Prayer Foundation
Characteristics of True Prayer
True prayer gives access to the Father
To appreciate this properly, we should put ourselves back into Old Testament times. Do we realize that, prior to the all-sufficient Offering on Calvary, no believer ever enjoyed access into God's presence? Jehovah surrounded Himself with barriers of sacrifice and priest-hood to impress upon His people the fact that sin eternally separates Himself from fallen man and until the One Offering for sin had been made and sin righteously put away, there could be no possibility of access in the fullest sense to Himself. Let us consider the following verses:
"The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing" (Heb. 9:8).
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19).
We may point out, in passing, that the right to enter into the holiest of all did not confer upon believers of the Acts period the tremendous privilege of dwelling there for ever. To enter there by prayer is one thing, but to be seated there in Christ Jesus, to have one's permanent homeland there, is quite another (Eph. 2:6; Phil. 3:20 R.V.). This is the exclusive privilege of the One Body and it is revealed in all its fullness in the second chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians.
Every time we pray, we are able to draw near to God in a sense that no Old Testament saint was able to do, and this fact alone should remind us of the inestimable privilege that prayer confers upon us. It should prevent us from thoughtlessly rushing into the Lord's presence.
In praying we are coming into the audience chamber of the King of Kings, but lest this should daunt us, we remember that this glorious One is also our Saviour and our Head.
True prayer gives fellowship and communion with God
When believers speak of fellowship, they usually mean spiritual intercourse with one another, and this is a beautiful feature of the Christian life. The Apostle John, however, reminds us of a far more important aspect of fellowship: "Truly our fellowship (koinonia) is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).
The Greek koinonia means something that is shared or one has in common with someone else, so leading to the thought of communion. Thus, in a wonderful way, prayer brings us into communion with our Heavenly Father and we have the joy of talking with Him at any and all times. God forbid that we should ever regard prayer as a Christian act to be engaged in only when we want something, but rather learn, in a practical way, what day by day fellowship with the Father means, its wonder, privilege and joy.
Just as breathing is the natural expression of physical life, so should prayer be the normal and continuous expression of our spiritual life.
True prayer puts God first, others second, and self last
In the prayer which our Lord taught His disciples, which is a model prayer for the subjects of the earthly kingdom, the Lord commences with: "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done..." Thus we have four references to God before we reach "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:9-11). Likewise the recorded prayers of the Apostle Paul abound with concern for others (see Rom. 1:9-12; 1 Cor. 1:4-7; Eph. 1:16-23; Phil. 1:4-11; Col. 1:3-6; 1 Thess. 1:2-4). These references not only make this clear, but also contain the element of thanksgiving which is most important. As long as we are conscious of the Lord's abiding goodness to each one of us, we are not likely to stray from the path of His revealed will. It was when Israel of old ceased to be thankful that they forgot God's loving kindness and wonder-working on their behalf, and their heart turned back to Egypt (a type of the world) and its allurements.
It was also true of the nations at Babel. They knew God yet glorified Him not as God, neither were they thankful (Rom. 1:21), and thus started the terrible declension that the remainder of this chapter reveals. A thankful mind is a great preservative against evil, and we are not ever likely to weary the Lord by a including it continually in our prayers in a heartfelt manner.
True prayer rests upon and claims God's promises
It is a significant fact that all the outstanding characters in Scripture have been men and women who knew how to pray, and a careful study of their prayers will show that these are based upon the Word of God and the promises contained therein
We think of Elijah. James, in his epistle, brings forward Elijah as an example of effectual praying (5:17). He prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. He prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit (verses seventeen and eighteen). Now this was remarkable indeed, and on the surface it looked as though the prophet had some extraordinary power to accomplish this miracle. But it should be remembered that this prayer was based upon the Word of God.
"And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently ants My commandments which I command you this day . . . that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season . . . Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit . . .' (Deut. 11:13-17).
Elijah, in a time of Israel's apostasy, was simply asking the Lord to carry out His Word, His written threats as well as His promises, in order to bring back the sinful nation to repentance
Or let us take the case of David. After thanking God for al His gracious revelation of His purposes concerning himself hi says, "Therefore now, Lord, let the thing that Thou hast spoke concerning Thy servant and concerning his house be establishes for ever, and do as Thou hast said" (1 Chron. 17:23). God love to be reminded of the promises of His Word, which are ours in Christ.
If our praying is to be effective, it must be likewise based upon the unchanging Word, but to this we must add the injunction of 2 Timothy 2:15. If we base our prayer upon Scripture or promises relating to a calling other than that to which we belong, can we expect God to hear and answer? Most assuredly not in the affirmative, unless those promises are true for all time and all the callings of the redeemed. Right division is eminently practical in this respect as in every way. We must get to know our Divine calling before we can begin to pray properly. Many children of God are asking Him for all kinds of things pertaining to Scriptures that do not apply to them or which belong to another time period, and they are disappointed and frustrated because they have a silent heaven. Let us search our prayer life and make sure we are not perpetuating the same error.
