In Part 1, we recommended a few excellent books on prayer, recognized our enemies’ strategic endeavor to keep us from communing with God, and suggested, as important as praying for others should be, “prayer lists” threaten to inhibit our prayer life, both personally and in community. We also acknowledged the variety of instructions and examples provided to us in Scripture; God has provided many ways for us to pray.
Here in Part 2, we will explore a foundational principle which applies to every way God has provided for prayer. When applied, this principle ensures intimacy in our conversations with God. Regrettably, most are unaware that this level of intimacy is offered, or they have come to disbelieve it is possible or worth the investment. Some may see it as a threat – which it is, as we will discover.
The Best Way to Pray
The intimacy God intends to restore to our relationship with Him requires two-way communication. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the (spoken) word of God (Romans 11:17). Contrary to the teaching in some Christian circles, God still speaks to His children. In fact, He loves to! We have been given ears to hear, and we must practice using them.
Knowing God hears us is something of a trickier proposition. How can we know God hears our prayers?
Well, God has a way for everything. He has a way for us to know He hears us. Even more amazing, He has a way for us to know we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1John 5:14-15
Effective prayer begins with asking “according to His will” (i.e., not according to our own). It is that simple.
As you study the passages listed above regarding Jesus’ prayers, keep in mind that He only sought the Father’s will in everything (John 5:30). Furthermore, only those who will to do the Father’s will, will know what the Father is saying (John 7:17). Lastly, only those who do the Father’s will – including His will in prayer, will find their way into heaven (Matthew 7:21).
So, the best way to pray – in any circumstance – comes down to this one thing: Surrender to the Father’s will. That brings us back to hearing the voice of God. How do we pray (and do) His will, if we do not hear Him tell us?
Some will respond, “We know His will from the Bible.” Frankly, this is a lazy response. The Bible does not call someone to go to Africa, and it does not tell us how to pray for the one who has lost a child. God does that… every day! He calls us and directs our prayer when we seek His will above everything else.
Hearing and responding to the will of God must be developed, and the practice will include moments of failure. We must remember that He is more interested in our attempts than in our success. He has the grace and love to cover a multitude of mistakes.
Intimacy with God in prayer begins with surrender to His will and reign in our lives. That requires our asking and then waiting on His reply; no hurrying through our time of prayer with Him, both in our prayer closet and in corporate prayer. As we mentioned in Part 1, the first battle in spiritual warfare is fighting (even ourselves) for time to commune with God.
Making the Most of Our Time With God
Surrendering to the will of God in prayer dramatically alters our perspective on our relationship with Him. This new perspective prompts several additional changes in our thinking about prayer. Incorporating each one into our practice of prayer will ensure we make the most of the time we have fought so hard to secure.
Practice Active Listening. When we ask God to express His will, we must be prepared to hear what He wants to say, not what we expect. Based on my experience, once God has our attention, He is likely to say anything. God controls the conversation.
Many times, God shares His will for the subject we bring to Him, but He might just as well direct us to action as tell us what to request of Him. He might also take the opportunity to correct us – either in the way we are coming to Him, or the way we are thinking about our petition (Hebrews 12:5-11).
God may also have a word for us concerning the subject of our petition, either for our faith in prayer, for the faith we need to lay hold of His grace for our participation in His work, or both. Faith and correction empower us to pray in accordance with His will.
Prepare to be changed. God will not direct us to pray to change His mind; no one persuades God. We must bring our will into line with the will of God so God can do what He has all along been willing to do. “Prayer changes the man and enables God to change things in answer to man’s prayer (Tozer, 1991).”
The Christian life, beginning with prayer, is a life of growth and progress – faith to faith, and glory to glory. We are being transformed by the Holy Spirit, through the renewing of our minds (2Corinthians 3:18, Romans 12:2). We must check our agendas at the door and leave them there when we leave. We must surrender to God’s persuasion.
