PRAYER
What Does the Bible Actually Say About Prayer
By Sheila Walsh
Guest Writer
CBN.com
– Excerpt from Get Off Your Knees & Pray: A Woman's Guide to Life-Changing Prayer from Thomas Nelson
Which of My Ideas Are from the Bible
and Which Are from the “Church Lady”?
To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than
to be alive without breathing. — MARTIN LUTHER
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. —1 THESSALONIANS 5:16–18
My ten-year-old son, Christian, is very computer literate, as are
most fifth graders these days. Last Thanksgiving he saw me staring
at a large, frozen turkey on the kitchen counter. Immediately assessing I had cooking issues, he said, “Just Google it, Mom.”
“I beg your pardon?” I replied, eyeing the forbidding frosty fowl.
“If you’re not sure what to do, just Google it,” he said. “That
always works for me.”
So Google it I did, and I found the cooking instructions I needed.
Now, I realize I may have lost you already. If you are not
computer savvy, I empathize. I still find it hard to believe I can pick
up a piece of plastic—commonly called a telephone—punch in a
few numbers, and in seconds be talking to my mother on the west
coast of Scotland.
But it doesn’t stop there. Life marches on at an
unbridled pace these days. Now I can go online with my laptop, use
a search engine like Google, punch in “Help me! My turkey is still
frozen!” and within moments receive the message, “You should have
taken it out last night, you moron!” (No, not actually. What I did
receive was a very detailed plan for thawing and cooking an awardwinning
roast beast.)
Google and other online search engines have not only brought
the world to our doorstep, but they have also taken us to the
world. Before I left for Nairobi, Kenya, in December 2006, I set
up Google Earth on my laptop for Christian. Each evening he
could log on and, with the punch of a few keys, locate a live shot
of our house in Frisco, Texas. Then he could type in my location
in Africa, and the satellite would pull out as the globe on the
screen spun to Africa and focused on where I was that day.
Wow! The world is getting smaller every day. In many ways
that’s a good thing, but in other ways not so much. Take prayer,
for example. Since nowadays just about anyone can reach out and
touch us, we’re being bombarded from all directions with a hodgepodge
of ideas on how to relate to God.
Out of curiosity, I decided to Google the word prayer. I couldn’t
believe the response—a smorgasbord offered in the name of communion
with almighty God. One Web site detailed a free mini
course that would teach me about the “seven spirits of God.”
Another site offered telephone miracles twenty-four hours a day
that would enhance my health, my finances, and my relationships.
One interesting site even showed me pictures of what prayer
should look like. It said if I was a Christian, I should bow my head
and clasp my hands together. If I was a Native American, I should
dance; if a Hindu, chant; if a Sufi, whirl. If I was an Orthodox Jew,
I should sway, and if I was a Quaker . . . I should be quiet!
The Wisdom of the Young
Googling prayer proved to be more confusing than helpful, so I
asked some of my son’s friends this simple question: “What does
the Bible say about prayer?” Their responses were interesting, to
say the least. Here are a few:
“Don’t even try it if you’re mad with your dad—God
won’t be listening.”
“Wash your hands first!”
“Remember to say amen or everyone’s food will get cold!”
“Think about others before you think about yourself.”
“Just concentrate on God and try not to fall asleep.”
Hmm. Not quite what I’d been looking for. Their answers conveyed
that there are right things to do and wrong things to do when
we pray—and you’d better get it right if you even have a hope of
God listening to you! Their responses also seemed to indicate that
they had been corrected in their past efforts at prayer and were
working with a fresh set of ground rules.
But something besides their responses jumped out at me.
Interestingly, the boys’ tone of voice changed when I asked them
about prayer. Even my own animated son became a Francis of
Assisi as he responded—quiet, gentle, reverent. (I have to tell you,
however, that moment soon passed.) This indicated to me that
even at a young age, we’re conditioned to believe that fellowship
with God is some sort of lofty and theological transaction. The
boys’ attitude mirrored what they had seen others do in an attempt
to be “religious.” They had no clue how to answer the question
accurately, but they sure did put on a good show while they were
talking about it!
When I thought about it, I had to confess I’ve sometimes done
the same. And I’m sure you have too. Think about it—how many
times have we been asked to pray in public and, instead of talking
with God using the manner and words we offer at home, we find
our “spiritual” voices, religious vocabulary, and pious pose?
Surely that can’t be how God wants us to relate to him. So what
does the Bible actually tell us about prayer? It seemed a good time
to go to the source and investigate.
What Does the Bible Tell Us About Prayer?
As I pored over the Scriptures, searching for what God has to say
about prayer, several things became immediately clear:
We are called to pray with a clean heart : “If I regard
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly
God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my
prayer” (Psalm 66:18–19 NKJV).
We are called to pray, believing : “And whatever things you
ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22
NKJV).
We are called to pray in Christ’s name: “And whatever you
ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son” (John 14:13 NKJV).
We are called to pray according to the Father’s will: “Now
this is the confidence that we have in Him, that
if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us”
(1 John 5:14 NKJV).