True prayer watches and waits for the Lord's answer
The prophet Habakkuk not only prayed, but stood upon his watchtower to see what the Lord would say in reply (Hab. 2:1). The Lord Jesus not only exhorted His disciples to pray, but to watch as well as pray (Mark 13:35-37; Luke 21:36). In the last reference the word translated "watch" is gregoreo, which literally means to be sleepless or to keep wide awake. Can it be that we sometimes pray to the Lord and then, as it were, go to sleep and forget? Did not many of the Pentecostal Church do this very thing? They were concerned that Peter had been imprisoned by Herod. "Peter was therefore kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him" (Acts 12:5). God was graciously pleased to answer this prayer and release His servant, who thereupon came to the house of Mary the mother of John, where "many were gathered
together praying" (verse twelve), and knocked at the door of the gate. When the damsel Rhoda, who recognized Peter's voice, ran to tell them, they said to her "thou art mad" (verse fifteen). "But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished" (verse sixteen).
Now this was praying, but it was certainly not watching and praying, for when the answer came, they were unprepared for it. However, we have no stones to throw at these believers, for how many times in the experience of both the writer and reader has this not been repeated? May God keep us wide awake to recognize immediately His answers to our petitions.
"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2).
True prayer has an intensity and earnestness behind it
We know little of Epaphras and his ministry, but of two things we can be certain; his keenness and practical love for the saints at Colosse and Laodicea (Col. 4:13), and his vital prayer life.
"Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (Col. 4:12).
"Labouring fervently" is a translation of the Greek word agonizo. While it would be going too far to translate this word "agonize" as some have done, it has in its composition the word agon meaning "a race or contest", and it brings before our mind the fact that effective praying has behind it an intensity of effort compared to an athlete running a race. Does this characteristic truthfully describe our praying? An apathetic or spasmodic prayer life accomplishes nothing, and often we may be convicted of laxity in this respect.
True prayer is offered to God the Father in Christ's Name
In the New Testament prayer is always directed to God the Father (Eph. 3:14), offered in the name of the Lord Jesus (Eph. 3:21) and interpreted by the Holy Spirit, (Rom. 8:26). How often have we heard in public, prayer finished with the phrase "for Christ's sake, Amen" and so rushed over as though it was of little importance and merely a formal or correct way of concluding. Do we realize that it is only because of the Lord Jesus Christ and His precious redemptive work that prayer is possible at all? If we do, then we shall be very conscious of this supreme fact as we pray and ask that all His fragrance should be cast over all our spiritual breathings to God.
True prayer is protective
The Lord Jesus, looking ahead to Peter's denial of Himself, says to him: "Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not" (Luke 22:31,32). Literally the words read, "I have prayed (peri) around thee". Peter was, as it were, surrounded with a wall of protective prayer by the Lord and in spite of his weakness and failure, his faith was preserved thereby. No wonder he was so soon to be smitten with remorse and turn back to Him, from his grievous fall, with true repentance.
The Lord uses the same expression in John 17:9,20. "I pray for (peri) them, I pray not for (peri) the world" (verse nine). "Neither pray I for (peri) these alone, but also for (peri) those who shall believe on Me through their word" (verse twenty).
Paul, in his concern for the Thessalonian and Colossian saints uses the same thought (2 Thess. 1:11; Col. 1:3). Do we uphold in prayer those who are in special need in this way? It may be that distance separates such from us, but prayer can annihilate the greatest distance and protect them from harm and danger.
True prayer makes doctrine real and experimental
In Ephesians 1:3-14 the Apostle Paul covers a tremendous sweep of doctrine, revealing the magnitude of the Father's will, the Son's redemptive work and the Holy Spirit's present witness. But this did not exhaust what he had to teach the Ephesian saints. Before he proceeds further, he begins to pray that the truth so far given may become real and experimental to each of his readers (verses 15-23). Every public Bible reading and every private reading of the Scriptures should send us to our knees and make us realize the increasing responsibility that every revelation of Truth brings, and the need that we should not only receive it as Truth (Eph. 1:17), but practically acknowledge it in our walk and witness day by day. Reading about our inheritance in Christ, is like viewing it afar off. Prayer brings it near and makes it our own possession.
"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).
True prayer will conform to the will of God
On reaching this point, we have come to the center of the purpose of all prayer, that is, to bring each one of us into conformity to the Lord's will, whatever that may involve. Alas, so many of us journey such a long way along the road of Christian experience before we reach this point. When we can honestly and truthfully say we long for nothing so much as His will in our lives, whatever that may cost, and when our wills are completely submerged in His, we have progressed far towards the goal of spiritual maturity. We shall not reach this stage until we know something of the deception, frailty and sinfulness of our own hearts, and, at the same time, the boundless love and infinite concern for our eternal happiness that exists in the heart of our Heavenly Father towards each one of us. Then, and not till then, can we say as the Savior did, "Thy will, not mine, be done" (Luke 22:42).