Chirstians pray. I was not eavesdropping. It is unavoidable
to overhear others praying during a public prayer meeting.
In prayer meetings I have observed sincere Christians
"going through the motions" of prayer and yet never voicing specific petitions
based on specific scripture. I listened to one man praying for nearly an
hour and the whole time he just said things like, “Thank you, Jesus,” and
“Glory to God.” Such praying might make the one praying feel good, but
I wonder if such praying motivates God to action. It bears repeating: God
will answer only those prayers that are based on specific scripture.
For proof, let's look in the Bible at some examples
of God answering the prayers of His people who based their petitions on
His Word.
But, there is another important principle that must
be applied in conjunction with the principle of praying the Word in order
for us to confidently expect God to honor His Word at our request:
1 John 3: 21 and 22 shows the connection between
obedience and answered prayer.
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then
have we confidence toward God.
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments,
and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
God, in His wisdom, places automatic “checks and
balances” in His word.
It is true that God is obligated to fulfill the many wonderful promises
He gives us in His word. But it is equally true that there are conditions
that we must meet before we can expect Him to answer our prayers.
A minister was once teaching on faith and prayer.
He was showing from the Bible how God promises to answer prayer and he
was encouraging his listeners to boldly expect God to answer their prayers.
After the meeting a teenage girl — who must not
have been paying full attention to the message — approached the minister
and asked him to pray with her for something.
“What would you like to ask God for?” he asked.
“I want God to provide me with a motorcycle” the
girl answered.
“A motorcycle. Why?”
“Well, I have wanted a motorcycle for a long time.
It would really be a fun way to get around. You said God would answer our
prayers, if we base our request on His word.”
The girl directed the minister to John 14:14 in
which the Lord said “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
“You must not have been listening too carefully
to all of my message,” the minister said. “I did say that God will answer
our prayers. But I made it very clear that we have conditions to meet.
Do you know for sure that it is the will of God for you to have a motorcycle?”
“Well, I'm not really sure. I haven't really thought
about whether or not it is the will of God.”
“I also referred to 1 John 3:22 in my message: ‘And
whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments,
and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.’ Are you keeping His
commandments? Are you doing those things that are pleasing in His sight?”
the minister asked the girl.
The girl looked down shaking her head. Needless
to say, they did not pray about the motorcycle.
Parents who really love their children do not just
give their children anything they ask for all the time regardless of how
their children behave.
Likewise, we cannot expect God to just give us anything we ask for,
regardless of our behavior.
God answers prayers for His obedient children.
For example, He promises in Exodus 15:26 to heal us, but only if we
meet very clearly stated conditions:
If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
God's promise to heal is based on four conditions:
listening diligently to His voice; doing what is right in His sight; giving
ear to His commandments and keeping all His statutes.
So, we must always keep in mind that God does fulfill
His promises, but only for His children who “keep his commandments, and
do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”
That does not mean God expects us to be flawless
or perfect and never make any mistakes.
It simply means we are to consistently learn His
word and do our best to keep His commandments. “As he spake these words,
many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:30,
31).
Whenever a child of God prays about something,
almost invariably things will begin to happen that will make it look as
though it is not God's will to answer the prayer.
In fact, when you express a specific prayer request,
don't be surprised if exactly the opposite of what you want to happen begins
to take place.
If you pray and ask the Lord to save someone, you
can count on that person acting more mean and ungodly than he or she ever
has.
If you pray and ask for healing, don't be surprised
if your physical symptoms grow worse.
If you pray and ask for financial blessings, look
for your financial condition to get worse.
The familiar story about God delivering His people
from Egypt clearly illustrates this principle.
For many years the Hebrews and Egyptians apparently
lived peacefully together in Egypt. The Hebrews proved to be beneficial
to the Egyptians. The Hebrews were honest, hard-working people and thus
became a ready supply of cheap manual labor for the enterprising Egyptians.
