Prayer
Recently I heard a brother say that his daughter asked him, why we need to pray when God already knows what we have need of before we ask?
(Matthew 6:8)
"
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth
what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."
It is a good question from an 8-year-old.
So what is the answer…
I was reminded of a study a brother shared many years ago that I had in my “treasure book” on Prayer… I thought to share those notes here: (these notes may sound like incomplete sentences, but hopefully the general ideas will be understood.)
The importance of praying, having a prayer life, praying continually:
There is a paper called, “The Difficulty in Humility” The Difficulty of Prayer, this is foreign to us when you first start out.
As we need to learn humility we also need to learn how to pray, walk in that. They relate, being humble, having a prayer life, and of course the opposite too. Matthew 26:41
| “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” |
{this verse} Reveals two opposite forces, the spirit and the flesh. One is willing, the other is weak. One is getting to prevail in our life. If we watch and pray this is going to make the difference. The Spirit will prevail in that person that watches and prays. In a sense, you can say the flesh is strong (It’s weak in doing what is right/following God), but strong in doing evil, that’s why we need to watch and pray. So don’t yield to it. It can quench the Spirit out of your life. Backsliding starts when knee bending stops. …..prayer is our strength to overcome the wiles of the devil. If he succeeds in keeping us from prayer, we will be doomed to fall. Prayer is associated with making supplications & petitions. Watching is a state of awareness, being alert against attack. (1 Peter 5:8 )
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
The flesh is weak. Peter’s spirit was willing to follow Yeshua [Jesus] to death, yet his flesh prevailed and he instead denied Him. If we are standing on the strength of our flesh we will fall. Morning is a very good time to pray. Each day is a battle to face and what better way to equip ourselves than to pray before facing the day. Praying is something the flesh doesn’t want to do. Rather than rising and praying the flesh wants to sleep. We must deny ourselves and bear the cross. Yeshua rose up a great while before the day to prepare Himself. Daniel 9:13
"As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth."
- A sequence here of things, evil coming upon a person, we’ve all had evil come upon us for our iniquity. Generally, it continues in that case-[many} People don’t stop and pray to God, but when we do it helps us to turn from our iniquities and understand His Truth. When we still ourselves before Him He can remind us of something or instruct us, help us to understand His Truth, turn from our iniquity. One thing people do when they pray is confess their sins. God doesn’t need us to confess our sins; He already knows; but it helps us to stop and quietly face up to our iniquities. Also praising Him in prayer- He doesn’t have this big ego that He needs to be told how great He is; but we need to be reminded, it’s easy for us to forget. Easier to be of faith when we realize how great He is. Prayer reminds us of this. Luke 16:16
"The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."
-Prayer is something we need to press into. There’s a lot of things that can keep us from praying/hinder us. We need to press through these things. Pride is one of them. The Scriptures teach that pride deceives a person. People think why do I need to pray? I can do that myself-I don’t need help. But when we get beyond that and pray we see how needy we are, how wretched we are. Might think we don’t have a lot to pray about, until we start praying & then realize how many things we have to pray about.
It is written, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble. (Ps 10:17)
"LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:"
The emphasis here is on pressing in. We must press in to enter into His kingdom. Prayer is oftentimes likened to wrestling. In Genesis 32:24-28 Jacob wrestled all night. We wrestle against doubt and unbelief. In wrestling matches, opponents lock themselves together in various holds, each pressing the other until one falters or faints in his strength and the stronger prevails. We must believe. It’s a serious labor to go against the flesh and pressing into prayer is also a labor. Nighttime is a good time to be still and quiet. Sometimes it’s easier than others; when things are noisy and hectic outwardly and inwardly. This is a time to press in and seek Him.
Psalm 73-{ It is believed that Asaph the chief musician wrote this Psalm; he describes how he was} In a deceived state, then went into the sanctuary and realized how deceived he was.
73:17 "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end."
-When we go into His sanctuary, pressing into pray, we see we are a beast foolish, ignorant. When we get beyond the flesh and press into prayer, get beyond the slothfulness of the flesh. Epaphras labored fervently in prayer. People can perceive it. Don’t think it is in vain. The devil would like us to think it is. When we go into His sanctuary we can hear His voice press in against unbelief, restlessness. It is really worth it when we get beyond all that. Pour out our heart before Him, cast our burden upon Him. Luke 21:36
“ Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”-Again these two together, watching and praying. “...always, that ye may be accounted worthy…” So it’s not just a few minutes before we fall asleep or a little in the morning, but through the day. Nehemiah 2;1-6
2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2:2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
2:3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
2:6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
-As an example of a man even when he was talking with the king and was sore afraid; being questioned by the king, even in this he remembered. Like the Scriptures say, That there is that which is higher than they. (Eccl 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. )
-He prayed to God and He heard his prayer. Even when speaking with others to be in that mode of watching and praying, it can help us to not sin against them. Mark 1:35
"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed."
-He’s our example, if He needed to pray we do also. Psalm 55:17
"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice."
In the book of Daniel we see that Daniel did this also, ( 3x’s a day ) Sometimes the middle part of the day can be the hardest, but it’s really important, even a little bit can make a difference. “Happy Hour” at a bar, “Attitude Adjustment Hour”, true of prayer. Can be a time when our attitude can be adjusted. Come out of there more happy, refreshed and blessed than when we first went in. 1 Timothy 5:5,6
"Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.
But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth."
-Widows, certain people in the Scriptures characterized as needy and oppressed (Fatherless, widows, etc.) Not desired roles in the world. Generally in the world people would rather be rich, powerful. In another account the poor widow casting in just a little bit. She was the one that Yeshua was impressed with. The world would rather live in pleasure than pray to God day and night. But a person who is able to trust in God has faith to pray. Lazarus and the rich man, was the other way around. Being desolate and afflicted can cause people to pray and trust in God. A widow may have no one to look to help her, seeing her husband is dead.
