I’m still on the trail to discover the mysteries and intricacies…no, rather the simplicity of prayer in the New Covenant. Why is it that we humans insist on making complicated what God has made simple?
In our eagerness to pursue our lives of prayer, especially as we engage with the evil and corruption in the world around us, we have turned to human imagination rather than to the Word of God for His pattern? We put into practice, with great fervour, the ways we learn from others or the ways we imagine are God’s ways, and teach others to do the same.
People have created whole prayer movements based on the idea of calling orayer “spiritual warfare”, even calling their leaders “generals” or some such military title. These “pray-ers” have taught us to believe that they have a specialised office and more clout with God than others, and ordinary people look up to them because they have an anointing and office that is special, and we must come under their authority. They think they can teach us about prayer because they are the experienced “intercessors”, and we can even call on them in times of crisis because they get answers that we do not.
Is this the sentiment of Scripture? Do the writers of the New Testament teach us that God singles out special people to pray?
According to the Bible, prayer is not the prerogative or responsibility of a select few nor is it a spiritual gift or special calling. Everyone is called to pray.
Psalms 65:2 NIV
[2] “You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.”
1Timothy 2:8 NIV
[8] “Therefore, I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.”
Although this verse specifically calls on all men to pray, the rest of Scripture does not differentiate between men and women but assumes that all people pray.
1 Corinthians 11:5 NIV
[5] “But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.”
Apart from the cultural details, Paul assumes that women also pray and prophesy. In fact, from the perspective of God’s kingdom…
Galatians 3:26-28 NIV
[26] “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, [27] for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
From God’s perspective, cultural differences don’t apply in the functioning of His kingdom or affect our relationship with the Father.
Since prayer is rooted in the relationship we have with God as our Father, to pray is the most natural and meaningful way to relate to Him. We talk to Him and He talks to us as father and children. It’s that simple…or is it? Is there more to prayer that just talking to God?
We must also consider that all believers are prophets because a prophet is one who hears God’s words and speaks them faithfully to the people. Of the false prophets, God asks…
Jeremiah 23:18 NIV
[18] “But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word?”
God speaks to and through His prophets…
Amos 3:7 NIV
[7] “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.”
Are all believers prophets? Not all believers have the office of a prophet but God speaks to every believer through His Word and by His Spirit. Yes, every believer can hear God speaking and can respond.
James 5:16 NIV
[16] “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Are all believers righteous?
Every person in Christ is reckoned to be righteous, therefore, everyone’s prayers are powerful and effective.
God answers even one righteous person’s prayers, not just the prayers of one specially anointed intercessor.
Whether we pray for the world or for one another, God hears and answers our prayers.
The Holy Spirit helps us by praying through us, interpreting our prayers according to God’s will.
Romans 8:26-27 NIV
[26] “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
Prayer, therefore, is not about us moving God or telling God what to do. Prayer is about a partnership between us and God, God and us, through which God accomplishes His will on earth.
Consider these verses from a heavenly perspective.
Revelation 5:8 NIV
[8] “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.”
Revelation 8:3-5 NIV
[3] “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. [4] The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. [5] Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”
Now, let’s get to the real issue for this meditation. I recently dipped into an old book on my bookshelf called “Kneeling We Triumph”, a collection of extracts from the writings of great saints of the past.
Always on a quest for insights into prayer, I anticipated a feast of information to enhance my own prayer life. I found, instead, according to my impressions, a book inploring readers to pray more and to pray longer because this is the way to become “more holy” and to move God more to answer our prayers. The writers, husband and wife, gave many examples of great saints like Charles Spurgeon or Hudson Taylor who spent hours in prayer, imploring God to intervene on their behalf for issues they were involved in. These men and also women, and many more, are examples, then, of effective prayer.
To me, this book presents prayer as a wrestling match between the pray-er and God, somehow mortals trying to move a reluctant God to do something in our situation, almost as though Jacob’s contest with the angel of the Lord at Peniel is the norm for effective prayer.
However, I wondered, is this the pattern in the New Covenant for us to follow when we pray, whether it be in times of crisis or in the ordinary course of our daily lives? Are we to spend hours in prayer, wrestling with God to get answers. Is this the basis on which God will intervene for us? Does God want to answer us, or is there something deeper, more….let’s call it “sinister” ….in our interactions with God? Is there something else that intrudes into our relationship with the Father that hinders our effectiveness in prayer?
To be continued…