To seek God in prayer is a practice that goes all the way back to the book of Genesis. It is described as calling on the name of the Lord. Those people who have identified themselves as Christian are said to call upon his name. (1 Corinthians 1:2) So many words throughout Scripture referred to a believer seeking God as a petition, for intercession, or the offering of thanks. Again, in the Old Testament there are words describing prayer such as intreat, to seek the favor of, to bind together in worship, to draw near, to cry out, to seek the resolution of a wrong, and simply to ask. In the New Testament other words are manifested by the believers in Jesus Christ after his resurrection. They are proceeds, requests, ask. The importance for us is to note that praying to God is not necessarily a religious experience but a child talking to the father.
Jesus warns us in Matthew 6:7, “when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
Great men of the Bible, including Jesus, made intercession for others in behalf of their personal shortcomings. Jesus encourages us to be persistent in our prayers and not give up. Eventually the concept of prayer became a group experience. In fact, the book of Psalms is really a prayer book. Often the prayers of biblical saints were cries for deliverance and encouragement while seeking justice against those who have done wrong to the one praying. When the believer recognizes his own sins, his prayer turns for the need of God’s mercy. Since prayer is directed toward God, the believer recognizes significant characteristics of God such as righteousness, having steadfast love, faithfulness, and he who is true or holds truth.
Let us turn our attention to Jesus and his prayer life. It was his habit to withdraw from others, even his disciples at times, so that he might be alone and able to pray concentrating on his issues at hand. Someone might ask that since Jesus was God, to whom was he praying. Keep in mind that God is one with three personalities. Therefore, Jesus as the Son of God was seeking a connection with the Heavenly Father offering praise, making requests, and seeking encouragement for his assignments to go to the cross. The Christian prayer does not unite men of all religious persuasions. It is uniquely purposed to recognize the Trinity, to confess that Jesus is God, to see God as the Creator, to express appreciation for the eternal home in heaven already awaiting believers. It is through prayer and scripture that we have the strength to resist temptation.
In Mark 6:8 Jesus reminded his disciples that God knows what we need before we ask. This may raise the question of why we should pray, since he already knows what we were going to say. The issue in the prayer is not focused on the need but rather on the connection with God so that our will becomes subservient to his will. We might say that we are praying so that God and we are reading from the same page. As a result, we are making a connection to God’s goodness and authority in our behalf.
Included in our prayer is a specific request that God be glorified. We conclude our prayers by saying, “in Jesus’ name.” (John 15:16) This is because Jesus is our only intercessor to the Father. We are qualifying our requests that everything we seek must have a response qualified by the will of God. As children of the Heavenly Father, we are admonished to pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) This does not mean that we ignore people and events in our lives and become obsessed with prayer so that it is more an event of good works versus faith. To pray without ceasing is to constantly be in an attitude in which we recognize God’s sovereignty over us. It is also a glorious experience that at any time, any place we can seek God for anything. Praying without ceasing could easily be a one sentence prayer such as to thank God for the beauty of the nature around us. This is a spiritual attitude, not a compulsory response.
Consider how marvelous prayer is that we do not take it for granted. We are encouraged, even invited into the presence of the Almighty. What a privilege we have!
Christian Writer 