It has been said that prayer is similar to breathing…both should
be done deeply and continually. The
Bible teaches that prayer is crucial for believers being able to stand against
the devil and withstand his attacks on a daily basis. In Paul's letter to
the Church at Ephesus, he encourages them to put on the full armor of God in
order to resist the devil and stand firm. Immediately afterwards, he
writes "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit..."
(Eph. 6). To the Church in Thessalonica, Paul also recommended putting on
the armor of God, and followed up with the words "Rejoice always; pray
without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in
Christ Jesus." I Thess. 5
Just as important are the prayers of believers in order for God to
bless a Nation. 2 Chronicles 7:14 contains a wonderful promise from God
that He will hear the prayers of those who humble themselves, seek Him, and
repent. The result will be forgiveness of sins and a healing of their
land. It is clear to me that America is
desperately in need of forgiveness and healing at this time.
"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."
2 Chronicles 7:14
The prayer of a sinner to God is the first step in repentance and
restoration. I still vividly remember the first time I called out to God,
seeking His forgiveness and asking Him to come into my heart, committing to
give my life over to Him (read my blog article titled “My Testimony” for a more
detailed account of my coming to salvation at the age of ten). Several examples are given in the Bible of people
calling out to the Lord for salvation, but probably one of the most poignant is
the plea from Jonah, from inside the belly of a fish.
"Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the
stomach of the fish, and he said,
“I called out of my distress to the LORD, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. So I said, ‘I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless, I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, but You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD and my prayer came to You into Your holy temple. Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.” Jonah 2
“I called out of my distress to the LORD, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. For You had cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All Your breakers and billows passed over me. So I said, ‘I have been expelled from Your sight. Nevertheless, I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, but You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD and my prayer came to You into Your holy temple. Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness, But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.” Jonah 2
Jesus gave us an example of how to pray when His disciples asked
Him to teach them how to pray. In Jesus model prayer we find some key
guidelines to follow: always praise God,
look to the present and future establishing of His kingdom and your part in
that task, thank Him for providing for our needs both physical and spiritual,
ask for forgiveness of your sins (be specific), don’t forget to pray and
forgive others, and finally to make our path clear and away from danger.
"It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain
place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us
to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them,
“When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be
Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And
forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to
us. And lead us not into temptation.’” Luke 11:2
Forgiveness of sins is something we should continually seek from
God. Being faithful to confess our sins, repent from them, and also
forgive others as we have been forgiven. King David was known as a man
after God's own heart. But, he was also
a sinner; guilty of pride, lust, sexual immorality, and murder among other
things. When confronted by Nathan the prophet with his sins, David was
filled with guilt and conviction. He
prayed for God to forgive him.
"For the choir director. A Psalm of David,
when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to
the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly
from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my
transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your
sight, so that You are justified when You speak And blameless
when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my
mother conceived me. Behold, You desire
truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know
wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I
shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear
joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all
my iniquities. Create in me a clean
heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do
not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your
salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be
converted to You. Deliver me from
bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will
joyfully sing of Your righteousness. O
Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise. For You do not
delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt
offering. The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. By Your favor do good to Zion; build the
walls of Jerusalem. Then You will
delight in righteous sacrifices in burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
then young bulls will be offered on Your altar." Psalm 51
But, the most beautiful prayer recorded in the Bible in my opinion
is the one that Jesus Himself prayed on my behalf. It is known as the
High Priestly Prayer of the Messiah. In
the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to His Father not only for His followers
at that time, but also for those that would believe based on their testimony. "
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me
through their word; that they may all be one." With those words,
my Savior and Lord said a prayer to His Father for ME! How powerful and humbling is that!
"Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to
heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may
glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all
whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life,
that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have
sent. I glorified You on the earth,
having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with
Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I
have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they
were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything
You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to
them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth
from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I ask on their behalf; I do
not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they
are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I
have been glorified in them. I am no
longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I
come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You
have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with
them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded
them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the
Scripture would be fulfilled. But now I
come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy
made full in themselves. I have given
them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out
of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not
of the world. Sanctify them in the
truth; Your word is truth. As You sent
Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they
themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in
Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You,
Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that
the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have
given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in
them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world
may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You
have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You
have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world
has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;
and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the
love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17
Selah Amen
