A TIME NOT TO PRAY

On occasion, God may not want us to pray for a particular person or situation. There were three different circumstances where God told Jeremiah not to pray because the people were no longer following God, but worshipping other gods.

(1) "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." (Jeremiah 7:16-18)
(2) "Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble." (Jeremiah 11:12-14)
(3) "Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence." (Jeremiah 14:10-12)

Jesus revealed a similar thought when he sent his disciples out to share the gospel with the people. He instructed them, by means of an idiom, that if they were rejected they should "shake the dust off their feet" and move on.

"And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgment, than for that city. And they went out, and preached that men should repent." (Mark 6:7-12) An account of this can also be found in Matthew 10:14 and Luke 9:5.

Another thought that we may want to consider is the fact that there may be times, even though we mean well, when we may go too far and cause damage to our credibility or to the kingdom of God. Some people may not like to hear that we are praying for them, even if we are. Jesus says, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." (Matthew 7:6)

AROMA OF PRAYERS

AROMA OF PRAYERS

Our prayers are considered to be a precious sweet smelling fragrance to our Father. In the 5th Chapter of the book of Revelation there are twenty-four elders and four beasts, holding up containers full of prayers in their hands as they kneel before Jesus. This illustrates that our Father has a means of tracking all prayers. If that is difficult to comprehend, all we need to do is consider what God has allowed us to accomplish through the use of computers and technology and we can envision God having the ability to save and store prayers.

These prayers were presented before Jesus Christ. “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.” (Revelation 5:6-8)

Aromas are presented as prayers again in chapter eight of the book of Revelation. Here an angel before the throne of God presents the prayers. What an awesome picture this paints.

Another significant thought is that these prayers are presented just after the opening of the seventh seal and prior to the sounding of seven trumpets. The censer is filled with fire and thrown to the earth after the prayers are offered.

"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels, which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire off the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound." (Revelation 8:1-6)

ELIJAH'S INTERVENTION FOR THE PEOPLE

Elijah's Intervention for the People
There had been a severe drought in the land during the reign of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel and, through Elijah's prayer on Mount Carmel; God sent them much-needed rain.

Elijah gave us the example that we should be persistent. He sent his servant seven times to check the clouds before the rains came. The servant noted that the cloud looked like a mans hand.

"And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain." (I Kings 18:41-45)

Elijah's Intervention for the Widow Woman

Elijah's Intervention for the Widow Woman
An interesting and unusual prayer is described in the scriptures concerning Elijah the prophet. When the son of a widow woman whom Elijah had befriended died, Elijah took the boy from her and carried him up to his bed. He then did a curious thing. He stretched himself over the child three different times and prayed. The bible states that God heard Elijah’s prayers and the dead child was brought back to life.

Elijah again teaches us to be persistent. He prayed three times before the child came back to life.

“And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.” (I Kings 17:21-24)

HOW TO PHYSICALLY PRAY

HOW TO PHYSICALLY PRAY

There are a number of examples given throughout the Bible of physical actions being taken in conjunction with prayer.
Jesus, at times, looked toward the heavens and prayed as he did during the resurrection of Lazarus. “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me." (John 11:41) Another account where Jesus “lifted up his eyes” is given in John 17:1: “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.”Jesus in the garden is described as falling on his face and praying. "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed,” (Matthew 26:39)

In the book of Daniel, we discover that King Nebuchadnezzar, after being exiled from men, realized his mistakes and turned to the God of Daniel by looking up toward heaven. “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and Honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:34)

King Solomon is described as lifting his hands toward heaven during his prayer. “And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:” (I Kings 8:22)

Following David’s prayer at the dedication of the future temple, the people bowed down their heads. “And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD, and the king.” (I Chronicles 29:20)

David is portrayed as sitting before the LORD in II Samuel 7:18 “Then went King David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?”

