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The Art Of Prayer #1

by Greg Robbins
12/14/2016 / Bible Studies

Prayer is a very important subject in the Bible. Therefore we need to learn more about prayer and then practise praying. People in every religion pray. If prayer alone was the answer, then all religions would lead us to God and to eternity in heaven. But that is not the case. We need to look carefully at the details concerning prayer, and make the necessary changes so that our prayers are heard and answered. Who do we pray to? To God? What God? What is his name? I met some young women from Venezuela and they prayed to the mountain that loomed over their village. Their God was "Father Mountain", and that is the God that they trust in and pray to. Do you pray directly to God? Do you pray in the name of Jesus? Do you need an intermediary like a priest or a saint? Does your body position matter when you pray; like kneeling, sitting, standing, eyes closed, etc. ? Do you need beads or some other object while praying? Do you pray to a statue or a picture? Can you pray alone, or do you need others to pray with you? Do you shout, speak normally, whisper, or keep silent while praying? Do you need to be in a church building to pray? These are just a few of the questions that we need to consider. There are many more questions as well.

Matthew 6:5-8 "And when you pray, you shall 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. But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly. But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask him."

Don't pray as the hypocrites do. They love to be seen of men and held in high regard as being pious and holy. They pray with a loud voice in church, on television, in public places, and on the internet. They are hypocrites because they pretend to be praying to God, but in reality they pray for the benefit of those watching them. Jesus is dealing with the heart motive of those who pray. It is not just the act of speaking words that is prayer, but the motive behind the praying. Nothing is just face value with God. He sees everything and he judges both what is seen and what is not seen. God judges righteous judgement based on knowing every single detail about the situation.

So those who pray to be seen by men have already received their reward. Their reward is the praise and esteem of men. They really don't care what God thinks, they care what men think. The true reward of prayer is the answer which God sends. When he answers prayer there is a physical manifestation of that prayer in this material world. Jesus is called the word of God made flesh. God's words, thoughts, emotions, motives, character, personality, power, wisdom, and all of his other attributes are embodied in Jesus Christ. God became flesh. He is Emmanuel, which is interpreted as, God with us. True prayer is in a real sense our words being made flesh.

There is a heresy being taught today mostly among the Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel folks. They claim that we create with our words. Since we are made in the image and the likeness of God, we create with our words as God does. That makes us our own individual god separate from God the Father. This doctrine is heresy.

The truth is that we do not create, or attempt to create anything. We pray and ask God the Father for something in the name of Jesus. We must ask in faith believing that it is done. God then takes our words and HE makes them become the material things that we prayed for. So our words do become flesh, but we had nothing to do with creating anything. It is God who gives the answer and it is he who creates those things for us. The miracle of answered prayer and of creation rests solely upon God. So God takes our prayer words, and HE creates those things, and makes our prayer words become material things. All of creation and the power of creating rests solely in the hands of God. Men are powerless to create even an ant or a blade of grass. Yet their prayers of faith to Father God in Jesus' name can produce amazing results, because GOD does the creating FOR us. We do not do it ourselves.

Finally, Jesus tells us not to pray as the heathen do. The heathen think that by repeating the same words over and over again, that God will answer their prayers. This is why certain people pray the rosary and hail Mary's. They are repeating the same words over and over again. I have seen some people with prayer lists who write their prayers out, and they read them to God several times a day. These are heathen prayers and they are vain repetitions. How would you feel if your small children or grandchildren came to you, and repeated the same words over and over? They would break your heart because there was nothing personal, and nothing emotional in what they said. You desire spontaneity and heartfelt communication from them. God is no different. He wants spontaneous communication from deep in our heart, sent to his own heart. He wants feeling, honesty, sincerity, fervor, extreme heat, longing, and strong desire to accompany our prayers. Anything less than that just won't do.

In order to get your prayers answered you need to MOVE God. You can pray any old prayer and God will hear it. But unless you MOVE God, he won't answer that prayer. God has emotions just as we do. God loves, hates, likes, dislikes, is moved with compassion, angers, is wroth, kind, gentle, and any other emotion too. So it is not a question of getting your prayers heard, for anyone can do that. What is needed is a pouring out of our heart before God until he is moved with compassion and he grants our request. A mental, lukewarm, repetitive prayer just will not move God's bowels of mercy and compassion. You have to move your own bowels of compassion and mercy, before you can ever hope to move God's bowels of mercy and compassion. That is just the way that it is. And if you reflect upon how your children repeatedly ask you for things, you will see that you are the same way.

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