DEFINING PRAYER

by Vic Veloria

We could define prayer as a humble and heart-to-heart communication in thought or speech to God expressing supplication,thanksgiving, praise, confession, etc. If the word of God is as food to us that satisfies and fills us, our prayer is as sweet aroma that pleases God. Like the smoke of an incense, the prayer of a righteous man goes up, that is heavenward and is pleasing to God.

Prayer is again, heart-to heart communication because God is interested in you and in the details of your life. He is not pleased with a prayer that doesn’t come from your heart. He is not into prayers that are repeated over and over again as some practice because they thought that by the number of times the words are repeated to Him, bring power to their petitions or that they will be surely heard. The pagans do such things. But the one connected to God understands that God is interested in what the hearts of his people have to say.

a. "Prayer is the steering wheel, not the spare tire." - Corrie Ten Boom

b. "Prayer does not prepare us for the greater work, it is the greater work." - Oswald Chambers

c. "God does things when we pray that He won’t do if we don’t."-Anonymous

a. Our dependence upon God for all our needs - Psalm 62:1,2; 63:1

    Our dependence upon God causes us to thank, praise & adore him and seek him.

b. The reliability & ability of God to meet all our needs - Phil 4:19

    We are made hopeful and expectant because of who he is - faithful to his promises. (A song says "My God can never fail!")

Something happens when we come to God in prayer. Our dependence on God plus his ability to meet our needs, result in our intimacy with the Father. The more we pray, the more we are intimate with our Creator. The more we know of the Scriptures, the more we know God. And the more, we know God, the more we know how to pray, and the more we pray. Also, the more we pray, the more we are aware of the Spirit’s intercession. And the more we avail of the Spirit’s intercession as we pray, the more powerful the prayer becomes.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray and to pray for what is essential. He also taught that in praying to God, they shall call Him, "Abba." Prayer is a picture of a loving Father who wants to give good things to his beloved children as they come to Him expressing their love, adoration, dependence, trust and reverent submission to His perfect will. We could not even call God as our Father if we have not received His Son in our hearts (John 1:12-13). Receiving Christ is really opening the door of your heart and letting Him enter in, so both you and Christ have a personal relationship and fellowship, and that He becomes the center of your life.

Praying is a lofty activity. It is not a casual conversation with God. We come to him in reverential fear. After all, our God is described as high and lofty One (Isa 57:15) and his dwelling place as holy hill or mountain of the Lord. Moses went to Mt. Horeb (described as the mountain of the Lord) and there he met God. It was on Mt.Sinai where he received the law or commandments from God. It was also on the same mountain where God gave Moses the design for building the tabernacle, a copy of the heavenly tabernacle. The Lord Jesus went up on the mountainside to pray. And it was on a mountain where he transfigured before Peter,John and Andrew and where the God Almighty spoke. All this gives us a picture of ascending to meet with Him. In praying, picture this:

1. We come before a higher authority, a higher person, whose thoughts and ways are higher,

the divine and Holy One who is in Heaven

2. We come to a higher place, i.e. a holy ground, a spiritual ground. We ascend to the "mountain of the Lord, in tabernacle’s journey, the journey of the high priest is from the outer courts to the inner, to the holy and then the most holy dwelling of the Lord. New Testament context is that every believer has a free access to God in the heavenly tabernacle. Moreover, Jesus ascended to be our high priest in the heavenly tabernacle and is ever defending the saints. So, praying is a lofty calling, a lofty activity. Someone even said, it is the highest calling.

a. the trust (faith):1 Chro 5:20, Heb 11:6, Ps 4:5

b.the righteousness factor: James 5:16, Ps 4:5

c. the expectancy factor:Mat 7:11, Luke 11:9-13

d. the brokenness/contrition factor: Ps 34:18, Ps 51:17

e. the godliness factor: John 9:31, Ps 4:3

f. the truth factor: John 4:23-24

g. the Spirit factor: Rom 8:26

h. the High Priest or Mediator factor: Heb 4:14, 1 Tim 2:5

i. the awe & reverence factor: Ecc 5:1-3; Hebrews 5:7

j. the fellowship factor:1John 1:3, 1Cor 1:9

k.the persistence factor:Luke 11:8, Luke 18:2-7

l. the covenant factor:Heb 10:16-22; Heb 8:6

m. the love factor:1John 4:18;Rev 3:19; Luke 6:27-28; Eph 3:17-19

n. the spirit of Sonship factor: Rom 8:15

o. the boldness factor:Luke 11:8, Matthew 21:29-34

p. the confidence factor: Heb 10:16-22

q. the humility factor:James 4:10;1 Peter 5:6

A few select verses here would amply show that God desires for us to pray and that He wants to bless us and fill our needs as we pray or call to Him:

Jer 29:11-12 -For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then, you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.

Jer 33:3 - Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great & unsearchable things you do not know.

2 Chro 7:14 - If my people, who are called by my name,will 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 heal their land.