But a new Pharaoh took office — one who did not
know Joseph and thus one who felt no obligation to deal kindly with the
Hebrews. (Joseph had saved Egypt from almost certain collapse during the
reign of the previous Pharaoh).
The new Pharaoh began to worry about the alarming
rate at which the Hebrew people were multiplying.
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of
the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they
multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they
join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out
of the land.
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to
serve with rigour:
And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage... (Ex. 1:9, 10;
13, 14).
The Egyptian taskmasters became more and more cruel
in their dealings with the Hebrews and more and more unreasonable in their
expectations from the Hebrew workers.
The people of God prayed earnestly for deliverance.
God heard their prayers. He selected a leader, Moses,
and told him,
I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt,
and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their
sorrows;
And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians,
and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto
a land flowing with milk and honey ... Come now therefore, and I will send
thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children
of Israel out of Egypt. (Ex. 3:7, 8, 10).
So Moses relayed the good news to the children of
Israel. And just to prove Moses' authority and to reassure the people that
He had indeed heard their prayers, the Lord worked some miracles through
Moses “in the sight of the people” (Ex. 4:30).
And the people believed: and when they heard that
the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon
their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped (Ex. 4:31).
But guess what! Things got worse for the children
of Israel.
When Moses went before Pharoah and told him God was going to deliver
His people, Pharaoh hardened his heart and issued a decree to increase
the workload of the Hebrews.
Needles to say, the Hebrews got very upset with
Moses and his assistant Aaron.
And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way,
as they came forth from Pharaoh:
And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you,
and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of
Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand
to slay us.
And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord,
wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou
has sent me?
For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name,
he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people
at all. (Ex. 5:20-23).
Paraphrasing, Moses was saying, “What's the deal,
God? I thought You said you had heard our prayers and You had come down
to deliver us. But things are only getting worse, not better. You
said You would deliver us, but the exact opposite is happening. We are
not being delivered. In fact, Pharaoh is making our cruel bondage worse
than ever.”
Have you ever talked to God that way?
I have. I have prayed; felt sure God heard me and just knew it was
the will of God to answer my prayer. Then things happened that made it
look as though God never heard my prayer and my prayer would never come
to pass. I questioned God. “Why is the exact opposite of my prayer coming
to pass?” I asked Him. “I thought I was praying in the will of God, and
yet it is not coming to pass. What is the deal, God?”
Then I read again the familiar story of God promising
to deliver the Hebrews and how the exact opposite of what they wanted to
happen began to happen, even though God specifically said, "I am come down
now to deliver you."
I also remembered other Bible stories about things
happening that made faithful people of God think they would never have
their prayers answered, even though they had received assurance that God
heard their prayers.
I began to see that one of the simple principles
of prayer is that no matter what we ask for in prayer, the exact opposite
quite often begins to take place.
I have asked the Lord why it is that way. He answered
my question with a question: "Why did it take a while for Me to lead My
people out of Egypt?"
The only answer I could give was, "Because Pharoah fought to keep them
from leaving."
"Exactly right," the Lord said. "And just as Pharoah
fought so hard to keep the Hebrews from leaving Egypt, there is a devil
who fights continually to keep My people from receiving from Me."
The story of Daniel and his encounter with an angel
(Daniel 10) also clearly illustrates how the devil fights to keep us from
having our prayers answered.
The classic story that illustrates the importance
of being persistent in prayer is found in Matthew 15: 22-28:
The woman of Canaan did not deserve to receive anything
from God. Jesus made that clear with His stinging remark “It is not meet
(appropriate) to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs.” And yet,
the woman of Canaan did receive her miracle from God.
She got what she wanted because of her faith — Jesus
called it great faith — and because of her persisence. She had an unyielding
stubbornness. I know stubbornness is generally considered a negative quality,
but there is a kind of stubbornness that God admires — the kind that tenaciously
latches on to God's promises and will never let go.
When she first prayed, Jesus ignored her. When she
appealed to the disciples, they too turned away. When she went back to
Jesus, He not only would not grant her request, He referred to her race
as “dogs.”
