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| The ultimate test of faith in prayer is revealed when prayer becomes a conversation with our Heavenly Father, when we make use of active and complete sentences and phrases as we discuss with Him |
Primarily, prayer is we (believers) fellowshipping and conversing with our Heavenly Father. However, our Father has an expectation on how we should approach him while praying. If you listen and observe believers praying (especially here in Nigeria), prayer has become more of a super-religious exercising. People hold their heads screaming and shouting in prayer to God. Some would jump up and down while praying, and some believers would chant same words with their heads shaking vehemently. In so doing, prayer ceases from being a dialogue between the Father and His children and has taken a form of formal and human innovation to impress and get the attention of a supernatural being.
" An effective
prayer life is one
that conforms to
the way and
manner our
Lord prayed while
on earth"
The First Begotten,
our Lord Jesus Christ revealed to us clearly the intent and lifestyle of
praying. He was in the beginning with the Father, He came out of the Father and
none of us knows the Father like He does yet. Although, He is being revealed to
us daily by the Spirit of God. An effective prayer life is one that conforms to
the way and manner our Lord prayed while on earth. We must look to the example
of Jesus in prayer because "No man
hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father, he hath declared him." John 1:18
We must draw near
the father in prayer as Jesus did, after all we were accepted in the beloved
(Ephesians 1:6). For "No man cometh
unto (approach) the Father, but by me (Jesus Christ)." All believers
must surely accept that anything outside of the First Begotten is an offence unto
the Father. One of the many pitfalls Lord Jesus warned us about while praying, which
is seldom discussed on the subject of prayer is the repeated use of phrases and
sentences.
And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the
same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard
for their much speaking. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you
need before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8 Amplified
We can deduce two
things:
- When we use repetitions in prayer, our prayer is no different from that of a Hindu, Buddhist, or a Satanist (unbeliever).
- Using
vain repetitions in prayer (or chanting) is an emblem of unbelief aimed at
getting the father to hear us.
Chanting is an act
of either uttering speech monotonously, repetitively and rhythmically or all at
same time. Most world religion uses chanting as a means of communication to
deities.
"And they took the bullock which was given
them, and they dressed it, and CALLED ON THE NAME OF BAAL FROM MORNING EVEN
UNTIL NOON, SAYING, O BAAL, HEAR US..." 1Kings 18:26
The Baal prophets
repeatedly declared "O Baal, hear us" for hours. Does this not sound
like the way we pray? Except instead of Baal we call on God. You notice the same
pattern of praying among the Ephesians recorded in the Book of Acts.
Acts 19:
[27] So that not only this our craft is in danger
to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should
be destroyed, whom all Asia and the
world worshippeth. [28] And when
they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
[34] But when they knew that he was a
Jew, all with one voice ABOUT THE SPACE OF TWO HOURS CRIED OUT, GREAT IS DIANA
OF THE EPHESIANS. Acts 19:34
Are there
repetitive patterns in your praying? If we take out Vain Repetitions from the prayers of many believers/churches they
might not be able to pray for barely ten minutes. Sometimes you hear prayer
points like, call the name of Jesus three
times and pray. Sometimes the person leading prayer asks the whole
congregation to say, "My father, my
father" before praying. You’ll notice someone shaking his head in prayer
and just saying, "Father, father,
father, father... harken, harken, harken... Do it, listen, do it..." nonstop.
Other times the person leading the prayer may say the prayers were not prayed
with vibrancy and that the same prayer should be repeated with much enthusiasm.
"Somehow the
practice of heathenism
has crept
into our prayers"
As you ponder on
this topic, you can't help but see the graphic picture of Elijah mocking the Baal
prophets in their manner of praying (1Kings
18:25-29). Somehow the practice of heathenism has crept into our prayers.
We invest hours in praying and there is just little result. I knew a brother
few years ago who said to me that he is a man of prayer. He goes to Prayer
Mountains and camps regularly. He told me in his words, "If I am praying and I am not sweating, I
have not prayed as I ought to, the
case is yet to be settled." In the process of time this brother saw I
got more results than he did in prayer. Rather than get into the Word like I
had advised him earlier, he nursed the idea that I was closer to God than him.
So he tried to be closer to God by going into more fasting and more hours in
prayer but still little fruits to show for it.