Some may ask, “If God will not be persuaded, then why should we pray?” This hits at the heart of the matter: We are invited (commanded?) to pray because God enjoys speaking with His children, and His children need to learn His voice. We pray because God has put the desire in our hearts to know Him intimately (John 17:3).
Take every thought captive. Perhaps the greatest practical challenge in prayer is managing the thoughts that fight for our attention when we try to quiet ourselves before God. Graciously, God has given us the method by which we may quiet our minds; we do so by taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). While this is perhaps easier said (or written) than done, it is not a complicated practice. I can personally testify to God’s blessing in its exercise.
Here is how it works: When someone is attempting to be quiet before God and they perceive what seems to be an alien thought, they should not try to push it out of their mind. They should take it captive and ask Jesus what He would have them do with it. Then, by His authority, they should do what He says. If He tells them to put it away, they will find it more often stays away. They might also discover, more often than one would imagine, that He has some purpose for what initially seemed alien. Indeed, the thought becomes a point of conversation.
Over time, this discipline empowers our mind to filter on its own, and we find quiet more rapidly and for longer periods of time. Practicing this at the beginning of the day will have an additional, and very exciting, affect. One day, perhaps completely by surprise, we will discover that we have a supernatural ability to sort through intruding thoughts during the most chaotic parts of our day. This is proof that our minds are being renewed!
Please be aware: The fact that each of these are obvious does not assure we practice them. The enemies of God are fighting tooth-and-nail to discourage, distract, and deceive us into inaction. Disciplines must be practiced.
The Model Prayer Prepares Our Hearts
Most Christians know “The Model Prayer” by heart; many pray it routinely every Sunday during the worship service they attend. Jesus taught it in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-13), and Luke records Him teaching it to His disciples on another occasion (Luke 11:1-4). The Model Prayer is an important part of Jesus’ teaching, and should be an important part of our prayer life.
So, let me ask you a few questions: What is the purpose of the Model Prayer? Why did Jesus teach us to pray in this manner? What does the prayer mean to you?
When asked by the disciples to “teach us to pray”, Jesus knew what the Father desired (intimacy) and what the disciples needed (humility). With this in mind, we understand the Model Prayer to be the beginning of prayer, but not the end. Read through the prayer and see what you think. See how, when prayed thoughtfully and with intention, it brings the child of God into a humble and intimate positioning before Him.
Pray Without Ceasing
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18
Allow me to close with one final encouragement. Here, sandwiched between “rejoice always” and “in everything give thanks”, we find one of the more daunting commands in all of Scripture: “Pray without ceasing.” How could Paul expect such a thing from mere mortals?
Perhaps a better question: Why would he expect such an awesome thing – the will of God in Christ Jesus – if it were not possible? Let that sink in for a moment.
God has given us a way to pray without ceasing, He has placed the desire to do so in each of our hearts, and He has promised to give us that desire (Psalm 37:4). Here are a couple of thoughts to help you receive that promise.
First, praying without ceasing is not a conscious activity. Be encouraged that the new heart and spirit God has given to us (Ezekiel 36:26) communes with God through the Holy Spirit, beyond our consciousness. The keys are recognizing and believing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are there and training ourselves to respond to their voices.
Second, the required training occurs as we exercise the disciplines of prayer mentioned above during our quiet times with God. As we learn to quiet our minds (taking every thought captive), allow God to change us, and practice active listening, the Holy Spirit transforms us through the renewing of our minds. The sensitivity we develop in our prayer closets enables us to practice the presence of God throughout our day and even as He speaks to us as we sleep (Job 33:14-18).
This brings us back to the call and encouragement to fight for time with God. He desires intimate time with each one of us. He loves talking with His children, more than any father in all of creation.
Will you fight?
God bless you with courage and perseverance in the battle; and a strong platoon to join and enjoy.
Have a strong day in the Lord,
Rob
Tozer, A. W., 1991, The Price of Neglect, Wing Spread Publishers, Camp Hill, PA