At another time, when praying for his sick child, David is described as fasting and lying all night on the ground. "David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth." (II Samuel 12:16)

King Hezekiah is illustrated as turning his face against the wall and weeping. “Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore."(II Kings 20:2-3)

Gideon gives us the example of putting out a fleece. God had allowed the children of Israel to become impoverished at the hand of the Midianites because of their rejection of him. When they cried out to God, the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and informed him that he was going to use Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites. Gideon had a difficult time believing that God was going to use him to save Israel and he prayed. “And Gideon said unto God. If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor: and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou has said.” (Judges 6:36-37) In the morning Gideon was able to wring a bowl of water out to the rag and the floor around it was dry, but Gideon still had doubts so he again prayed to God. “And Gideon said unto God. Let not then anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.” (Judges 6:39) Gideon was convinced the following morning when the cloth was dry but the ground was damp. Gideon then, with God’s help and only three hundred men, was able to destroy the entire enemy.

When that unusual character Elijah prayed for rain on Mount Carmel he sat on the ground and placed his head between his knees. "So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees," (I Kings 18:42)

There were times when Jesus and others knelt to pray. Just before his crucifixion, it is written that Jesus kneeled to pray. “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,"(Luke 22:41)

Steven, as he was being stoned to death, knelt to pray. “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep”. (Acts 7:59-60)

Peter when he prayed for the life of the young girl Tabitha, sent the others out of the room and kneeled to pray. “But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise.” (Acts 9:40)

Kneeling in prayer managed to get Daniel into a difficult situation. King Darius appointed Daniel, because of his excellent spirit, to be the top president out of three he had chosen to rule the entire kingdom. The other presidents and princes were jealous and attempted to find some fault in Daniel. They could not find any charge against him, so they agreed that the only thing they could use against Daniel would have to involve his faith and the law of God. They concocted a scheme by persuading the king to make a decree that who ever asks anything of any god or man other than King Darius for thirty days should be thrown to the lions, because they knew Daniel would worship his God. Daniel, as expected, paid no attention to the decree. “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (Daniel 6:10) The king was reluctantly forced to have Daniel thrown into the lion’s den, but God closed the mouths of the lions and Daniel was spared.

The apostle Paul developed a deep and lasting bond with the leaders of the church at Ephesus. When it came time for him to leave them, he said to them in verse 22 of Chapter 20 in the book of Acts, “And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:” and continuing in verse 25 he said to them, “And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.” After speaking with them for the last time they knelt and prayed together. “And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,” Acts 20:36 and 37

Another time, before leaving the disciples in Tyre, Paul knelt and prayed with them on the beach. “And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.” (Acts 21:5)

God’s prophetic words concerning kneeling in the book of Isaiah are noteworthy. He promises that the day will come when all mankind will kneel before him. “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return. That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Isaiah 45:22-23)

Paul repeats the same promise in the book of Romans. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (Romans 14:11)

In addition, it is written in the book of Philippians concerning Jesus, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in the earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11

Paul's Intervention for Publius

Paul’s Intervention for Publius
Paul and nearly three hundred others temporally escaped imprisonment in Rome and were stranded when the ship they were on wrecked on the Island of Malta.
A man of high stature on the Island, Publius, had a father who was very ill with a fever. Paul intervened by laying hands on him and praying.

"In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid hands on him, and he was healed.” (Acts 28:7-9)

Publius' father was healed.

WHAT COMES FIRST

Truth, Jesus said, is to be a top priority in life. Discovering the truth pertaining to the kingdom of God will cause everything else to fall into place. He tells us not to worry about those everyday things. His promise is that if we seek his kingdom, he will take care of our daily needs. "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Luke 12:29-31)

Jesus goes into additional detail in Matthew 6. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought (*to be anxious) can add one cubit unto his stature? (*Length of days, age) And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin? And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought saying, what shall we eat? Or, what shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:25-33) (*Strong’s Concordance)

Where do we seek? God says he is in the Bible: "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me." (Hebrews 10:7)

