It’s very obvious in Scripture
that the Lord wants us to pray. There are many commands given to us concerning
prayer: "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they
should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1); "And pray in the
Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in
mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians
6:18); "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians
4:6).
These
are just a few of many such injunctions in God’s Word concerning prayer in our
lives. Why is it then, that so many Christians feel so inadequate in their
prayer lives? Christians everywhere confess their prayerlessness and long to
become people of prayer. Yet, the life of prayer evades so many. How can this
be turned around in our lives?
I
believe that one important key is to understand the reason behind God’s
commands to us to pray. It can be difficult to discern the mind of God on a
matter, but He has given us much in Scripture to help us understand. My friend
Alvin VanderGriend has suggested that there are three reasons given for prayer
in God’s Word: intimacy, enrichment and partnership. Another way of stating
these is: knowing God, obeying God and partnering with God.
There
is a passage of Scripture that combines all of these in one place: "This
is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for
everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome
the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5: 3-5).
The
first reason for prayer is the simple need we all have to know God. There is no
way to draw near to the Lord apart from prayer. It is in prayer that we express
to the Lord our love for Him, our faith in Him, our worship of Him, and our
surrender to Him. If for no other reason, the desire for intimacy with Christ
ought to bring us daily to our knees.
The
second reason for praying is simple obedience. God says to pray…so we pray.
This is especially important during those times in our lives when we don’t feel
like praying. These spiritual "dry times" can happen to us all.
Often, the only thing that will lead us out of such dryness is sticking with
the routine of daily prayer and time in God’s Word. Developing a spiritual
discipline out of obedience to the Lord is a bulwark against spiritual dryness,
laziness, and busyness.
One
of the areas that I believe is least understood by Christians is the
partnership that God has called us to with Himself in the area of prayer. God,
in His wisdom and sovereign power, has chosen to accomplish His will on this
planet through the prayers of His people. God has decided not to arbitrarily
move in and out of situations on earth, even though He is able to do just that.
Instead, He waits on His people to pray and then pours out His power in
response to those prayers.
Ezekiel
22:30 is a passage of Scripture that illustrates this principle of how the Lord
works. "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and
stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy
it, but I found none." God uses the illustration of a walled city to
demonstrate His commitment to prayer. The walls protect a city from enemy
attack. But through neglect (sin), the walls can begin to crumble and a gap or opening
in the wall can create a dangerous situation where the enemy can come in. God
said of Israel in Ezekiel’s day, that they had allowed such a situation to
develop. It was going to result in the destruction of the land, unless someone
stood before the Lord in the gap on behalf of the land. This is a clear picture
of God’s desire for us to engage in intercessory prayer.
What
is absolutely heartbreaking is that God Himself was looking for an intercessor.
He was looking for someone who would stand before Him in prayer on behalf of
Israel so that He would not have to destroy her because of sin and rebellion.
God’s desire is made clear here. He did not want to destroy Israel. He was
waiting for an intercessor so He wouldn’t have to. God had chosen to reserve
His power to save the nation of Israel for those who prayed. But no intercessor
was to be found. Israel was defeated by the Babylonians and her people were in
exile for 70 years.
Isaiah
59 reflects a similar situation. The chapter speaks of a nation that was in
trouble. There was no justice, violence was in the streets and the righteous
were being preyed upon by the wicked. Verses 15 and 16 show us the Lord’s
response to the evil that was going on. "The LORD looked and was
displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was
appalled that there was no one to intercede."
Once
again, the Lord made His will very clear. He was displeased by what was
happening in Israel and desired for matters to be made right. He was waiting
for His people to pray, so that salvation and righteousness might be poured out
upon the people. But again, there was no one to intercede. In this case,
however, the Lord allowed Israel to suffer in sin for hundreds of years until
His people were redeemed by the coming of the Messiah. God always looks first
for an intercessor. It is His plan to accomplish His will on this planet
through the prayers of the saints.
It
is for this reason that Jesus taught us to pray, "Your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven." God has given us the awesome privilege of
partnering with Him in bringing about the advance of His Kingdom on earth.
As
we ask ourselves, "why pray?" we can move from a lethargic attitude
about prayer to a place of tremendous excitement as we join with God in what He
is doing on this planet. Understanding the place of prayer in God’s plan can
give us greater motivation and commitment to be the people of prayer that God
is calling us to become.
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