| Bible | Prayer |
Some consistent messages found in the Bible |
To whom? |
An overview of the Bible's contents |
What prayer is/What to pray about |
| A bit of Bible history | When and where to pray |
| Different perspectives on and in the Bible | Why pray? |
| "User's Guide" to the Bible | How to pray |
Do not worry about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
| To whom? |
| What prayer is/What to pray about |
| When and where to pray |
| Why pray? |
| How to pray |
We believe there is only one God, the one who created heaven and earth and who brings all life into being. This is the one to whom we pray.
Yet people know God and experience the presence of the Lord in different ways. We have watched God work as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. We have "seen" God as Father, Son (Jesus) and Spirit. Those are the three names of God we use when we talk about the Trinity, the three "faces" of that one God.
In their prayers, people call God by many different names: God, Jesus, Christ, Lord, Spirit, Creator. The Bible has many other images that are used in the same we we use a name. Some images reflect human roles. When we call God Liberator, Judge, Shepherd, Comforter, Father, Mother or King, we both understand an aspect of the nature of God and learn something about who we ought to be. There are other Biblical images for God that are drawn from nature. Rock, Spring, Fire, Eagle, Mother Hen, Lion, Light, and Morning Star are just a few of the beautiful metaphors that describe God's character. The reality of God is big enough to encompass all of those names, images, and metaphors.
The name we use for God in our own prayer may be determined by what we have learned about God, the kind of relationship we have with the Lord, our needs at the moment, or even our mood. Whatever name we use, it is heard by one God, the only One who answers prayer.
Any good relationship requires time, energy and communication. Why would a relationship with God be any different? At its roots, prayer is simply those conversations between God and us that keep the connection open, active and alive.
For some people, prayer is a very formal conversation. Others are much more relaxed in their approach. Does God care? How we pray isn't nearly as important to God as our willingness to talk.
A bonus aspect of a talk with God is that we can do it anywhere, anytime. We can also talk about anythng in these conversations. No topic is out of bounds. No issue is too big or too small.
Like any talk in any relationship, we get out of a conversation with God what we put into it. If all we do is complain, it won't feel like a positive, uplifitng relationship. If all we do is talk, we're not apt to hear anything God might have to say to us. If we don't put time into gettting to know God, we probably won't feel particularly close to the Lord. But when we take time for prayer, when we remember to praise as well as ask, when we listen for the word of the Lord to us and simply enjoy being in God's presence, then we can have the warm, wonderful, personal relationship that God would like to have with us.
What
can I/should I pray about?
Jesus made a point of saying that, even though God knows our needs before we ask, we should pray about them anyway. Nothing is too big or too small. Whether our concern is money to pay our bills, hitting green lights so we won't be late, or energy to get through the day, we can pray about it.
Asking isn't always getting, of course, but God likes us to share what's on our minds and what's troubling our hearts. Sometimes our prayers are answered in expected (or unexpected!) ways. Other times we find that, through the simple act of prayer we become able to see a way through our situation, or our anxieties are eased, and we receive a gift of peace.
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If God wants us to pray about our every day needs, then God surely wants to hear about our big problems. Sometimes the hardest part of praying about a big problem is believing it will do any good. In our discouragement, we may think that God can't do anything, or won't do anything, or that we don't deserve God's help. There's no way any human being can understand why God seems to answer some prayers and not others. But we know (because we've seen it) that God has enough power to answer any prayer. And we know (because we've seen it) that God loves us enough to want the best for us. So when we have a big problem, we need to pour out our hearts before the Lord. We need to be honest about what we want to have happen. And then we need to trust that God will do what's best for us.
Even when things don't work out the way we had hoped, there's one more thing God promises: "In everything God works for good with those who love him" (Romans 8:28, RSV). So God will work with us to make something good come out even the worst, most difficult situation.
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It's usually our best, most trusted friends who hear our secret hopes and dreams. Why not include God in that circle of friends? God is in a better position than the rest to make it happen. God can work in our hearts, in our lives, and in the circumstances of our lives to make our hopes and dreams come true.
For that to happen, we need to be clear about what it is we're hoping for, test it out to make sure it's a worthwhile goal, bring it before the Lord regularly in prayer filled with faith and trust and expectation, and then work with God to do what we can to bring it about.
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An old joke about patience includes this prayer: "God, give me patience, and give it to me NOW!" But some things can't be rushed - a child's growth, a flower's unfolding, the ripening of fruit. Many issues we pray about have a "ripening" aspect - situations may need to change; people may need to grow. Such things require time, and God has more knowledge of the time required for that process than we do.