The word "seek" is a key to unlocking the door to the kingdom. Returning to the instructions of Jesus in the scriptures, ask (in prayer), seek (in the book) and then knock. God assures us that we will find him if we are sincere in our search. "But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29) God promises he will not forsake those who are seeking him. "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, has not forsaken them that seek thee." (Psalms 9:10) And, Jeremiah makes this proclamation: "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)

In the establishment of truth, we are admonished by Timothy to study so we won’t be ashamed. Studying, guided by the Comforter helps us to decipher truth. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (II Timothy 2:15)

Remembering from Psalms 91: "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." (Psalms 91:4)
Jesus says, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

WHAT TO PRAY FOR

WHAT TO PRAY FOR

The first thing we must do is to ask. If we don't ask, we will not receive. As James 4:2 says, "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not." All too often we battle on and on and expect God to take care of the situation and we don't even speak to Him about it. Learn to talk to Him. Be specific. And later, thank Him when the answer comes.

John says to those of us who believe in the power of the name of Jesus Christ that we can know He hears our prayers and we will have what we ask for. As a believer, we do not want to pursue anything that is not God's desire for us. Thus, we need to pray in His will. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us; And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." (1 John 5:13-15)

What are we to pray for? First, Jesus expressed in The Lord’s Prayer that we are to acknowledge our Father’s authority and glory. Jesus also says that we are to pray to our Father for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are to pray for our daily needs as well as for forgiveness for our sins. In addition, The Lord’s Prayer states that we are to pray that we will be led away from temptation and delivered from evil. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Jesus again, as in The Lord’s Prayer, repeats in Matthew 26:41 that we are to pray that we will not fall into temptation. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” and in Mark 14:38 “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”

Two points that stand out in these verses is the fact that our flesh is weak and that we sometimes have a war within ourselves between our spiritual desires and our flesh desires. Jesus understood this and persuades us to pray about this problem. An accurate description of this war between our flesh and spirit is given by Paul. "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:18-25)

Jesus asked us to pray for our enemies. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your breathren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father, which is in heaven, is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

Paul views this concept from a different angle in the book of Romans. “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” (Romans 12:20) Paul suggests that our enemies will have more to answer for if we are good to them.

Thankfulness is imperative in prayer. In I Chronicles 16:8 it reads, “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds amoung the people” Continuing in a later verse it reads, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endurth for ever.” (I Chronicles 16:34)

Paul admonishes us not to worry, but instead, pray with a thankful attitude. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6) Again he writes, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" (Colossians 4:2) Paul expresses that the mature Christian should be overflowing with thankfulness. “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:7-8)

Jesus gave us the example of praying and giving thanks before eating which is written in John 11:11 when the five thousand plus were fed: “And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” He also gave thanks when the four thousand plus were fed. “And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. (Matthew 15:36)

Jesus encourages us to watch and pray that we will be spared the things to come in the future. In Luke 21, Jesus describes a future time of trouble that is to come upon the earth, and as a final warning he says, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”(Luke 21:36) He also admonishes the same in the book of Mark. “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” (Mark 13:33)

Paul’s words, concerning praying for the believers generate a good example of what to pray for when it comes to other Christians. Paul prays that his fellow workers be protected from evil and be honest, that they would love to grow in knowledge, wisdom and judgment, that they be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, for their spiritual understanding and for them to be blameless when Jesus returns. In addition, he asks that God would count them worthy of their calling and that they would fulfill his good pleasure. Lastly, he asks that they would have power through their faith. Paul's mind and prayers were continually on his brothers and sisters in Christ.

We are likewise instructed by John to pray for our brother if he has sinned. “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it." (I John 5:16)

We need to pray for our country. God instructs us as to what to do in order for a nation to be restored if it is faltering. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14) If each Christian were to pray for our country imagine how much more the blessings would flow. If we all did our part, even those who do not believe would be blessed because of us.

The word of God tells us that God is willing to listen and reason with us, but we need to talk to him. In this blog you can read of several examples of biblical people who talked and reasoned with God concerning many different situations. He likes to hear of our concerns. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) Also in Isaiah 41:21 he states, "Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob."