Prayer is not man reaching out to God. Rather, prayer begins at God’s initiative. God, in His loving condescension to sinful and depraved mankind, graciously and persistently invites and encourages us, His children, to come to Him in prayer.
Prayer is not man reaching out to God. Rather, prayer begins at God’s initiative. God, in His loving condescension to sinful and depraved mankind, graciously and persistently invites and encourages us, His children, to come to Him in prayer (Jer. 33:3; Luke 11:9, 18:1; Matt. 6:9-15; Rom. 12:12; Eph. 6:18; Col. 4:2; 1 Tim. 2:1-2). He does this not merely to shower us with His bountiful blessings but more importantly, to enable us to know Him more, He who is our greatest need and good. God’s adoption of us into His family, through His Son Jesus Christ, has given us the access and the privilege of coming boldly to the Great and Living God to enjoy His presence and to bring our petitions (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:13, 18; Heb. 4:14, 16).
The Pillar Prayer is the means God has given us to commune with Him. It is a two-way communication with God. It involves not only talking but also listening to God (John 10:27). Talking to God may be with or without words and may express adoration, praise, thanksgiving, confession, petition, supplication and intercession (1 Sam. 1:13; Heb. 13:15; 1 John 1:9; Eph. 1:16; 1 Tim. 2:5). Listening to God involves reading, studying, hearing, memorizing and meditating upon His Word and letting it “richly dwell within us.” Prayer is an expression of dependence upon God. In prayer, whether private or corporate, we recognize our nothingness (John 15:5) and weaknesses; acknowledge that God alone is the source of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17); and declare that He alone is able to accomplish His perfect will for us (Eph. 3:20). Our fellowship with God through prayer is dependent upon the gracious activity of the Holy Spirit who enables us to cry “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6, Rom. 8:15). For our prayers to be heard and answered by God, we must pray according to His will (1 John 5:14-15). This involves the setting aside of our own desires and being willing to submit to and obey God’s desires. Scripture encourages us to pray not only for our personal, material and spiritual needs (Matt. 6:11-13) but more so, for the concerns of God’s kingdom (2 Thess. 3:1; Heb. 13:18), for the salvation of the lost (Rom. 10:1), for fellow believers (James 5:16), for church leaders (Rom. 15:30-31), for the universal Church (Eph. 6:18), for all those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-2), for missionaries and workers in the field (Rom. 15:30-31; 2 Cor. 1:11). The church encourages not only private prayer but also corporate prayer. Corporate prayer draws the church body into a singleness of heart and mind in worship, consecration, vision and goals.
The Practice The Bible enjoins us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) and to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers (Eph. 6: 18). Prayer is the natural, spontaneous, moment-by-moment activity or occupation of true believers.
Prayer in the Church may be expressed in the following ways:
Private devotions
Praying for one another during Sunday services, discipleship cell meetings, prayer meetings and retreats (James 5:16)
Prayer as a body during Sunday services, discipleship cell meetings, prayer meetings and retreats (Acts 2:42; 4:24-30)
Praying for the sick (James 5:13-16)
Laying on of hands in ordination to ministry (1 Tim. 5:22)
Fasting (Matt. 6:16; Esth. 4:16; Ps. 35:13; Matt. 4:2)
Prayer retreats (both private and corporate)
The Parameters
In prayer, we should only seek the attention or approval of God and not of men. To use prayer as an opportunity to parade one’s spirituality before men is evil because it stems from pride (Matt. 6:5). Promoting one’s self through prayer is the ultimate perversion of prayer because prayer is intended to glorify God (John 14:13).
Prayers that do not come from the hearts of men are offensive to God. We must avoid long and repetitious prayers, offered under the misconception that mere length and emotional intensity will make prayers efficacious. We must also avoid meaningless, thoughtless and routine prayers—prayers that have little or no thought of God or of what we are saying.
Prayer and faith have no power by themselves to secure desired results. We must beware of formulaic prayers that see God as some genie at our beck and call. The words “in Jesus’ name” are not magic words that get our prayers granted if we say them. To pray “in Jesus’ name” means to come to God in the merits of the One who paid for our sins and represents us in the courts of heaven and to pray in consonance with His character and will.