When we pray for patience, or pray about a situation that requires patience, we must trust that God will walk with us and help us right now, even if we don't immediately see the answer to our prayer.
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Change is possible. For it to happen, we need to truly want it, we need to pray about it, we need to let God work in us, but it is possible. The Bible tells us: "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) God is more than willing to wipe the slate clean and let a new day be a whole new beginning for our lives.
When we use that new beginning as an opportunity to try to imitate Jesus, it will pay off. "All of us...seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18) We will never be perfect, but over time, and with God's help, we can get better and better.
It's not easy to change. It's amazing how hard it is to let go of old habits, even when we know they're bad ones. Change involves give up some of the control we're used to having over our lives and letting God have more say about how we live. But change is possible when we need invite God in and allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work within us.
Sometimes prayer about change reflects a desire for God to change something or someone else and the last thing we think of is to pray for a change in us. Yet often a change that occurs in our own life begins a ripple effect that leads to changes all around us. Next thing we know, doors open, new options become visible, other people change in response or reaction to the change in our lives.
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Sometimes we really need some rest, or a little peace and quiet, but we can't find enough hours in the day or night. The Bible tells us that if we "rest in the Lord," our strength will be renewed (Isaiah 40:31). It doesn't quite take the place of sleep, but you'd be amazed at how refreshed and renewed it's possible to feel after taking a little time just sitting with God. It may help us find a way to rearrange our priorities, so we get more physical rest, or it may give us the strength we need to continue through a difficult day. Like a child enjoying a cuddle, all curled up in a mother's lap, we can come into the presence of the Lord and simply enjoy being there. If we take a few moments to bask in God's love and feel that healing touch, we open ourselves to receive a peace that passes understanding, and our soul is restored.
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When we are overwhelmed by pain or grief, we don't need someone to "fix" the problem, we look for a friend who can comfort us and get us through. As we pour out our feelings to that trusted friend and cry on their shoulder, we release some pent-up pressure. We discover that our burden is eased through the sharing of it.
We can't always find a friend, but we can always find God. God cares about us more than the dearest friend. There is a shelter God provides to all who seek it. ("You have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat." - Isaiah 25:4) It doesn't prevent the rain of normal human troubles from falling on us, but it does offer a place of comfort and relief from them. In that shelter, we will find that God has prepared for us some warm love and deep peace to ease our pain and grief, the way a cup of hot chocolate can warm us from the inside out on a bitterly cold day.
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We're not the only ones who need prayer. We may know of a person or situation that could use more help than we're able to give. A little divine assistance would be nice! Children with loving parents often bring a friend with a problem to their home, trusting that their mother and father will help find a solution. It's the same with the Lord.
We can't tell God what to do (we're not wise enough to always know what's best), but we can bring that person or problem to our divine Parent and trust that the Lord will help find a solution. Our role is not to solve the problem ourselves, or to judge God's response to the need, but simply to bring our friend to a loving home where we know there is One who is willing and able to help.
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In the Bible we read of a man who wanted Jesus to heal his son, if he was able. When Jesus tells him that all things can be done for the one who believes, the man cries out "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9) So which comes first, God's gift of faith or our desire to receive that gift? Like the chicken and the egg, both are so necessary for faith to exist that it's not really possible to place one before the other.
There may be times we find that we need to make choices based on faith when we are not 100% sure we really believe that God is there to help us. That's okay with God, if it's okay with us. We often grow in faith like the child who grows into clothes that are too large at first. If we want to believe in God, we start with acting as though we believe (even when our faith feels insecure and tentative) and trust that our belief will grow. Meanwhile, we keep asking God for the gift of faith. I believe; help my unbelief!
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In our culture that places a high value on "being in control" and "taking charge," it's particularly difficult to be helpless or powerless. So when we're in that position, we want it to get out of there as quickly as possible. Yet there are things we learn through being helpless that we cannot possibly learn when we are in a position of power. It's no accident that people who spend a lot of time in very difficult circumstances often have the deepest, most vibrant faith. Nor is it an accident that God's people spent 40 years wandering in a wilderness before they were ready and able to enter their promised land.
Most people will have to endure some wilderness times, some periods of helplessness or powerlessness. Instead of asking God to instantly take us away from all that, we can ask God to bless the time we must spend in that uncomfortable place and use it for our growth. We may learn the limits of what power can do for us. We may learn a deeper, more empathatic compassion for others who are helpless or powerless, because we've been there ourselves. We may learn what it really means to trust someone else (like God) to care for us.
