Praying to the Almighty

Prayer and the sovereignty of God

Every thoughtful person who prays has to face certain inevitable questions. These have to do with the biblical doctrine of the sovereignty of God. According to his eternal purpose, God has decreed all that comes to pass. This is clear from such verses as Daniel 4:35 and Ephesians 1:11. Now, if God is sovereign, why should I pray? Similarly, what does prayer actually do? Is it true that prayer changes things? Does it move the hand that guides the world?

TOO NARROW

Perhaps the first thing that needs to be said about such questions is that they presuppose too narrow an idea of prayer. Prayer is more than simply asking for things. It is communion with God and includes confession of sin, adoration of the triune God, praise and thanksgiving. These vital elements of prayer ought not to be forgotten. The apparent problem of the sovereignty of God is strictly confined to intercession and supplication.

SIMPLEST ANSWER

The simplest answer to anyone who questions whether they ought to pray, even though God has decreed all that will come to pass, is that this is the plain command of God's word. 'And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers', writes Paul (Ephesians 6:18). The Lord himself was constantly in prayer whilst on earth. He is to be our example. For Samuel Storms, 'The fact is that God has commanded that I pray, therefore that is what I must do.'

This is a good place to start but more can be said.

CONDITION, NOT CAUSE

A A Hodge points out that the great mistake many make when it comes to God's decree is concentrating on parts instead of the whole. A common but superficial argument against belief in election is that it will stifle evangelistic fervour. Many, by their words and actions, have demonstrated this to be untrue. The God who elects sinners also provides the means whereby they are converted. In a similar way, we must see that our prayers are as much under God's sovereignty as any answers to them. The same God who has decreed the end has also decreed that this end shall be reached through his appointed means and one of them is prayer (Pink). Hodge shows the shallowness of thinking some show when they ask, on their reasoning, 'If God has eternally decreed that you should live what is the use of your breathing?' In order to teach us, the Lord has so arranged things that we either use the means or go without the ends. Prayer is a condition of blessing not its cause.

This is confirmed in the Scriptures. In Ezekiel 36 blessing is prophesied for Israel, then in verse 37 we read, 'This also will I let the House of Israel ask me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock' (NASB). Prayer is clearly part of God's sovereign purpose. Similar things are found in Jeremiah 29:11,12 and Zechariah 10:6, 13:9. We also have the reactions of Daniel and Elijah recorded when they realised God's word was about to be fulfilled. They did not sit back, they earnestly prayed! (see Daniel 9:2,3 and 1 Kings 18:42). The design of prayer is not that God's will may be altered but that it may be accomplished (Pink).

'INSPIRER AND HEARER'

A further point to remember is that the desire to pray is itself God's gift. The initiative comes from on high. Effective prayers start in heaven and are sent down by God himself (Kelly). The Holy Spirit stirs us up to pray and seek our Father's face. He gives us the spirit of supplication to begin with.

PURPOSE OF PRAYER

Such considerations enable us to put the purpose of prayer into a proper biblical perspective. The purpose of prayer is not to inform God, much less to instruct him. How absurd! Rather, we are confessing our sense of need. It is for our sakes we pray, not for God's. He knows what is in my mind and I have the privilege of articulating to him what is there (Sproul).

Calvin lists six purposes:

1. It fires us with desire to seek, love and serve him. 'We flee to him as a sacred anchor.

2. It purifies those desires as we pour out our whole hearts.

3. It leads to true gratitude. We recognise where our blessings come from.

4. When prayers are answered we are led to meditate on his kindness more ardently.

5. We embrace with greater delight those things which we acknowledge to have been obtained by prayers.

6. It reminds us that God is ever present to help and defend us.

James Hastings maintains: 'Our wants are for the sake of coming into communion with God, our eternal need ... That we should receive what we ask in respect of our lower needs is not God's end in making us pray, for he could give us everything without that. To bring his child to his knee, God withholds that man may ask.'

'Prayer is a confession of creature weakness. Yea, of helplessness ... the acknowledgement of our need' (Pink). As in all things God's honour and glory is the chief thing and this means submission on our part.

Our Lord taught us to pray: Your will be done and left us the example of Gethsemane. We know God's revealed will in his word but his secret will, his decree, we do not know. The promise of 1 John 5:14 refers to the secret will. It cannot mean that anything a believer asks that is in line with Scripture will be done. It is when we ask according to God's secret will that he hears us. Strictly speaking, every true prayer in faith receives an answer. However, the answer is not always what we would wish or expect. Paul's prayers seemed to go unanswered until he learned: My grace is sufficient. We do not tell the Lord what to do but we express our needs, confident the Father knows what you need before you ask.