In spite of being ignored and repeatedly rejected,
in spite of being insulted, the woman of Canaan just would not take “No”
for an answer.
Too often, we give up too easily. We will ask God to do a certain thing
and when we don't get an immediate answer we start to waver and wonder
whether or not it is the will of God for us to have it.
Jesus lets us know from the story of the woman of
Canaan that He admires someone who will be stubborn and persistent in prayer.
It might be helpful when you pray to say “Lord,
I am going to be like that woman of Canaan. I will not take ‘No’ for an
answer. I will not give up until You grant me my request.”
And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed
him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
And when he was come into the house, the blind men
came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do
this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to
your faith be it unto you (Matt. 9:27-29).
Obviously, there is an unalterable law governing
prayer: what we receive from God depends on our level of faith. As Jesus
told the blind men, “According to your faith be it unto you.”
The devil knows how indelibly faith and prayer are
linked together. So, one of the Devil's most effective hindrances to prayer
is to make a believer feel he or she does not have enough faith to activate
the miracle working power of God.
Once when I was going through a severe trial I found
myself thinking that God would bring me through if only I could get a certain
“faith-filled” minister to pray for me. I felt like my faith was somehow
not good enough.
I have also often found myself thinking: “If only
I had as much faith as Brother (or Sister) So-and-So. If only I had that
kind of faith, then surely God would work miracles for me also.”
But one day I heard a minister preach from Romans
12:3: For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is
among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;
but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure
of faith.
For some reason I had the notion that God had a
few specially chosen “prayer warriors” — those blessed with an abundance
of faith. The chosen few with loads of faith could pray and see God work
miracles for them.
On the other hand, I imagined most saints were like
me — not blessed with a whole lot of faith. Us “average” saints, who are
not called to the ministry, just did not have enough faith to beleive God
for great miracles. That was the notion I maintained.
But when I took a closer look at Romans 12:3 I discovered
such reasoning was unscriptural.
In Romans 12:3 Paul calls it “the” measure of faith
— not “a” measure of faith. That means that God gives to every child of
God the exact same measure of faith. That means every believer has the
same measure of faith as did the great Apostle Paul, Simon Peter and others
that we read about in the book of Acts.
There is a simple analogy that I believe clearly
shows how God gives to every believer the same measure of faith.
Imagine two persons: one a scrawny, 13-year-old,
buck-toothed boy. Picture him as a real wimp — skinny, pale, thick eyeglasses;
the kind of kid that peers would consider a first-rate sissy. There's nothing
seriously wrong with this imaginary wimp. He is not disabled or physically
handicapped. He's just not the macho type. He's what some would call a
“90-pound weakling.”
Now imagine person number two as a real brute —
a full-grown man in his prime. Imagine him as the muscle-bound athletic
type; a hard core body builder; a real macho type dude who could easily
lift with one hand the aforementioned scrawny 13-year-old kid.
Now, imagine Mr. Macho, with his broad shoulders,
bulging bisceps and confident strength standing next to the 90-pound weakling.
Who has more muscles? Is it the strong man or the
wimpy kid?
“What a dumb question,” some would answer. “Obviously the strong guy
has more muscles than the wimp.”
Wrong. The strong guy does not have more muscles
than the wimp. The wimp has just as many muscles as the muscle-bound weight
lifter.
True, the weight lifter does have more fully developed
muscles than the kid. But the weight lifter does not have any more muscles
than the kid.
In like manner, the measure of faith that God gives
a believer at conversion is similar to muscles. Every believer receives
the same sized measure of faith, just as all people have the same number
of muscles when they come into the world.
The skrawny kid has the same number of muscles as
the strong man and could, through discipline and excercise, develop his
muscles so that he too could lift great weights.
And like muscles, faith can be developed and made
stronger.
I have heard believers pray, “Lord give me more faith.” That is a waste
of words. God is not going to give anyone any more faith. I don't need
more faith, any more than I need more muscles. I just need to use the faith
I already have and constantly make my faith stronger with a steady diet
of the word of God. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God” (Rom. 10:17). “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of
the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2).