When we allow God to bless our time of helplessnesss, it can become one of the most fruitful periods of our life.
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Nobody likes being wrong. It is humbling to admit our mistakes. Yet it's important to any relationship. In our relationship with God, it's essential. When it comes to sin, sometimes we act like a child who's been playing in the dirt all day but refuses to admit a bath is needed. How can God cleanse the dirt from our souls and save us from sin if we never admit there's a problem with the way we behave? There's no way around the need for us to confess our sins before God. It's not easy; it's not pleasant; it can be very uncomfortable, even humiliating. But it is the first step that's necessary if we want our walk with God to go anywhere.
There's more to repentance than admitting our sin. The roots of the word mean "to turn" or "turn around." So repentance is a turning to as well as a turning from. We turn from sin and to God. We turn from bad habits of behavior to healthy new patterns.
Once we confess our sin and let God in to clean house, we have another chance at a fresh, new start.
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Sometimes we just don't know what to do. We're confused. There's no clarity about a situation. We would like to pray, but we don't know what to pray for. What better time could there be to try trusting God? No one is wiser than the Lord, and the Bible assures us that God knows our needs even before we pray. It's not easy to "let go and let God," but its the only option that makes sense when we can't figure out where to turn or what to do. At that point we're not in control, so we might as well admit it, stop trying to be in charge, and turn the situation over to God.
Scripture assures us that God "is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). When we don't know what to do or what to pray for, we can come to the Lord with hearts full of praise for what God is able to do, share our confusion about the situation with God in our prayer, and wait with patience to see what the Lord will do.
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The Bible says "Be angry, but do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). Some things make us angry. Some things should make us angry. But if we are not careful, our anger can be destructive to us and to others. Directed properly, anger can be a powerful sword against evil and injustice. Used improperly anger is a powerful acid that can corrode relationships and eat at our own heart. That Bible passage tells us that anger mixed with sin leaves room for the devil to work (Ephesians 4:27). Anger mixed with sin leads to bitterness, hatred and violence. But when we bring our anger to God, the Lord is able to help us discern if our anger is appropriate, to keep us from sinful anger, and to guide us so into wise and constructive ways of expressing our anger.
When a trial or tragedy tears at our hearts or our lives, it is okay to be angry at God. We know this because we see it in the Bible. In the psalms we hear individuals and communities cry out to God with anger, grief, and despair. Because these example are there in the Bible, we know that God wants to hear from us, no matter what we have to say. From those psalms, we know that we don't have to affirm trust in the Lord in the midst of our trouble, though we may. We see that we may or may not get a "satisfactory" answer to our complaint from God.
God has promised to be with us in our times of trial. We may feel abandoned, betrayed or forsaken, but we are not alone. And as long as we continue to talk, we are maintaining our relationship with the Lord. Even if that is all the faith and trust we can manage in tough times, it is enough.
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God is the Giver of all good things. Jesus is the one who came so that we might have life, and have it abundantly. The Holy Spirit pours out power and blesses us with wonderful gifts. God's blessings abound, filling and overflowing the cup of life! So we ought to remember God and give credit, thanks and praise where it is due whenever good things happen, when we see the beauty of life and creation, and when we become aware of the blessings in our life. There are always reasons to praise the Lord, and it is always good to do so!
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It is good to know the Lord. Loving the Lord is even better. But without a commitment to the Lord, our knowledge and love of God will have a limited impact on our life. God wants to renew and transform us so that we may become the persons we were created to be and do the work in the world we are called to do. Making a commitment to the Lord means acknowledging Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It means being obedient to God, to God's will, and to God's rule over your life.
If you want to commit your life to the Lord:
Then find a community of faith who will support you through the change and growth that will occur as you become a new creation in Jesus Christ.
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God is able to heal us, body and soul. Many people have experienced the God's power through healing prayer and some have been healed by that power. Yet no amount of prayer can save us from all illness and pain, and death is the unavoidable end of our life here on earth.
So, is it appropriate to pray for healing? Absolutely! There is never anything wrong with sharing our hurt and pain with the Lord and letting God know our needs, our wants, and our hopes. In fact, the Bible tells us that when someone is sick, the elders of the church should come, lay hands on them, and pray (James 5:14).
When we ask for healing, we should also remember God's wisdom and great love for us. For that reason, we can place our lives in God's loving arms with confidence and trust that God knows what is best. Our prayers are always answered, but the answer is not always an exact match to our prayer. Sometimes the body is healed. Other times an illness remains, but we receive a gift of peace, or healing of soul or spirit or personal relationships. And whenever it is that we leave this life we receive an eternal healing in which their is no relapse of illness. We enter a life where there is no pain, no tears, no sorrow, but joy everlasting in the presence of the Lord.
