Oh, the benefit everyone would gain if they asked questions about one of the things Jesus did most throughout His ministry: pray. Many people struggle to pray, but if they knew how crucial it is, they wouldn't think twice about spending time with God in prayer. Studying the subject of prayer—and praying itself—is so important that we're going to dedicate two articles to this doctrine, in hopes that your faith and prayer life may be strengthened.
First, let's define what prayer is. Prayer is essentially personal communication with the living God. It is a broad definition on purpose so that is covers prayers of request or petition, intercession, confession, adoration, praise and thanksgiving, and even God’s answering us through prayer. Below, we are going to answer seven questions about prayer that perhaps you have asked yourself at sometime or another. These are questions that every mature Christian should be able to answer to those who ask.
1.) Why Does God Want Us To Pray?
Basically, God wants us to pray because He says so. But more than that, of course, prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in Him can increase. God knows what we need before we even ask (Matthew 6:8), so we might sometimes be tempted to think, "Why should I even pray, then? God knows what I need, and He knows that I love Him. It seems like a waste of time." To which we would say, "well your spouse also relatively knows what you need sometimes, and he or she also knows you love them, so why waste your time communicating with them?"
You see, it’s not about practicality, it’s about intentionality. God wants us to pray because He is our Father and desires to fellowship with us; He delights in our fellowship (Psalm 149:4) and in our love for Him, expressed through prayer (Proverbs 15:8). And yet another reason we should pray is that God allows us to be involved in activities that are eternally important through prayer, such as the advancement of the Kingdom when we pray for others, as Jesus did (John17).
2.) Through Whom Should We Pray?
Now, this one should be obvious. Without Christ, we would not be able to communicate with God, no matter how much we prayed. The Bible says in 1st Timothy 2:5, that "There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Our mediator is not the Virgin Mary; not the Pope; not even your pastor…our only mediator is Christ. Jesus, through His blood, allows us to come into the presence of God the Father with confidence, as the priests of the Old Testament did when they entered the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 10:19).
But this raises the question of whether or not God hears the prayers of unbelievers, since they do not have Christ. We believe God is aware of unbelievers’ prayers, but we also believe that He perhaps only answers their prayers of repentance and faith unto Christ, should they confess they believe in Him through a prayer. God is under no obligation, however, to answer the prayers of unbelievers. Therefore, we ought to give thanks to God, through Jesus, that He provided that Way (Jesus) for us to communicate and fellowship with Him. It is indeed a privilege.
3.) What Does It Mean To Pray "In Jesus' Name"?
I’m sure we have all heard, or even done so ourselves, the "save" at the end of a prayer that goes: "Oh, and I pray all these things in Jesus' name!" Sometimes we may even forget to say these words and may begin to feel insecure about our prayers. But do these words have a special power to them, are they part of a magical formula to prayer? Are they something we must say in order for our prayers to be effective, or even heard? The answer, of course, is no.
"To come in the name of someone means that another person has authorized us to come on His authority, not on our own. Praying, therefore, in Jesus’ name means prayer made on His authorization. Praying in Jesus’ name also implies praying in a way that is consistent with His character, and that truly represents Him and reflects His manner of life and His own holy will" (Wayne Grudem). So, in a very real sense, praying in Jesus’ name means praying according to His will and with His authority.
The words "in Jesus' name" are not a necessary ingredient for our prayers, so long as in our hearts we know that it is only because of Christ that we even have the ability and authority to pray to God the Father. To be sure, there is indeed power in even the name of Jesus; but what we are saying is that the specific phrase "in Jesus' name" is not required for prayers to be heard by God or to be effective.
In fact, there are no prayers recorded in the N.T. that have the phrase "in Jesus' name" added anywhere in them; not at the beginning, not in the middle, and not at the end of any prayer in Scripture. The Apostles simply knew and owned the fact that their prayers were heard because of the authority of Jesus and His blood; and they also knew that all of the miracles they performed were done in the authority of Jesus (Mark 16:17; Acts 3:1-16; John 14:13).