So, we need to stop feeling inadequate in regards
to faith. My faith is good enough to receive from God. Your faith is good
enough to receive from God. Do you know why your faith is good enough?
It's because it is not really your faith, it is God's faith.
Ephesians 3:12 — In whom we have boldness and access
with confidence by the faith of him.
Acts 3:16 — And his name through faith in his name
hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is
by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
Galatians 2:20 — I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless
I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself for me.
If you ever find yourself feeling as though you don't have enough faith or feeling like your faith is just not good enough to receive from God, then say these words before you pray:
“I do have faith. God gave me the measure of faith
when I was born again. I received the same measure of faith that God gives
all His children.
God is no respecter of persons. He has no favorites. He does not give
preferential treatment to a few of His specially chosen ones.
I have the same measure of faith as did Daniel,
Moses, David, Elijah, the great Apostle Paul and all the other great men
and women I read about in the Bible.
God hears and answers my prayers just like he heard
and answered their prayers.
He has given me the same faith he gave them. My
faith is good enough to receive from God because it is not really my faith,
it is God's faith.”
Peter's three-word prayer, “Lord, save me,” is perhaps
the shortest, the simplest prayer recorded in the Bible. Under the circumstances,
Simon didn't have time to say much more. The man was sinking. Even if he
were a good swimmer, he knew he was doomed because he was going down in
a violently stormy sea.
Simon was a simple fisherman. He had little, if
any, formal education. In fact, the religous leaders of that day considered
Simon Peter an “unlearned and ignorant” man (Acts 4:13).
But the Lord answered Simon's simple prayer: “Lord,
save me.” The “unlearned and ignorant” Simon could not pray with flowery
and eloquent language. He used the only words he knew — plain words, simple
words. That, apparently, is the lanuage God understands.
Consider also Elijah's prayer during the showdown
with the false prophets on mount Carmel.
Even if Elijah talked very slow his prayer took less
than a minute to say.
His prayer consisted of two sentences. Most of the words were very
simple and were either one or two syllables long.
Not only were Elijah's words short and simple, the
six things he asked for were simple. He asked God to let it be known that
1. He was God; 2. that Elijah was His servant; and 3. that Elijah was acting
out of obedience to God's word. He also asked that 4. God would hear his
prayer; 5. the people of Israel would know that Elijah's God was the one
true God; and 6. that they would realize that God had turned their heart
back again.
Another story that illustrates how sincerity and
simplicity in prayer is more important than style is the familiar story
of Hannah praying for a son.
Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it
cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
But your iniquities have separated between you and
your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear
(Isa. 59:1, 2).
We cannot expect God to hear and answer our prayers
unless we confess and forsake our sins.
But there is also much in the Bible about another
kind of confession — confession of faith.
“Let us hold fast the profession (or confession)
of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” Hebrews
10:23.
There is an important connection between our words
and our prayers. In fact, the way we talk after we have prayed (according
to the will of God) will determine whether or not our prayers will be answered.
God expresses His power through words. He creates
through words. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed
by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things
which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3).
To create all things God used words. “And God said,
Let there be light: and there was light...And God said, Let there be a
firmament...And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together
unto one place...” And thus Genesis chapter 1 describes the Lord's chosen
method to create all things.
Not only did God bring all things into being with
words, according to Hebrews 1:3 He upholds and sustains all things through
words.
In like manner, God must have words — faith-filled
words — in order to create for us, in order to bring our prayers to pass.
We can, by wavering and using words of doubt
and unbelief, undo our own prayers. That is exactly what the nation of
Israel did after God had delivered them from Egyptian bondage.
The children of Israel prayed earnestly and fervently
for God to deliver them from their cruel Egyptian taskmasters.
“And it came to pass in process of time, that the
king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the
bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the
bondage.
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered
his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
And God looked upon the children of Israel, and
God had respect unto them” (Exod. 2:23-25).