There are many different ways in which God may choose in divine wisdom to answer our prayer. Whatever the answer, it is comforting to remember that in both life and death, we belong to a God who loves us.
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To "intercede" is to make a plea or request on behalf of others. An intercessory prayer brings that plea or request to God. We can pray for a friend, a member of our family, a neighbor, or even for an unknown person, like someone in an ambulance or an accident we pass. We can ask the Lord to help, strengthen, heal, comfort, or uphold them. We can pray about situations from alcoholism and abuse to the world economy. We can ask God to guide those in positions of power, from world leaders to an office boss to a classroom teacher. We can pray for peace; we can pray about war. We can ask God to work in people's hearts, that they will turn from the ways of war and become committed to peace, justice and reconciliation.
God's love for the person we're praying for, and God's concern about the world and all who dwell in it, is even greater than our own. We can place anyone and everything in God's loving arms with confidence and trust that God knows what is best. As the song says, "He's got the whole world in His hands."
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We can offer a prayer of blessing both for those whom we love and for those whom we find difficult to love.
In a prayer of blessing we ask God to bless those whom we name, to be present with them at all times, to guide and protect them, to fill their lives with joy and peace. If they don't know the Lord and haven't accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, we may ask God to bless them with the gift of faith. In our daily routines we might ask God's blessing for our children as we tuck them in at night, or for a loved one as they start on a journey. At significant milestones in the journey of life, on both solemn and joyous occasions, or any other time, a prayer of blessing is appropriate
When we ask God to bless an enemy, amazing things can happen. They may change, as God-given blessings unfold in their life. And we may change, as we replace anger and enmity with God-given love and concern. When we take seriously and choose to follow Jesus' command to "love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44) and "bless those who curse you" (Luke 6:28), we discover that blessing those with whom we have a problem often goes hand in hand with finding the answer to that problem.
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When we have a problem with a relationship, we should pray about it. Mostly we need to pray about us. We can pray for eyes to see the way we contribute to the problem, for wisdom to know what to do about it, and for persistence to follow through on the changes we need to make in ourselves. We can pray for things like: ears to listen to the other person's point of view; patience to "count to 10" before we shout or explode; and honesty to admit when we're wrong and ask for forgiveness when we've hurt someone.
It's tempting to ask God to change the other person in the relationship (as if that would fix everything). But since there are at least two people involved in every relationship, and all parties contribute to making the relationship what it is, a better place to start is with prayers of blessing (see above) combined with prayers for changes in our own life and behavior.
Not all situations can be "fixed." Sometimes the answer is separation, especially in situations where there is verbal, emotional, or physical abuse. God loves people too much to want them to stay in a situation where they are being abused. At those times we need to pray first for a heart to know we are loved by God and we deserve something better than the treatment we are receiving, and then for strength and courage to leave the home or job or environment where we are being abused. God is with us, even in those places and situations, and has angels on earth ready to help us.
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The Creator of heaven and earth is the Lord of heaven and earth. Because God allows us to make our own mistakes here on earth, the world doesn't fully acknowledge that Lordship, but it is still there and it is real. God could come in and take it all over. We pray for that day every time we say the Lord's Prayer. But even now there are times we see God's hand reaching down and working in the world. Examples include the amazing spirit of reconciliation in South Africa that followed the downfall of apartheid, the partnerships for peace that build bridges and join together people whose countries have radically different agendas (such as Israelis and Palestinians), the work done by Doctors without Borders and countless aid organizations, the outpouring of support that follows tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other disasters.
Just as one time, long ago, God heard the cries of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, God still hears our cries for peace and justice. As we wait for the day when God's will "is done on earth as it is in heaven," we pray for God's intervention in our world today.
We must also remember that, just as God sent a man to help those slaves, God may call any one of us to do what we can to make sure that God's will is done in the world around us. The world is a big place, and it's problems are huge. Our prayers to change the world include prayers for our own courage and strength, because we must never let our awareness of what we can't do keep us from doing whatever we can by the power of God working in and through us.
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Certainly we pray in church. We pray at prayer meetings and Sunday worship. But prayer should never be limited to that. We can pray anytime, anyplace.
It helps to develop some habits of prayer. When we set aside particular times to pray, it's usually easier to remember to do it! In our personal prayer life, prayer is a great way to start and end each day. In between it's appropriate to thank the Lord for the blessings that come our way, especially the everyday blessing of food at each meal. Some people pray every time their watch or clock chimes the hour.