Luke 18:1-8
18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
18:5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the
-The reason He spoke this was so we would pray and not faint. The flesh wants to faint, quit, go back to the world. He wants us to hope in Him look beyond this life. The widow could be a symbol of us. She had an adversary, the adversary was stronger than her. She needed someone to deal with her adversary for her. (1 Peter 5:8)
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
He’s looking for souls among us to devour, [we are] not to fear him, but it should provoke us to cry out to God. This is a spiritual battle the way the devil devours us oftentimes is in our minds, accusations, fear doubt. So we really need to be avenged of our adversary; and if this wicked judge was going to do it because the widow was bothering him, how much more will God do it? So cry unto Him day and night. Pray always and don’t faint. Abraham waited 15 years for Isaac, the promise. He was strong in faith. It’s glorifying to God when we believe in Him. God has shown us that He has helped us, there is no reason to doubt. Satan wants to hinder and destroy our prayer life. Prayer is one of our most effective weapons against him. Prayer is one of the most important activities we could be doing. A prayer life is the very foundation of a successful spiritual life. Matthew 26:41
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
-This is what we need to do to meet temptation and prevail. The devil is looking to catch someone unawares. Prayer will make us strong, help us in our weaknesses. “ Watch” foreseeing evil. If we are in a watchful place we will be able to see evil a far off, & avoid it. Be watchful, make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Luke 11:1
"And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."
-This is an edifying scenario this brother asked to be taught how to pray. If we are lacking in this may we be quickened to ask Him to lead us in prayer. Grace is a teacher, it takes His grace to pray. Prayer will give us (& bring about) greater joy; flowing petitions and supplications. Mark 11:22-26
11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
-There’s two conditions for acceptable prayer. If we expect our prayers to be fruitful we need to believe in them. God takes no pleasure in doubt. Faith is the means (vehicle) by which God will bring our prayers to us. According to your faith so be it unto you. Also, we need to forgive. God won’t hear us if we are not forgiving. We can not bring grudges into the prayer closet. He won’t forgive if we don’t forgive. It’s God’s desire for us to pray so that He can bless us by showing us just how faithful He is.
Our prayer is like a life-line, it is the seat of our strength. In carnal warfare a commanders top objective is to destroy the means by which the enemy is strengthened. We can not be simple, “wise as serpents.” The devil will take us if we don’t press in. (Hebrews 11:6)
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
We must believe, it’s not an option. God will not tolerate grudges. Our enemy wants to create disunity. We must be of a forgiving heart. It will be a defense for us in the judgment if we have a testimony of being forgiving. We are seeking to be one with each other.
[Jesus praying: John17:11 "And now I am no more in the world,
but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father,
keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me,
that they may be one, as we are."]
God accepts mercy. He is very forgiving & He wants us to be also. If this means forgetting about something, so be it. Matthew 6:5-15
6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. -It seems fit to do this, starting our prayers with praise.
6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Breaking out of the prayer mold. Col. 1:9-11
1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Eph.1:16-23
1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
-The drive behind Paul’s prayer was the love of God.. James 5:13-18
5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
5:18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
-If we feel affliction we can prolong it if we don’t pray, can make it hard on us and others. (Job 42:10)
"And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before."
Pray for your neighbor and heal yourself 1 Kings 17:1
"And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."
-He spoke faith, no doubt. He was certain it was as he said. 1 Kings 18:41-46
18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
18:43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
18:46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
-A valiant man indeed! His faith was great. The power of faith; it prevails, produces results. Praying in faith lays the ground work for some great things to happen. Having faith is very pleasing to God. He wants us to believe in Him. vs.41-Elijah speaking faith. He did not receive his petition right away, but he did not give up, he pressed in. vs.42-humbling himself, his importunity. Sometimes we need to be patient, allow our faith to grow. His faith and prayer availed. Ahab was eating and drinking, but Elijah humbled himself with his face between his knees (Jeremiah 12:5)
"If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?"The hand of Yahveh ( the LORD) was upon Elijah & he ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot. 2Chronicles 7:14
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
-The heart is likened unto land, sometimes the land can be dry. The prayer of faith can bring forth abundance of fruit. This is referring to a drought. When there is no rain, the ground becomes hard and useless. It is incapable of bringing forth fruit. This is likened unto our heart and His spirit is water. First they humble themselves. This is the condition. If we humble ourselves and pray, seek Him and repent, He will heal us. Acts 10:1-2
"There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
10:2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway."
-Everything He did through the day He let God in on it. The help is always available to us, we need to go to Him in prayer. Cornelius was one of the first Gentiles that God gave the knowledge to of His taking a people from out of the Gentiles. This man had a good report; fearing God and praying always. Daniel was unwilling to be intimidated by the king's law. He continued to pray, knowing that he could be thrown into the lion's den. A mighty decree went forth because one man had faith and continued in prayer.. Taste and see that Yahveh (the LORD) is good. The only way to find out is to press in. The word edify means to build up. By praying for each other we can really edify one another. It’s like girding a brother or sister with a piece of armor. It can help bring forth charity and perfection within us. May God help us to lay hold on these things and make prayer a higher priority in all our lives. Amen. --End of study.
Before you read this study you were presented with this question:
Why do we need to pray when God already knows what we have need of before we ask?
I hope reading through this has answered that for you. Prayer is for us, not for God. Prayer increases our faith. Prayer reminds us of important things that we forget like:
wrongs we need to repent of, what God has saved us from, how faithful God is, and the joy we can have in simply praising and worshipping Him in prayer.