God appeared to Moses and assured him that he had indeed heard the cries of His people and would answer their prayer for deliverence.
And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped (Ex. 4:31).
God did His part. He said He had heard their prayers
and would deliver His people.
He manifested His awsome power with the plagues
that humbled the Egyptians. Then He opened the Red Sea for His people to
pass through. After they were safely on the other side, He used the same
Red Sea to drown the pursuing Egyptian army.
Yes, God did His part and delivered them. And He
wanted to lead them into Canaan so they could establish their own nation
— a safe and secure home for themselves and their descendants.
But unfortunately the children of Israel canceled
their own prayers. The many obstacles they encountered in the wilderness
did not undermine their prayers. The giants they saw when they first spied
out the promised land did not negate their prayers.
It was their own words that snared them.
When food became scarce they said to Moses, “ye
have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly
with hunger.”
When God rained manna from heaven, they complained
about it and said they would rather have the food they once ate in Egypt.
They murmered and complained when Moses tarried
so long in prayer on mount Sinai.
In fact, the children of Israel found fault with
everything God and Moses did after their deliverance from Egypt.
Then, when the search party traveled through Canaan
to spy it out they brought back an evil report:
“We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great...We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we” (Numbers 13:27, 28 and 31).
This evil report triggered an all-out mutiny against Moses.
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and
cried; and the people wept that night.
And all the children of Israel murmured against
Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would
God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in
this wilderness!
And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this
land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a
prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
And they said one to another, Let us make a captain,
and let us return into Egypt (Numbers 14:1-4).
Finally, God could endure it no longer.
How long shall I bear with this evil congregation,
which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of
Israel, which they murmur against me.
Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD,
as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and
all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty
years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning
which I sware to make you dwell therein... Num. 14:27-30).
The Lord clearly shows the connection between confession
and prayer with His words: “as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do
to you.” Although they had prayed for deliverance and provision, God could
not answer those prayers because of their words of unbelief. Their murmurings,
their words of doubt and unbelief cancelled out their prayers for deliverance.
What God does for us — whether or not He answers
our prayers — depends on the way we talk.
That's basically what Jesus told His disciples one
day after Peter marvelled because His words caused a fig tree to die.
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in
God.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall
say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;
and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which
he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye
desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them
(Mark 11:22-24).
Jesus simply said that we will have whatever we say.
If we pray for healing but talk about how the symptoms
are still bothering us, then our negative words cancel out our prayer for
healing.
If we pray for financial blessings and continue
to say we don't have enough money, then our negative words negate our prayers.
If we pray for a loved-one to be saved and continue
to talk about how ungodly he or she is acting, then our negative words
tie the hands of God.
“As ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to
you.”
“He shall have whatsoever he saith.”
So, we cannot expect God to answer our prayers unless
we learn to reinforce our prayers with faith-filled words.
Unfortunately, however, man does not by nature maintain
a confession of faith. The tongue of man is by nature unruly.
It's a fact of life — man's natural mind is negative
and thus we usually maintain a confession of fear, unbelief, lack and worry.
We are more apt to say we can't than to say we can. We are more apt to
believe God will probably not answer most of our prayers.
We really need God's help in order to keep from
undoing our prayers with words of doubt and unbelief.
After you pray it's a good practice to ask God to
help you to bridle your unruly tongue.
Here is a prayer that you may find helpful:
“Lord, I have prayed according to your will and
I have based my requests upon Your Word.
Now, according to Psalm 141:3 set a watch before
my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Acccording to Psalm 19:14 let the words
of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight.
I believe You have heard my prayer. Help me to not
undo and negate my own prayers with words of doubt and unbelief.
Lord help me to train my unruly tongue to speak
Your word. Help me to walk by faith and not by sight.”
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to
get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent
the multitudes away.
And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went
up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was
there alone (Mat. 14: 22, 23).
But so much the more went there a fame abroad of
him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him
of their infirmities.
And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed (Luke 5:15-16).
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed (Mark 1:35).