On second thought, even with these “clear” instructions, I still
had questions. So I took a closer look at these four directives.
A Clean Heart
According to Psalm 66:18, our purity of heart is so essential that if
we “regard iniquity in [our] heart, the Lord will not hear” (NKJV).
And in Psalm 51:10, David urges God to give him “a clean heart”
(NKJV).
What exactly is a “clean heart”? How clean, exactly? Scrubbedspotless-
till-you-can-see-your-reflection clean? Or quick-tidy-upbefore-
the-guests-arrive clean?
As women, our hormones lead us on a lively dance for most of
our lives. So what do we do on those “days of the month” when
we don’t feel very holy or sometimes even sane? Does God hear
our prayers when our emotions are taking us on a roller coaster
ride?
What if we want to have a clean heart, but we’re having
trouble with it? What if we believe we have a clean heart, but there
is some little seed of unforgiveness buried deep inside us we’ve
forgotten all about? Are we only responsible for the sins we
remember or for every little offense we’ve committed over our
entire lifetime?
I received a letter from a woman who had been sexually abused
by her father when she was a child. Her concern was that there
were months of this devastating time in her childhood she had
blocked out. She simply couldn’t remember what had happened.
“How can I come to God with a clean heart when I can’t remember
so much of that horrible time? Will God hold that against
me?” she asked.
My heart ached for this woman who had already suffered so
much and was now tormented by the thought that the offenses
acted out upon her would hinder her prayers and follow her for the
rest of her life. I wanted to tell her that part of the miracle of prayer
is that God knows what we need before we even ask him.
When it
is our earnest desire to be clean, he sees that—whether we can
remember every detail of our lives or not. Yes, he wants us to come
before him with a pure heart, but he also tells us that he hears our
honest petitions. Notice what verse 19 of Psalm 66 says: “Certainly
God has heard me.”
We can’t keep worrying about how clean the corners of our soul
are. If we get caught up in that whirlpool of self-loathing and doubt,
we’re only headed down. But if we come before the God who makes
all things new, believing in faith that he knows our true hearts, we
are certain to be uplifted.
Believing
Surely Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew 21:22 have caused much
confusion among believers: “And whatever things you ask in prayer,
believing, you will receive.” “Whatever” covers a lot of ground.
Perhaps you have been exposed to prosperity teaching, which
seems to advocate “if you can name it, you can claim it; if you can
mark it, you can park it!” This theology is not an accurate understanding
of what the Bible teaches. Prosperity teaching takes the wonderful
truth that our Father is the King of kings and reduces it to the
conclusion that we should all then live like royalty on this earth.
For instance, I was channel surfing one night and landed on a
religious talk show. Three college students were being interviewed
about their faith. One girl held up a picture of a red Mercedes convertible
and announced proudly that this was what she was “believing”
for. As though that’s what Jesus had in mind for her!
But beyond the self-indulgent misinterpretations of this verse is
a much more serious heart cry from those who long for God to
intervene when life is falling apart and who can’t understand why
he doesn’t appear to hear their prayers.
From 1987 to 1992, I was
cohost of The 700 Club with Dr. Pat Robertson. I received hundreds
of letters from viewers who stumbled over this misunderstanding
of prayer. They said things like:
“I prayed in faith that my husband would be healed of
cancer, but he died. What did I do wrong?”
“I have given and given to the church and this ministry
believing for a miracle in my own finances, but I am still
in debt. What am I doing wrong?”
“I have kept myself pure and prayed, believing that God
would bring me a husband, and I am still alone. Why isn’t
God honoring my prayers?”
I witnessed such torment in people’s lives. Many felt they were
doing something wrong, and if they could just find out what the
key was, things would been different. Can you imagine the agony
of believing your child or your husband would not have died if
you had somehow worked out this puzzle in time? Or the pain of
the woman who sits home alone wondering where her soul mate
is as she watches the years pass by, taking with them her ability to
be a mother?
To these situations, add the agony of silence. If you believe that
somehow whatever reality you are living in is your fault, who do
you dare talk to? How can you voice these things aloud and risk
seeing disapproval in the eyes of someone else?
I think this verse has left many sitting alone and lost. I’ll be honest:
there’s no easy answer. But I think that part of the problem is
we tend to focus on only one part of that Scripture. We want to
hear all about the “receiving” side of things—What are you going to do for me, God? Why haven’t you given me what I asked for?—rather
than the “believing” side—God, I believe in you 100 percent and know you love me, and today that’s all that matters.
God has and
always will have our best interests at heart. Just as our children look
at us in faith, knowing we love them and will take care of them, we
need to do the same with our heavenly Father. I’m not saying that
will always be easy; we might want to stomp our foot or cry into
our pillows. But we have to trust that God will make all things clear
some day.
In Jesus’ Name
In John’s gospel we read that whatever prayers we ask in Jesus’ name will be answered so that God the Father will be glorified (14:13).
