Lesson 9. Prayer. A school of the foundations of the Christian faith that every Christian should know. The school consists of twelve lessons. The school was founded by the Christian Bible Institute.
One of the most important elements of Christian life is prayer.
God speaks to us through Scripture. We speak with God through prayer. From the very beginning, Christians have had a need to turn to God in prayer. Christianity begins with prayer—the prayer of repentance.
Acts 2:42 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Prayer is real fellowship with God. It is an awareness of our need for God.
What Is Prayer?
1. Praising God
Praising God means remembering and proclaiming, in a prayerful state, various aspects of God’s greatness, power, and wisdom. It is humble admiration for God’s wondrous works. Praising God means being able to see God’s hand and express our acknowledgment of God’s infinite superiority.
Ps. 145:1 “A praise of David. I will exalt You, my God, my King [my], and bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise Your works to another and proclaim Your mighty acts. 5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty and Your wondrous works. 6 They shall speak of the might of Your awesome deeds, and I will proclaim Your greatness. 7 They shall proclaim the memory of Your great goodness and sing of Your righteousness.”
Matt. 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way: Our Father in heaven! Hallowed be Your name”;
2. Thanksgiving to God
Thanksgiving to God means acknowledging our agreement with His will and our satisfaction in Him. Thanksgiving to God in prayer means reflecting on all the blessings we have received from God and expressing our gratitude for them. In a prayer of thanksgiving, we acknowledge God’s right to determine and direct our lives. A prayer of thanksgiving is a conscious acknowledgment of God as our Father, Shepherd, Rock, Strength, and Lord.
Matt. 6:10 “Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”;
1 Thess. 5:18 “Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
3. Confession of Our Sins and Proclamation of God’s Righteousness
Acknowledging our sins before God. Confession primarily includes sorrow over sin. It is a humble acknowledgment not only of the fact of sin, but also of our guilt for it (Luke 18:9–14—the Pharisee and the tax collector). Confession means acknowledging our need for the Savior’s cleansing power and recognizing His power, love, and goodness toward us, which make forgiveness and cleansing from the sin committed possible.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Ps. 51:1 “To the chief musician. A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after David had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy; according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, 3 for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are righteous in Your judgment and blameless in Your verdict… 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me… 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.”
Matt. 6:12 “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”;
4. Requests for Personal Needs
As our Father, God wants us to come to Him in prayer with our personal, essential requests.
Phil. 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but always, in prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God,”
Matt. 6:11 “give us this day our daily bread”;
Our requests addressed to God express our acknowledgment of our dependence on Him. God certainly knows all our needs. When a believer comes to Him in prayer, he does not reveal something previously unknown to God. Rather, he opens his heart, pain, and concerns so that he may entrust them to God and find peace in Him.
Psalm 56:1 “A Davidic psalm, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be gracious to me, O God! for man seeks to devour me; attacking me all day long, he oppresses me. 2 My enemies seek to devour me all day long, for many are rising up against me, O Most High! 3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? 5 All day long they twist my words; all their thoughts about me are for evil: 6 they gather together, lie in wait, watch my steps, seeking to take my life. 7 Will they escape punishment for their iniquity? In anger, bring down the peoples, O God. 8 You have kept count of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle—are they not in Your book? 9 My enemies turn back when I call to You; by this I know that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise. 11 In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 I am bound by vows to You, O God; I will fulfill my vows to You, 13 for You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living.”
God guarantees that He hears the prayers of His children and is always ready to answer them. Nevertheless, He always sees much more and farther than people do, and therefore does not always give us what we ask for. The closer we draw to God, the better we will understand His will, and the stronger and more effective our prayers will be.
John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have before Him: if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
5. Intercession
Having a close relationship with God and being sensitive to the needs of others, a Christian will inevitably pray for them. God has given Christians the right to pray for one another, and also to pray for unbelievers.
Ephesians 6:18 “Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and petition, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me, so that I may boldly make known the mystery of the Gospel with my mouth,”
1 Timothy 2:1 “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and dignity,”
The Bible contains many examples of intercessory prayer:
- Jesus Christ prayed for His disciples and for those who would believe through their word (John, chapter 17).
- Paul prayed for the believers to whom he wrote letters (Colossians 1:9–15; Ephesians 1:16–23).
- Daniel prayed for his people (Daniel, chapter 6).
Types of Prayer
We can pray in different ways, at different times, and in different circumstances. Scripture says that we should pray “with every prayer.”
Eph. 6:18 “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 Lord’s people”
Some possible types of prayer
- Personal
- Corporate
- Public
- Silent
Learn to continually turn to the Lord in prayer. Watch your thoughts: instead of letting them wander in daydreams, train yourself to think about the Lord, marvel at His works, thank Him, and ask for your needs or the needs of others.
1 Thess. 5:17 “Pray continually.”
Rom. 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”;
Jer. 33:3 “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Homework: Memorize Matt. 6:9–13
Source: Christian Bible Institute
