Prayer Part 1

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my_adonai_

Senior Member
Mar 19, 2012
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PRAYER.

These are the Whys, Hows, Wheres, Whens, Whos, Whats of prayer
Part 1 will involve Why and What?

The Lord bless you and teach you more as you read this short teaching.

There is More from the Word of GOD. Am going to tackle a couple points

What is Prayer?
Translated from the Hebrew word
tephillâh
which means Intercession, Supplication; By implication a hymn
Intercede - A dictionary definition of this is To persuade somebody to have pity on somebody else in order to settle an arguement.

Ie Intercession involves Persuasion, or by speech convincing someone to Do something for your favour.

With God it is doing something in His will. as He says, He will perform HIS PURPOSE, and HIS wil,. and we trust Him because He has GOOD thoughts towards us.
It also involves a conversation, Whereby i state my points and can get my answers Audibly or visibly.
Ie Persuasion has two people talking, or a group of people convincing a particular person. Ie Conversation has a to and fro mode.

Isa 1:18 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.
Isa 45:11 Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.
Making someone agree to what you have asked for.
Amo_3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

So when we mention prayer we also make mention of conversation, agreement, standing on behalf, asking, commanding, reasoning and a result/an answer that can be seen by the spiritual and/or physical eye and/or ear.

As we see in the following Situation in the word of God on the spiritual and physical aspect,

1Ki 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
1Ki 18:42 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,
1Ki 18:43 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.
1Ki 18:44 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.
1Ki 18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
1Ki 18:46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

We see that Elijah Heard the rain with His Spiritual ears, but in the physical there was none. Hence in verse 43, the servant said "There is nothing". But in time, as Elijah continued to Pray before the Lord, soon that rain was Visible with the Physical eyes.

Reading again in the following verse

1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

Having heard rain in the Spiritual wrelm, Elijah judged that there is going to be much rain. we could try and imagine, the servant of Elijah, what was in His mind when Elijah told him to go and check out the sky. He would have doubted, but out of obedience did what was asked. Putting myself in the situation, i would say that ONLY FAITH would have made me believe.
ie Faith is the door that gives me access from the physical to the Spiritual.

Why Pray?

Lets look at the scenario of the two men that went to pray, the publican and the pharisee

Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

First of all these two Acknowledged and believed the existence of GOD.

And we read from the Lords prayer, when He distinctly starts with "Our Father Who art in Heaven". Whereby pointing out that there is A GOD, and we should call HIM Father, and HE is in Heaven.
First reason being that we pray because we Acknowledge that there is a GOD, and we call HIM FATHER, and HE IS IN HEAVEN.

Second, the pharisee then continued to say, "I thank thee". He acknowledged that The Heavenly Father can Influence His life, or did Influence His life. Thereby saying "I thank Thee". He acknowledged that, whatever happened in His life was not a mere coincedence but there was someone bigger, greater influencing that very life He lived, one way or the other, and thus said "I thank thee".
The word of God does not indicate that He truly or did not truly live the way He justified Himself. But His was not justified by God because He measured His own righteousness(a fruit of pride) to that of the publican and not to the standards God expected of HIM, but this is a topic for another time.
And again if we refer to the second sentence to the Lords prayer, the Lord says "Hallowed be thy name", thus Exalting HIM.
Second reason of prayer is that is a Superior Person, THE FATHER, IN HEAVEN, who is ABLE to do exceedingly abundantly above ALL that we ask or think. That He is superior in ALL manner, and thats why we go to HIM taking our prayer to HIM.

The pharisee continued to say "I am not as other men are", showing? that our heavenly Father also knows every bit and part of our lives. and the Pharisee knew that God knew His life, and acknowledged in His heart that GOD understood of the truth of HIS life. And that God Knew quite clearly the standards that He has for every man. especially for the pharisee, and we see this again with the publican who did not lift up His head to heaven, but said "Forgive me for i am a -sinner-".
And we read in Davids prayer where He says

Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

ie That God sees the very evil that david did, That God saw the heart of the Pharisee and the heart of the Publican. Nothing was getting passed the Lord, and He knew of it all.
And the Lord would be Justified when He shewed David of His sins, and the very same with us, that the Lord be justified when we sees the state of our hearts and the lives that we live.

So we pray because we believe and know that the Lord knows our hearts, and lives. In and Out, and when we sin, we sin before HIS eyes. When we do good, we do good before HIS eyes. Nothing gets passed Him, and no one can Hide from Him. From we can hide from man, even the very intents of our hearts we can hide from man. But not from God.
He knows our lives. So we put it into HIS hands in TRUST that through HIS Holy Spirt can and will do something.

Mat 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Mat 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Mat 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Ie the Lord deals with the intent of the heart, so it may give forth the fruit that HE sees fit.

Psa 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Psa 139:9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Psa 139:10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Psa 139:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Psa 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Also Looking at the Lords prayer.