ARGUING WITH GOD

In emphasising the reflex benefits of prayer to the worshipper, there is the danger of accepting the psychologist's view that prayer does you good. B M Palmer warns: If prayer is nothing more; than offering good advice to oneself then it is a mockery to offer it to God ... If the attention be drawn from (God) to consider what effect the exercise is to produce on ourselves, in that instant it ceases to be prayer and resolves itself into pious meditation'. 

It is nothing short of tragic when a supposed fidelity to the doctrine of God's sovereignty serves only to paralyse a man's praying. Jeremiah 15:1 makes abundantly clear that prayer, in and of itself, cannot avail. But elsewhere it is made clear that fervent pleading is of great worth in God's sight. Abraham, Jacob, Moses and others stand as beacons to us pointing to the need of earnest supplication. Douglas Kelly emphasises how such men argued for God to act in line with his character and show mercy. Surely God honours such prayers still today .... He does not change.

CONCLUSION

We do not come to some fickle deity who changes like the wind but to the omnipotent and immutable God. 'Prayer', said Luther, 'is not overcoming God's reluctance but laying hold of his willingness'. 

Thou art coming to a King,

Large petitions with thee bring;

For his grace and power are such

None can ever ask too much. (John Newton)

Shall We Say Grace?

Nicolaes Maes 'Old woman saying grace'

We thank Thee Father, for the love

Which feeds us here below

And hope in fairer realms above

Celestial feasts to know.

C H Spurgeon

Do you say grace before meals? (The word grace is from the Latin Gratia. It is plural and means thanks). The question may be at the dill and cummin tithed, gnat size end of matters of Christian faith and living but it certainly bears thinking about. Personally, I have oscillated. From the youthful zeal that provoked my agnostic father to remark that 'Even the bishops only say it only once a day!'. This probably reached its zenith one afternoon in Shrewsbury when 1 prayed 'O Lord we give you thanks for this knickerbocker glory'. It understandably met with loud guffaws from fellow participants.

From that youthful zeal I swung into a brief period of refraining from grace altogether because of the routine formality that often characterised my praying. Hopefully, like most of us, I am on a more even keel by now. But I do have my moments; for instance, when I come across the black-suited Dutch men at the Banner of Truth Conference ending the meal with private grace just as it began with public grace. Why do I not do that? I have heard too of ministers finding their mouths full of cake as they are asked to give thanks for the tea and fellowship, usually north of the border.

When is grace necessary or unnecessary? Then I am sure we have all been distracted at some time by the thought that the food is going to get cold when someone gives thanks at inordinate length. But surely times of grace can be opportunities for more than just a thank you for food and fellowship?

And what about a set grace, sung or said? Some of those most zealous against written prayers will nevertheless not raise an eyebrow if the occasion is giving thanks for food. Even if you refuse such man made helps is it not very easy to fall into a form? As one recent writer asks, what exactly do we mean when we ask God to Bless this food to our bodies! The subject bears thinking about, therefore.

Some things are quite clear.

1. Giving thanks at meals is right and proper. This can be argued from the fact that:

• The Bible urges us to pray at all times. Pray continually says 1 Thessalonians 5:17. 
• The Bible urges us to be thankful in everything. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus says I Thessalonians 5:18.
• The Bible urges us in particular to be prayerful about and thankful for our daily food. The Lord's Prayer includes the petition. Give us this day our daily bread. In I Timothy 4:4,5 we are specifically told: everything God created is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer. Food was created by God, to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth (verse 3). Also consider Deuteronomy 8:10: When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God.
• The Bible gives us clear examples of giving thanks before eating. Perhaps Samuel (1 Samuel 9:13), certainly Paul in Acts 27:35. Certainly it was Jesus' practice as becomes clear from the feeding of the 4,000 and the 5,000 and the Last Supper.

2. Merely formal prayers do more harm than good. As John Burton the younger put it:

I may as well kneel down 

And worship gods of stone.

As offer to the living God

A prayer of words alone.

For words without the heart

The Lord will never hear;

Nor will he to those lips attend

Whose prayers are not sincere.

The only way to come to God is with a sincere heart and full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22). This does not mean to say that there is necessarily any harm in repeating a prayer that has been prayed before. Here is a good grace. It is found on a teapot at the Wesley Museum. It was given to John Wesley by Josiah Wedgewood. I believe it goes:

We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food

But more for Jesus 'flesh and blood

May manna from on high be given

The Bread of life sent down from heaven.