And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the
mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
And when he was at the place, he said unto them,
Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast,
and kneeled down, and prayed (Luke 22: 39-41).
When Luke says Jesus went for prayer “as he was wont”
that lets us know the Lord had a habit of regular private intercession.
The phrase “as he was wont” simply means that going for private prayer
was His custom — He made it a regular habit.
The Elizabethan translation “Pray that ye enter
not into temptation” is somewhat obscure to us today. For this particular
verse, the Living Bible has a really clear interpretation: “Watch with
me and pray lest the Tempter overpower you.” Paraphrasing, the Lord
was trying to get across an important message to His disciples: “Follow
my example of regular private intercession. If you don't, then you will
become easy prey for the devil.”
Notice the places the Lord usually chose for His
times of intimate, private intercession. Generally, He went up into a mountain
or into a secluded garden area or into some sort of “wilderness place.”
Going into a wilderness place somehow enhances a
believer's time of private prayer. In a wilderness place, there are no
telephones to answer, no routine duties to tend to. One gets away from
the many little chores and diversions that seem to constantly call for
attention.
In a wilderness place it somehow seems easier to
draw close to God. Rather than artificial, man-made surroundings, one looks
around and sees only God's natural creations.
And one need not travel a long distance to find
a suitable wilderness place for prayer. One need not drive way out into
a forest or go to some secluded beach “out in the middle of nowhere.”
I live in a big city and yet I have discovered several
highly secluded “wilderness places” within five miles of my home where
I can go for private prayer. There is a large public park with large sections
of undeveloped woods and meadows. At nights, I like to go to a nearby school
and stroll around the large playgrounds and pray.
So, it does not matter where a beliver lives, be
it city, town or country, there is an ideal “wilderness place” for intimate
private intercession for the soul who makes the effort to search it out.
Believe me — it is worth the effort.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev. 3:6).
Prayer is conversation. It is communion True conversation,
true communion is a sharing, two-way process.
In other words, prayer involves listening to God
as well as talking to Him. In fact, learning to listen to God while in
prayer is just as important as talking to Him in prayer.
And yet how do we usually pray? We just ramble right
along "bombarding the gates of heaven" with a steady barrage of words.
I think we do this because we have the notion that we are not really praying
unless we are saying something.
I've participated in literally hundreds of prayer
meetings in which we Christians just talk and talk and talk. Sometimes
it reminds me of the Lord's words: "When ye pray, use not vain repetitions,
as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much
speaking."
Clearly, the Lord is trying to show his disciples
that there is more to praying than just talking. But when we pray - off
we go, babbling and rambling and jabbering away, without stopping from
time to time to give the Lord an opportunity to say something in return.
Surely He must find such incessant, one-way blabbering to be awfully boring.
Do you enjoy holding a conversation with someone
who completely monopolizes the talking? Do you think God enjoys hearing
us talk incessantly without giving Him a chance to talk?
So, if we want to be fruitful in prayer, we need
to do less talking and learn to listen for His reply.
As the Word says: "My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27).
Notice what the wise man Solomon prayed for on that
special occasion whenever the Lord offered him an unprecedented "carte
blanche."
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream
by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
...Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart
to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is
able to judge this thy so great a people?
And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had
asked this thing" (I Kings 3:5, 9 and 10).
When the wise man Solornon asked God for an "understanding"
heart, he was literally asking for a listening heart. The word for understanding"
in the original Hebrew language is "hearing, and thus the word is rendered
"hearing" in the margin of most reference Bibles.
Whenever that wise man was given the golden opportunity
by the Lord to ask for anything, his first request was simply for a hearing
and understanding heart.
It is obvious from context that Solomon desired
a heart to hear and understand the people he was charged with ruling. But
I believe Solomon also wanted the ability to hear the voice of God.
Frequently when I take time out for private prayer
I will say something like this:
"Lord, I enjoy talking to you, but I want our time
of prayer to be a two-way communion. So, I invite you to speak freely to
me while I am praying. God, just like Solomon, I ask for the ability to
hear your voice. Give me an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying. You
said, 'My sheep hear my voice,' so God, let me hear you as well as talk
to you while in prayer."