"Your Kingdom Come"

We pray because we want His Kingdom to come in our situation, in our lives, in everywhere that we pray. We want His kingdom to come, why? because ONLY HE KNOWS whats best, only He knows how to set things right where there are wrong. Only He is able to do what We ask Him to do. Only He gives life, and life abundantly. Only He establishes what is true, righteous and Good. Only He is able to do more than we ask. Only HE. Human beings have tried and have continually failed, and the devil only seeks to destroy, kill and steal. So we can only Trust HIM and never ourselves in every situation in our lives. Our thoughts can create confusion, can have us err, fall, get dirty and all manner of evil and unbelief can give be a result. But His way is true, His way is the right way. Why? Well He created this earth and everything in it. So He knows the Ins and Outs of it. Our lives are history to Him, so He knows our paths, and the paths we need to take. Who better to trust? Do not men say, You do not know me so you can not judge me? He knows us so He can direct us and has a better path for us!! Why not trust Him?
 
Matthew 6:5-6
If you want God to listen to your prayers, pray in private - by yourself - in your bedroom, in the closet, when walking by yourself, or wherever you are alone.
Don't pray in public like the heathens do - waving and flailing your arms so that you can be seen as "holy".
NEVER stand on a street corner asking others to pray with you. Jesus Christ disapproves of this behavior.
 
Matthew 6:5-6
If you want God to listen to your prayers, pray in private - by yourself - in your bedroom, in the closet, when walking by yourself, or wherever you are alone.
Don't pray in public like the heathens do - waving and flailing your arms so that you can be seen as "holy".
NEVER stand on a street corner asking others to pray with you. Jesus Christ disapproves of this behavior.

Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.


I personally think you are misinterpreting this text...

The key word is hypocrites...

I view this verse the same as Mark 12:41-44
41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites,[a] which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
Footnotes:
Mark 12:42 Greek lepta, very small copper coins worth a fraction of a penny


I think what Christ is saying in Matthew 6 is pray with your heart... That is why the man praying in a room is more blessed then the one praying on a street corner... For in a solitary room you will humble yourself in front of your God and worship Him... In front of a gathering you will exalt yourself superficially; and pride yourself on your righteousness...

Matthew 6 in my opinion is not saying, don't pray in public... For we must keep our light shinning...
Matthew 5
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

I think what Matthew 6 really is teaching about is your heart... And how to pray with your heart... E.g. saying a thousand words will not bring you closer to God, but only make you look more holy... But in private 1 sentence expressing your sorrow will glorify God more than a hours prayer by someone babbling...

When I think back to the times I have most felt the presence of God in a prayer... its when I just cry out for His help, and physically cry about it...
 
I personally think you are misinterpreting this text...

The key word is hypocrites...

I view this verse the same as Mark 12:41-44



I think what Christ is saying in Matthew 6 is pray with your heart... That is why the man praying in a room is more blessed then the one praying on a street corner... For in a solitary room you will humble yourself in front of your God and worship Him... In front of a gathering you will exalt yourself superficially; and pride yourself on your righteousness...

Matthew 6 in my opinion is not saying, don't pray in public... For we must keep our light shinning...


I think what Matthew 6 really is teaching about is your heart... And how to pray with your heart... E.g. saying a thousand words will not bring you closer to God, but only make you look more holy... But in private 1 sentence expressing your sorrow will glorify God more than a hours prayer by someone babbling...

When I think back to the times I have most felt the presence of God in a prayer... its when I just cry out for His help, and physically cry about it...

Amen brother, Those from the heart prayers always touch HIM. Because they go as deep the things that we acknowledge as affecting or of effect in our lives.
 
Matthew 6:5-6
If you want God to listen to your prayers, pray in private - by yourself - in your bedroom, in the closet, when walking by yourself, or wherever you are alone.
Don't pray in public like the heathens do - waving and flailing your arms so that you can be seen as "holy".
NEVER stand on a street corner asking others to pray with you. Jesus Christ disapproves of this behavior.

I have prayed before people, in a congregation, in the bus, in the streets and have prayed in closet, and the Lord has answered my prayers in BOTH situations.

The things that i know will make God not listen to our prayers is when we have sin, or when we doubt and anything done without faith is sinful.
 
I have prayed before people, in a congregation, in the bus, in the streets and have prayed in closet, and the Lord has answered my prayers in BOTH situations.

The things that i know will make God not listen to our prayers is when we have sin, or when we doubt and anything done without faith is sinful.

I agree. Here are a few scriptures testifying to same.

John 9:31 KJV. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.


Proverbs 28:9 ESV If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.


Proverbs 15:29 ESV. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.


Psalm 66:18 ESV. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.


1 Peter 3:12 ESV For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”


James 5:16 ESV Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.​
 
Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and "done this evil in thy sight"...

That part of the scripture aiiii...
Done this evil THY SIGHT, ie, When we sin, no matter how much we cover our sins, He still sees it. and can not hide it from HIS EYES..