This is such an incredible gift. But . . . the authority we’re given
can be a dangerous thing. I think it’s easy to tag, “In Jesus’ name,
amen” to the end of our prayers without thinking through the full
implications of what that means.
Coming in someone’s name means you represent that person — you have been granted the authority to speak for them. For
example, when police officers or FBI agents present themselves at
someone’s home, they produce identification to show that they
have the authority of the agency they represent behind them.
Likewise, when we say, “In Jesus’ name,” we are saying we are on
royal business.
Understanding that has helped me be bold in
prayer but also be careful that my requests are in keeping with the
character of Christ. I have a fresh sense of what an honor it is to
be able to come to God in his Son’s name, and I work hard to not
abuse the privilege.
According to the Father’s Will
In John’s first letter, he clarifies that we are to ask according to the Father’s will, and he will hear us (5:14). What exactly does that
mean? How do we keep from replacing his wishes with our own?
Even more, how do we even know what the Father’s will is in any
given situation? To my human understanding, it would always
seem to be God’s will to heal a child or a broken marriage. Wouldn’t
such a miracle bring glory to God? What about when a child
prays a simple prayer of faith in Jesus’ name? Surely God would
answer that.
My son faced this heartbreaking dilemma when he was just four
years old. My father-in-law, William Pfaehler, lived with us for
two years after the death of his wife, Eleanor. Having him in our
home was a wonderful gift to all of us, but especially to Christian.
He loved his papa so much, and they had a lot of fun together.
One night when my husband, Barry, was in Florida, William had
a heart attack and collapsed in his bathroom. Christian and I sat
with him until the paramedics arrived. He was still breathing when
they loaded him into the ambulance, but his lips were very blue.
Christian and I followed the ambulance to the hospital. When we
arrived, the doctor informed us that William had not survived the
trip.
Christian was quiet as we drove home. All he said that night
was, “I’m going to miss my papa.”
He grieved openly for weeks, and then one day I saw a flash of
anger cross his face as he brushed our cat, Lily, off the sofa. I suggested
that we take a walk, and I asked him if he was angry. With
his customary honesty, he told me he was.
“You told me, Mom, that Jesus listens to our prayers and
answers them. Well, I asked God not to take my papa, and he did
anyway. So what’s the point?”
I felt my son’s pain. (Is there a believer alive who hasn’t thought
that when it seemed as if heaven was silent to his or her cries?) At
his tender age, my son had to experience what it means to pray
according to the Father’s will, whether or not he—or I—understood
it.
There is obviously much more to this thing called prayer than
what we currently know. Though you and I will be gathering
information about prayer all our days, our lives are only a speck of
time in God’s plan. There’s no way we could hope to understand
everything in our limited time on earth.
Of course, that doesn’t stop us from trying to figure it out, does
it? Sometimes we’re tempted to think we know all the answers—or
at least most of them. We draw conclusions from our limited perceptions
and try to force ourselves and others into believing them.
The Church Lady
If you were a fan of the television show Saturday Night Live in the
late eighties, you might remember a character created by Dana
Carvey. Her name was Enid Strict, affectionately referred to as
the Church Lady. She was the very prim, proper, and pious host
of a talk show called Church Chat. As she interviewed celebrities,
the Church Lady used her platform to rail against their ungodly
behavior.
Carvey says he based the character on women from the church
he attended while he was growing up who would keep track of his
and others’ attendance.1 I find that very sad. I wonder how many
people have encountered a Church Lady growing up, and because
of her strict views, they think God judges them according to their
church attendance. That he answers their prayers based upon their
adherence to rules defined by culture more than by Scripture. I
can’t imagine many people would want to pour out their heart to
someone like that. In the hands of someone like Enid Strict, prayer
is a weapon to be used against people: “Sic ’em, God!”
Prayer is not always easy. Nor is it always joyful. And no, we
don’t always get what we hope for out of the dialogue. What I do
firmly reject, however, is the idea that God is a cruel puzzle maker
who watches dispassionately to see if we will figure things out in
time. That goes against the whole story revealed through the Word
of God.
From the first words of Genesis until the glorious conclusion at
the end of the Revelation to John, what flows from every page of
Scripture is one grand prayer adventure. It is a love story about a
God who chooses relationship rather than blind obedience, who
allowed his only Son to be tortured and killed so that you and I
could be washed clean of the sin that separates us from him. God
does not torture his beloved people. He calls to them.
Perhaps in this first chapter I have found more questions than
answers, but I am convinced of one thing—it matters that we
pray. After all, Jesus didn’t say if you pray but when you pray
(Matthew 6:5).
Send us your prayer requests
More Prayer Resources on Spiritual Life
Order your copy of Get Off Your Knees & Pray: A Woman's Guide to Life-Changing Prayer
More from Spiritual Life
Free ministry videos from CBN for your outreach 
More from Sheila Walsh's Web Site
 Used by permission. Adapted from Get Off Your Knees & Pray: A Woman's Guide to Life-Changing Prayer by Sheila Walsh (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Copyright 2008). All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|