God is with us wherever we are, so we can and should talk to the Lord at home, at school, at work, on the road, out in the field, wherever we go. The only restriction Jesus gives is that we should never pray for show. We can pray at church or we can pray on a mountaintop. We can talk to Jesus as we drive down the road or we can pray as we ride a crowded subway train. When possible, it's good to find quiet places of solitude for our times of prayer because we have privacy and may have fewer distractions and be better able to focus. But when we're surrounded by other people, all we need to do is close our eyes and turn the eyes of our heart to the Lord, and we'll find that that the presence of the Lord can be felt in every place.
If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
Psalm 139:9-10
Prayer is the best way to develop a personal relationship with God. Some people find that Jesus is a friend they can talk to, because he was once one of us. Some come to God with trust as they would to a loving Father. Others feel the Spirit of God within them in their time of prayer, descending on them gently like a dove, or filling them with power. One of the great blessins of a prayer life is this intimate and personal experience of relationship with God.
Prayer can be a window through which we catch a glimpse of the world as God sees it. People, situations, the world , even we ourselves look different when viewed through the eyes of the Lord.
Prayer is also a door through which God's power to change, heal, and transform flows into us, into others, and into the world.
An example: The Lord's Prayer
When Jesus' disciples asked him how to pray, he gave them an example (Matthew 6:9-13). We know it today as the Lord's Prayer. It goes like this:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
Jesus fit four"petitions," or requests into this short, simple prayer. Each phrase is important.
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DO remember to follow the advice found in Philippians 4:6-7 and always include thanksgiving in your prayer. The saying that "God is good all the time" doesn't mean that nothing bad ever happens; it means that the goodness of God can always be seen when we look for it. Starting our prayer with thanks and praise often changes the perspective we have on our "laundry list" of prayer requests.
DON'T make your prayer self-serving. It isn't "all about you"! Many people have needs far greater than yours. Remember to pray for them, too. And don't forget to pray for enemies as well as those whom you love!
DO maintain confidentiality! It's a MUST for group prayer. The people and situations raised in a prayer time must NEVER become a topic for gossip. That would betray a sacred trust.
DON'T use prayer as an opportunity to make a point. When you pray in public, it's still a conversation with God, not with other people who are present. If you have something you need to say to someone, say it directly to them truthfully and lovingly. Don't try to tell them by what you say to God in front of them.
DO remember to listen as well as speak. We can learn a lot just by spending some time in the presence of the Lord, even if not a word is spoken or heard. Sometimes, in that silence, we will hear or somehow become aware of a word from God to us.
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It may sound strange, but there are times that the Holy Spirit of God that is in us will pray for us.
Sometimes this comes with a feeling of incredible warmth, intimacy and closeness to God. In that moment we not only recognize the Lord as "Abba" (Romans 8:15), we know that the Creator of All is also the "Daddy" who is holding us tenderly in loving arms.
Other times we are at the end of our rope, trying to pray but unable to find words. Then we may find that the "Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words" (Romans 8:26), sharing the thought or burden or pain that we cannot find a way to express.
All this is the work of the Holy Spirit of God that is both with God and in us, and thus is able to bring our heart so near to the heart of God.
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In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we read that we should "pray without ceasing." It may seem impossible, but there are people who have made it a reality in their life.
Unceasing prayer may be an attitude, a way of living in which we stay in constant touch with God, bringing the Lord into every single thing we say and do.
It can also take the form of a "breath prayer," so called because it is a short prayer of petition that is short enough to be spoken in one breath and simple enough to be repeated "unceasingly" as we go about our day. The most famous breath prayer is the Jesus prayer ("Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"), but anyone can develop their own breath prayer. Simply choose a name by which you want to address the Lord and place with it a prayer that captures in a few words a deep desire of your heart. Carry that prayerful thought with you through your day and hold it always close to your heart.
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Meditative prayer takes the time to internalize and personalize God's word to us. It is not an intellectual process, but an imaginative and creative journey of the heart. The psalmist says it is a delight to meditate on the law of the Lord day and night (Psalm 1).
Meditation could be described as a descent into the vast and deep wellspring of God's love and truth. There we find the living water Jesus gives (John 4:10-14). This isn't something we can make happen. We can't take the water ourselves or force God to give it to us. It is a gift of God's grace. Those times we dive deep but seem to come up empty, we should remember that our thirst is a gift in itself, a reminder and promise of the water which will be given to us in due time.
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