The author is probably John Cennick. He also wrote the well known words:

Be present at our table, Lord,

Be here and everywhere adored:

Thy creatures bless and grant that we

May feast in paradise with Thee.

There are many other useful graces worth remembering. They do not have to be repeated but can form the basis of an extempore prayer.

3. Finally, giving thanks to God for our food is one way in which we may daily seek to bring glory to God, which is the very purpose of the life we sustain by our daily intake. In 1 Corinthians 10:31 we read: Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. An ostentatious grace, chiefly for the benefit of any observing unbelievers runs foul of Jesus' admonitions in Matthew 6 but as part of a life wholly given to God giving thanks before (and maybe after) meals will play its part.

This article was originally in Grace Magazine

Prayer

Prayer is an obvious subject to tackle but one we have avoided until now. Why? Firstly, embarrassment. If you want to embarrass a preacher, ask him about his prayer life. Talk to him about his driving, his preaching, even his Christian witness maybe and, though aware of deficiencies, he will cope. But come to his prayer life and see how uncomfortable he gets! Even Spurgeon said 'I usually feel more dissatisfied with my prayers than with anything else I do'.

Then there is the question of whether there is anything worth saying. I knew a man who thought books on prayer a waste of time. 'If you can pray, you can pray. No book is going to put it in to you.' Certainly there is no magic formula for successful praying but surely good practical things can be said to help those willing to learn. So let's mention one or two things that might help those who want to give themselves to seeking God's face. 

1. Expect prayer to be hard work

Christians are often surprised when they realise how reluctant they are to bow before the Lord in prayer. We love the Lord, we want to serve him, so how is it we are so often reluctant to pray? There are obviously various factors. Remaining sin; that prowling lion the Devil; the lure of the world. However, perhaps the main thing is that prayer is an expression of faith and helplessness. As Calvin says, 

'In prayer two things are necessary - faith and humility; by faith we rise up to God and by humility we lie prostrate on the ground'.

Humility does not come naturally and, as Thomas Watson says, the reason why so many prayers suffer shipwreck is that they split against the rock of unbelief. Trying to pray without faith is like shooting without bullets. Lack of faith combines with persistent pride to keep us from the throne of grace even though it is the very best place for us. While unbelief lurks and pride asserts itself prayer will continue to be difficult work indeed. They must be banished. 

2. Exercise Christian wisdom in order to overcome distractions

Once we have begun to overcome pride and unbelief we still have to struggle against distraction. It helps to remember certain things.

• Prayer demands self-denial. While you pray you will miss doing something else. It may be sleep or the newspaper or interesting conversation but you will have to forego something. Without self-denial you will never pray. Be like Mary and choose the better part.

• You may need to warm your heart to begin. We have a place of prayer but no heart to pray. That should not daunt us unnecessarily. This is one reason why it is good to combine Bible reading and prayer. Besides prayer itself, reading the Word is the best and most obvious way to stir yourself to prayer. For some time George Muller, the 19th century Bristol orphanage founder, began each day with prayer. However, he became dissatisfied with this and began to start instead with meditation on the Word, after a brief prayer. He would then pray on the basis of what he had read, interspersing meditation and prayer throughout the time. It transformed his prayer life. Many other men of God have done something similar.

• To overcome distraction there is much to be said for praying aloud. People tend not to, especially if they are conscious others might hear, although praying aloud is not the same as loud praying. It helps one not to wander in one's thoughts and encourages orderly prayer. It also gets the timid used to the sound of their own voice for praying in public.

• Kneeling is another thing that can help. In Scripture people pray in various postures. If we stand we may tire; lying in bed is not a helpful position. Kneel, if you can - it is a reverent position, ideal for prayer.

• Using a notebook is another practical thing. If we come to prayer, especially in the morning, and things that need to be done come to mind, things we have to remember, the best thing to do is to write them down, forget about them until later and give yourself to prayer.

3. Do not be too quick to assess how well you have done at prayer

One other thing is that our times of prayer will vary. Some days will be easy, on others we will feel we have hardly prayed at all. However, we are poor judges. It may well be that what we think of as our best efforts are spoilt by pride while those we think our most feeble are more valued by the Lord, who alone is the judge. Do not waste time on assessing how you have done. Self-consciousness is unhelpful anyway. As O Hallesby says in his classic, Prayer, answers to prayer are not dependent on our emotions or thoughts before, during or after prayer. 