4.) Can We Pray Directly To The Holy Spirit?
The predominant pattern of prayer in the Bible is, of course, prayer addressed to God the Father. In the N.T., we also find examples of prayers being made directly to Jesus, for, after all, He is God (Acts 1:24, 7:59; 1 Corinthians 16:22; 2 Corinthians 12:8). But directly praying to the Holy Spirit does not appear anywhere in the N.T., so we must answer this question on theological terms.
Our theological and logical conclusion is that we can pray to the Holy Spirit, for He, too, is God. And since He is the one who dwells within us, it would not make any sense to say that we cannot pray to Him. But in our prayer life, unless there is good reason to invoke and address Him directly, it is best to follow the pattern laid out in the Scriptures: Praying to God the Father or Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
5.) What Is The Role Of The Holy Spirit Concerning Prayer?
The ministry of the Spirit regarding our prayer life is very important. In Romans 8:26-27, the Bible says, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans/sighs too deep for words…He intercedes for the saints according to God’s will." So, the role of the Spirit is to intercede for us because we are weak and don't know what and how to pray.
As a side note, in the verses referenced above, the Spirit is said to groan. Sometimes people take theses verses to mean that we speak in tongues. But the phrase "groans/sighs too deep for words" does not mean speaking in tongues. It says "too deep for words," that is, words are not enough, so that would exclude tongues from being used as well. Also, it says the Spirit intercedes, He is the one groaning, not us, so that this phrase cannot mean we would be speaking in tongues. Finally, the word "groan" here, as in the first part of the chapter eight, is used metaphorically.
6.) What Are Some Characteristics That Make Up Effective Prayer?
There are certain things that must be present in prayer in order for prayer to be effective. It is not that prayers must have all of the following characteristics, it is simply that prayers are made better if they do include the following (List taken from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology):
- Praying according to God’s will (1 John 5:14-15; Matthew 26:39)
- To do this effectively, it is good to know Scripture
- You may also ask for wisdom (James 1:5-8)
- Praying with faith (Mark 11:24; Hebrews 11:6)
- Confessing our sins (Matthew 6:12; 1 John 1:9)
- Forgiving others (Mark 11:25; Matthew 6:12)
- Having humility (Luke 18:11-14; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)
- Praying regularly (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Colossians 4:2)
- Praying earnestly (Hebrews 5:7; Mark 14:36, 39)
- Praying repeatedly (Luke 11:5-12; 18:1-7)
- Praying privately (Daniel 6:10; Luke 5:16; Matthew 6:6)
- Praying with others (Acts 4:24; Matthew 6:11-13)
7.) What's So Special About Fasting?
Fasting is going without food for many hours. Breakfast means we break our nightly fast. Fasting is seen throughout the entire Bible, and it always seems to be effective. So, does God listen better to hungry people? That is what many Christians seem to think when they hear others talk about fasting, but a proper understanding of this practice will dispel the false notions that are often believed.
The act of fasting is not what is important; the skipping of meals is not what is ultimately significant—it is what you do instead of eating that makes the difference. For example, if a loved one were to get in an accident and you missed your lunch to go see them at the hospital, the central thing would not be the skipping of your meal, it would be going to go see your friend. The same goes for fasting in order to pray—prayer is the vital part.
In the O.T., the use of fasting was usually connected with making a request before God (Nehemiah 1:4; Esther 4:3), and at other times with repentance (Joel 2:12). In the N.T., fasting with prayer was also used in times of intensive intercession (Acts 10:30), repentance, worship (Luke 2:37; Acts 13:2), and seeking guidance (Acts 14:23). Fasting allows us to humble ourselves before God, have our minds and hearts focused on Him, and being dependent on Him (and not food) for strength before we make our petitions. Fasting may also help us develop self-discipline, for when we temporarily accept this small “suffering” of fasting willingly, we will be more willing to accept other suffering for the sake of righteousness.
But when we fast, we should remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:16-18:
"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
* Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon! *
* Some of the information presented here was taken from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology textbook, and from Old Testament Today by Walton & Hill.
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