Of course, after praying like this, I must pause
from time to time and just be quiet and listen.
"Be still, and know that I am God." Ps. 46:10.
The margin of many reference Bibles translates the
Hebrew word for "still" as "quiet."
The Lord is saying that the only way we can know
about His complete sovereignty is to simply be quiet and wait for Him to
speak. In the flesh I feel as though I am not accomplishing anything when
I am quietly listening for the voice of God, but I am learning that hearing
God in prayer is just as important as talking to Him.
And they brought young children to him, that he should
touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and
said unto them, Suffer (permit) the little children to come unto me, and
forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive
the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon
them, and blessed them.
So, if we want God to answer our prayers and work
miracles for us the same way He did for Jehoshaphat, then we must learn
to humble ourselves in child-like helplessness and dependence like Jehoshaphat
did.
Learn to pray: "Lord, I have no might, no human
talent or ability within myself to resolve this difficulty. With child-like
dependence on You and you alone I admit that I do not know what to do.
But my eyes are upon Thee and Thee alone as my exclusive source."
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we
know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind
of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according
to the will of God.
In simplest terms, although we do not, by nature,
know how to pray, thank God we do not need to know how. We need to simply
learn how to let the man Christ Jesus, who ever abides within, to become
our high priest and intercessor.
We can ask Jesus to pray in and through us.
One company invites us to: "Go Greyhound, and leave
the driving to us." In like manner, we can turn to Jesus, and leave the
praying to Him.
That is basically the message Paul was trying to
convey when he wrote: "The the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities," and
the "Spirit itself maketh intercession for us." In other words, the Holy
Spirit - which is the Lord Jesus abiding within a believer - makes up for
our shortcomings. He makes up for our spiritual ignorance, our inherent
inability to pray. He can do the praying in our stead.
How much more effectively we could pray if we could
just quit straining and struggling and trust the man Christ Jesus to be
the intercessor. While it is painfully true that we indeed "know not what
we should pray for as we ought," it is equally true that the Lord Jesus
does know how to pray.
He knows how to pray according to the will of God
because He is God. He is at once, simultaneously God Almighty as well as
a man. That is the truth conveyed with such scriptures as John 10:30, John
14:9 and I Tim. 3:16 -
"I and my Father are one."
"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father."
"God was manifest in the flesh."
What a wonder. As God, He knows our needs and has
the power to answer our prayers. Yet as a man, He can identify with us
and help us pray: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).
He is our perpetual prayer partner. He ever liveth
to make intercession for us, according to Heb. 7:25. But He is not ever
living to make intercession for us away off in some distant heaven. He
is ever living inside His people. He makes intercession in and through
His people.
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual
house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable
to God by Jesus Christ. Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises
of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (lPet..
5:7 and 9).
It's a good practice to begin your private prayer
time by saying something like this:
"Jesus, I admit I am spiritually ignorant by nature.
The Word plainly states I do not know what to pray for and I do not know
how to pray. But the Word also states Your Spirit makes up for my shortcomings.
Your Spirit can intercede in and through me.
"So I now step out of the way and I ask that You
do the praying through me. I call on that great High Priest who ever lives
to make intercession, that perpetual prayer partner to make intercession
through me according to the will of God.
"Jesus, you know who needs prayer and what the needs
are. Tell me who to pray for. Give me the right words to say. Teach me
to pray. Pray in me."
"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them (first of all, in the invisible, spiritual realm), and ye shall have them (in the natural realm)."
There are many stories in the Bible that clearly
illustrate this principle of how things exist first of all in the spiritual
realm and then are later manifested in the natural. One of the best examples
is the familiar story of God renaming Abram to Abraham and promising to
bless Abraham with many children.
Most marginal reference Bibles indicate that the
name Abraham means "Father of a great multitude."
God gave Abram a new name: Father of a great multitude.