The ultimate test
of faith in prayer is revealed when prayer becomes a conversation with our
Heavenly Father, when we make use of active and complete sentences and phrases
as we discuss with Him. It is just like talking to any human. Also, because it
is a dialogue, you are also listening to God too in quietness and replying
back. That conversation does make a lot of difference in our daily lives. That kind
of prayer is what typifies that Father-Child relationship we have with God. It
is the prayer life befitting of the New Covenant. And except we have this kind
of prayer life we are yet to have an effective prayer life.
Is it even
possible? That we can pray to God for hours without repetitions of words and
sentences? I'll ask, is it possible to talk to our parents or friends for hours
without repetitive phrases or statements? I am guessing the answer is yes.
Wouldn't it be regarded as a state near insanity if many of us speak to our
parents the same way we pray? Repeating the same words over and again and
asking the same thing repeatedly? To the extent we have believed and are living
in the reality of God's existence and presence, to that extent we enjoy prayer
as conversational.
Somewhere in our
hearts we know God is not far from us, but for many their human minds is yet to
comprehend that truth and demonstrate it in prayer. The reason why we do all
kinds of bodily gymnastic in prayer is because we are not sure God is listening
or even there with us. Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus said, thank you father because you hear me always. If the Father hears
Jesus always, He hears us always too, because He does not love Jesus more or
less than He loves you and me.
...And that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and HAST LOVED
THEM, AS THOU HAST LOVED ME. John 17:23. Praise God forever more.
"It is not the volume
of our voice
or how extraordinary
our body moves
that compels God
to listen to us.
Any such mind set,
is having confidence
in the flesh"
While we don't
scream, shout, jump, and shake, when we talk to our earthly parents and they
hear us clearly and gladly, we must apply the same principle in prayer to God,
noting that it is not by the volume of our voice or how extraordinary our body
moves that compels God to listen to us. Any such mind set, is having confidence
in the flesh (Philippians 3:3). He listens to our prayers because He said He
would. Frankly, He is aware of us either we pray or not and either we pray
right or don’t. However He honours our faith in His words and faith is recognising
that the person we are conversing with in prayer listens to us because He is
there with us.
For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous (those who are upright
and in right standing with God), and His ears are attentive to their prayer. 1 Peter 3:12 Amplified
When Jesus told his
disciples not to pray as the heathen does, He immediately introduced them to the
very basic concept of prayer –conversation and fellowship with the Father. In
what is now known as the Lord's Prayer,
Jesus was not teaching his disciples WHAT
to pray for but HOW they ought to
pray. That prayer began with the word "Our
Father" then a conversation ensued. And out of that adoration and conversation
with our Heavenly Father requests are borne. (Read article: Can satanic forces hinder prayers?). Some believe we ought to recite the Lord's Prayer but not one
time did the disciples pray as such in the New Testament. But rather we see
that their prayers wherever it was recorded in the New Testament were conversations
that led to tabling of requests. We can learn a lot from the prayer of Jesus in
John seventeen (17).
In this respect the
words of Jesus comes alive while he was addressing his disciples. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John15:7
Abide in me talks about following the examples of Jesus as the template. My Words abide in you is asking
according to the revealed will of God found in His Words which forms the basis
for requests in prayer. Only then can we ask and we will get the results. But
if we don't, our prayer life is going to lead to confusion, frustration,
depression and produce more faithlessness.
"You don’t
have to feel God
haven't heard you
because you don't have
goose pimples
or feel some
electrical sensation
over your body"
I'll advise you see
prayer more as updating God on what's happening with you all round the clock.
Discuss what food you ate and thank him for it. Discuss the mistakes you made
and how you want to become better. Talk about your delay in traffic and request
that it doesn't affect your schedule. Soon you'll realise that you talk more
with God than any human being. In cases you don’t know what to pray for or how
you ought to pray, just pray more in the Holy Ghost (speaking in tongues) and
then study the scriptures (New Testament) on prayer.
If you do more of
conversation in prayer you will get more results than you ever did. God is not
glorified when we pray amiss. So avoid vain repetitions. Don't pray for hours
because you want your Heavenly Father to listen, rather pray always because it
is fellowship. You don’t have to feel God haven't heard you because you don't have goose pimples or feel some electrical sensation over your body. He hears you always remember? The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray,
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24
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