4. Look for answers to prayer

If a man comes into a shop, chooses his goods, pays and then walks out without them something is wrong. Yet Christians come to God in prayer without expecting or looking for answers to those prayers. Sometimes the problem is that the prayers are so general it would be difficult to say whether or not they had been answered. However, even those who pray quite specifically can sometimes forget to look out for answers. It is sometimes suggested we write down our requests and then check off answers to prayer. I have not found this helpful as some things are time bound in character whereas others may not see answers for many years to come. What ever we do we should have the psalmist's attitude, I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation (Psalm 5:3), `Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees'. How glad he is when believers refuse to kneel or rise when they have hardly begun. A Puritan, asked about how long he prayed, replied 'I pray until I have prayed'. That ought to be our attitude. What a difference it might make if God's people daily gave themselves to earnest prayer, praying until they had prayed. 

Originally published in Grace Magazine

Travelling through 1 Thessalonians 04 How to pray for each other

The fourth in the series form the Evangelical Magazine

In 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13 we see five helpful rules on how to pray for each other.

Keep informed

In verses 6-8, having spoken of his concern for them, Paul explains how Timothy had arrived with good news of their faith and love. Paul learned of the pleasant memories of him and his team they had and their longing to see him as much as he longed to see them. This was not a complete surprise. In all his distress and persecution Paul had been encouraged by the thought of their faith. However, now he lives. They really are standing firm in the Lord!

Paul prayed for them all the time they were apart but was anxious – afraid he says that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless. Timothy has now reassured him on that score. What a relief! Paul always found faith in others encouraging, especially in distress and persecution, so he was greatly cheered to know of their progress. We are all the same. One thing we can all do to help ourselves to pray better is to try and be better informed about one another. We must pray for fellow believers whether we hear of them or not but, generally speaking, it is easier if we keep informed, one of the things this magazine seeks to do.

Give thanks

Paul asks (9) How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? It is clear that he often gave thanks. Why was he so thankful? Because of the joy it gave him, in God's presence, to know others were saved and were demonstrating that in their daily lives. He finds it difficult to see how he can be as thankful as he ought to be, so much joy have they given.

At the start of the letter, he wrote how he always thanked God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. It is a note often struck in his letters. It is usually the place to start when praying for believers. How lonely without them! What joy to know that they also are saved. Are we giving thanks for them? Do our thanks equal the joy they give us by their Christian living? At the very least, we ought to be regularly thanking God for one another.

Request fellowship opportunities and growth

Paul constantly prayed for them. He says (10) Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. He gives the prayer - Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. Besides giving thanks Paul makes a specific request – to see them again and preach to them. His prayer is that our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus will clear the way for him and his companions to come to them again. \We should make specific requests to God. More importantly, we should often pray for fellowship. That is what Paul longs for with the Thessalonians. His specific desire, as a preacher, is to supply what is lacking in their faith but we should all long for fellowship with each other. \Pray too for the supply of what is lacking in people's faith. Give thanks for faith but recognise that no-one has perfect faith so we ask for growth and increase. People don't do it so much now but there was a time when a woman would sit and darn the socks. Our faith often has holes and needs repair. Pray for faith to be “darned”.

Pray for each other – for opportunities of fellowship, the supply of what faith currently lacks.

Request increased and overflowing love

Paul prays May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you (12). He prays not only for an increase in faith but also love. The CEV has - May the Lord make your love for each other and for everyone else grow by leaps and bounds. It's like faith – every Christian believes and every Christian loves but there is room for growth. Let's pray for each other that our love will grow in leaps and bounds. In particular pray that we may have Love each other more and more. Brotherly love is a basic Christian trait but too often we are found wanting. Pray for a real increase in love to one another.

An increasing love for outsiders too. Love is to extend beyond us to all sorts of others. Pray it will. The pattern is the same as Galatians 6:10, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Request strengthened hearts and blamelessness when Christ comes

Having spoken of faith and love one expects a reference to hope. That is not what follows but there is an emphasis on the future hope. What Paul prays is (13) May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. The prayer is interesting as it requests God to strengthen their hearts. The end of this is seen as increased holiness so that they will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. So here's another thing to pray for each other – a strengthening of the heart so that, in light of Christ's return, we may become more and more holy. We tend not to think of holiness as a matter of being strong in heart but Paul saw that is often the issue. More strong heartedness would mean greater separation to God and more holy living. Pray that will increasingly be the case with all of us. Then those we pray for will be among the holy believers who return with Christ when he comes.

The very mention of Christ's return, a subject Paul keeps returning to in this letter, reminds us that if we would pray, we must set our minds on Christ's return. It is in the light of that event that we must always pray.