From a physical, natural standpoint Abram was definitely
not someone to be called the father of a great multitude.
He was 100 years old. He had no children. His wife,
Sarai, was 90. She was barren - unable to conceive and bear offspring.
Yet God calls that childless old man who is married
to a barren woman the father of a great multitude.
God plainly declares to that childless old man "a
father of many nations have I made thee."
The phrase "have I made thee" is past tense.
In other words, God called Abraham the father of
many before Abraham was the father of any.
God put it in the past tense as though it were already
an accomplished fact.
On the surface it may appear that God was lying,
or perhaps that He was playing "make believe." Such was not the case.
God told Abraham that He had made him the father
of many nations simply because in the invisible, spiritual realm Abraham
was indeed already the father of a great multitude. Abraham was not aware
of it, but his children already existed. They existed first of all in the
spirit, and then were later manifested in the natural.
In Romans 4:17, Paul states that whenever God called
Abraham - the childless husband of a barren woman - the father of a great
multitude, He was calling those things which be not as though they were.
Paul's statement of "calling those things which
be not as though they were" goes hand in hand with the Lord's words in
Mark 11:24 "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them."
Both statements are similar ways of describing how
God desires us to believe our prayers are first of all answered (present
tense) in the invisible, spiritual realm, and then are later manifested
in the physical, natural realm.
Again and again in the Bible we read about this
principle of calling those things which be not as though they were.
In Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord says concerning the prophet
Jeremiah: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou
camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet
unto the nations."
God calls Jeremiah a sanctified, ordained prophet
before the man was even born. Yet it was many years later before the man
even began his ministry to Israel.
Revelation 13:8 refers to the Man Christ Jesus as
"the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Yet we know that the
Lord Jesus was not crucified until thousands of years after the creation
of the world.
When the Hebrews marched around Jericho, "Joshua
said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath (past tense) given you the
city."
There had been no battle. In fact, not one shot
had been fired. Yet Joshua said the Lord had already given Jericho to the
Hebrews.
In 1 Kings 18 we read about the showdown on Mount
Carmel-between God's prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal.
In verse 24 Elijah says "the God that answereth
by fire, let him be God."
After Baal's prophets failed to get any sort of
response from their imaginary God, Elijah took charge.
And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto
me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of
the LORD that was broken down.
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the
number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD
came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
And with the stones he built an altar in the name
of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain
two measures of seed.
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock
in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water,
and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. (1 Kings 18:30-33).
Notice carefully: Elijah said whichever God answers
by fire should be worshipped as the true God. Then he told his helpers
to pour water on the burnt sacrifice. There was no fire, and yet Elijah
talked as though the sacrifice were already on fire and needed to be doused
with water. He was calling those things which be not as though they were.
In Judges 6 we read about an angel who called those
things which were not as though they were.
Notice how the angel called Gideon a "mighty man
of valour." Yet in the natural Gideon was anything but a mighty man of
valour. In the natural Gideon was a coward. He was furtively threshing
his wheat, hiding from the Midianites. He was afraid because the Midianites
were constantly raiding and plundering the Jews.
If God had been governed strictly by appearances,
then He would certainly have never chosen the cowardly Gideon as the one
to bring deliverance for Israel. Nevertheless, God instructed the angel
to call Gideon a mighty man of valour before there was any indication that
he would ever be mighty or show any sort of valour.
In Luke 13 we read about the Lord Jesus teaching
in a synagogue.
"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them (first of all, in the invisible, spiritual realm), and ye shall have them (in the natural realm)."
Here is a suggested format for putting this scripture into action:
"God, I believe that I receive the things I pray for when
I pray - the very moment that I make my request known to You.
I believe that at that moment in time You bring it to
pass in the realm of the spirit. I thank You in advance because I know
it will also become a reality in the natural realm.
Even though nothing has changed in respect to outward
appearances, I believe I receive what I have prayed for.
I count it done.
I imitate You. I call those things which be not as though
they were."