On May 6th (three weeks ago) Tim talked about the nature of prayer, in particular trying to answer questions like why we should pray when God knows everything we need already, and what it means to pray in Jesus' name. Read on the find out more!
Prayer, at first glance, may seem very simple. We ask God for what we think we need, and he gives it to us if he thinks it is good for us. God is like a Father that gives us good gifts. The following verses tell us that prayer does indeed matter.
Matthew 7:7-11 - “Ask, and it will be given to you.”
James 4:2-3 - “...You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
James 5:16 [NIV] - “...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
But this quickly becomes complicated when we realize that God is not like us. He knows what we are going to ask even before we do (Psalm 139:1-4; Matthew 6:8). Thus he can provide for us before we even ask him. How then is it possible for our prayers to make any difference?
Fortunately, just as we can use computers without being programmers, or we can drive cars without understanding the thermodynamics of internal combustion engines, we do not need to understand how prayer works to pray. So the point of studying prayer is not just to gain more knowledge, or to solve a mental puzzle. But if we are confused about prayer, then it may prevent us from praying as earnestly as we should.
We know that the Bible is true, and therefore it cannot contradict itself. So when we face such a paradox, we must cling tightly to both sides until we can find a resolution. Here, I will rely on the solution proposed by John Piper.
Piper argues that both our prayers and God’s answers are equally fixed. “Since both the cause and the effect are ordained together you can't say that the effect will happen even if the cause doesn't because God doesn't ordain effects without causes... If God predestines that I die of a bullet wound, then I will not die if no bullet is fired. If God predestines that I be healed by surgery, then if there is no surgery, I will not be healed. If God predestines heat to fill my home by fire in the furnace, then if there is no fire, there will be no heat.” (http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/prayer-and-predestination)
Can we find this idea in Scripture?
Ephesians 2:10 - “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Thus not only prayer, but every good work we do is prepared beforehand by God. This is not to deny our own free will, but to ensure that God receives the glory for everything that we do. Our free will is shown in the fact that we willingly choose to walk in the way that God has prepared for us. Rather than discouraging us from praying, God’s sovereignty should make us trust that he can provide for us anything we ask.
Why does God want us to ask him for what we need, rather than just providing it for us? First, let’s look at two inappropriate reasons to pray.
1) We don’t pray to inform God, as if he were unaware of our circumstances otherwise. We have already seen that God is aware of all of our requests already.
2) We don’t pray to impress God, or to impress others. We don’t need to be fancy or dramatic.
- Matthew 6:7 - “Do not heap up empty phrases.”
Rather, we pray for the following reasons:
John 15:4-7
1) We are reminded of our dependence on God.
2) We have fellowship with God by working together with him.
Imagine a light shining through water. The light is in the water, and the water is in the light. Similarly, God is in us, and we are in God.
John 16:24
3) Our joy is made complete when we see God working in us and through us.
What does it mean to ask in Jesus’ name? It does not mean that saying the words “in Jesus’ name” will magically cause God to grant us whatever we ask. I see two main meanings for this phrase. First, praying in Jesus’ name means to pray through him and with his authority. Without Christ’s death, we would not be able to approach God. Second, praying in Jesus’ name means praying for the things that he would want us to ask for, as his representatives.
Hebrews 7:25 - Christ lives to make intercession for us.
Hebrews 10:19-22 - Christ opened the way to God. Understanding the Old Testament references here shows how meaningful this is for us. Before Christ, the high priest could enter the most holy place only once a year, on Yom Kippur.
1 John 5:14-15 - We must ask according to God’s will.
How can we deepen our prayer? Piper recommends the following:
1) Be inspired by reading autobiographies of the saints who prayed.
2) Read the Bible while you pray, turning it into prayer.
3) Be around people who pray better than you do.
I’ve found the second of these to be particularly helpful for me. I’ve begun memorizing some of the promises in the Bible that apply to my most common situations. For example, Philippians 4:7 promises that when we bring our requests to God, he will give us his peace, which “surpasses all understanding.”
What can hinder our prayers?
1 John 3:21-23; 1 Peter 3:7, 11 - We must be in a right relationship with God and with others for our prayers to be heard by God.
James 1:6 - We must have faith, and not doubt God’s ability to provide what we ask.
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