The Privilege of Prayer

By Eddie Littrell & Bob Myhan

Prayer may defined simply as “the pouring out of one’s heart to God—in praise of His mighty power, in gratitude for His great goodness, or in supplication for His continued mercy and guidance” (see 1 Sam. 1:15). The privilege of talking to God, knowing that He hears and will answer, is one of the greatest blessings ever bestowed upon mankind.

The value of prayer cannot be overestimated.

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick” (James 5:13-15).

The power of prayer is tremendous.

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:16-18).

Praying keeps our hearts centered on God. We cannot pray to God regularly and not think of God regularly. Paul advises:

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Ths. 5:17).

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us” (Col. 4:2-3);

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).

Obviously, the more we can understand about this great privilege, the more we can benefit from it. Our goal has been to spark an interest in what is probably the most overlooked and least implemented of all spiritual resources. We pray that our efforts will have a much-needed positive effect on the attitudes and actions of saints in the medium of prayer. &

The Importance of Prayer

By Eddie Littrell

Though prayer is an activity in which all of God’s children should regularly be engaged, many of us seem to pray very little, in comparison to some that are not in the family of God. We believe in, teach, and sing about prayer, then neglect it. Many pray only when facing some great tragedy. It appears that many are rather limited in their appreciation of prayer. This is shameful. When we forget to pray, we fail both to invite God into our lives and to credit Him with what He has already done on our behalf. A chronic absence of prayer indicates that we believe God has little or no interest in our problems. And, failing to hold prayer in high esteem, we “have not, because [we] ask not” (James 4:2).

Perhaps the following considerations will increase our regard for prayer, and lead to our praying more frequently.

Regular prayer makes for a better spiritual life. As we pray more frequently and for longer periods of time, our prayers will become more meaningful, we will be more spiritually-minded, we will be better able to handle temptation, persecution and other problems, and we will be drawn closer to God. And the nearer we grow to God, the more effective our prayers will be. James says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7). But the devil knows that we will not be able to resist him if we do not enlist God’s help through prayer. Therefore, he wants us to refrain from praying, and he trembles every time we do pray.

It is the nature of God to answer prayer. The psalmist addresses God as “You who hear prayer” (Psalm 65:2). The writer of Hebrews states that God will reward those who “diligently seek him” (11:6); one way that we seek Him is through the avenue of prayer. The Bible says if we will humble ourselves, turn from our wicked ways and pray, God will hear us (2 Chron. 7:14). Even though we are puny and insignificant the sight of the Almighty, we can pray to Him knowing that He will not only hear but will also listen.

It is in answer to prayer that God provides material blessings. Our heavenly Father knows how to “give good things to them that ask him” (Matt. 7:11). We cannot exhaust God’s resources (Eph. 3:20). Since He has promised to help, we can approach His throne with boldness, and “find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16) What a privilege—we can pray to God for wisdom (James 1:5), as well as for physical and spiritual healing (James 5:13-16).

The early Christians spent much time in prayer. Prayer, along with teaching, took priority over everything else in the activities of the apostles (Acts 6:1-4). “Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God,” even while in prison (Acts 16:25). Indeed, prayer characterized the lives of many of the early disciples (Acts 12:12). If Christians in the first century leaned heavily on God in prayer should we not do the same?

Jesus spent much time in prayer. He may have been too busy to eat or rest, but He was never too busy to pray. He began His ministry with prayer (Luke 3:21), and He ended it with prayer (Luke 22:39-46). Sometimes He rose before daylight to pray (Mark 1:35), and on at least one occasion He spent all night in prayer (Luke 6:12). If the only sinless person who ever lived felt the need to pray—and prayed often—how much more do we need prayer, having sinned?

The Godhead and Prayer

By Bob Myhan

While it is not essential for us to know everything there is to know about prayer for our prayers to be effective, an understanding of how each member of the Godhead relates to us in prayer will aid us immensely.

The Father hears and answers prayer. Prior to the ministry of Jesus, prayer was simply addressed to God (1 Chron. 16:11; Psalms 65:2). However, Jesus taught the disciples to address their prayers to “Our Father in heaven” (Luke 11:2; Matt. 6:6-9).

Paul prayed to the Father (Eph. 3:14-15) and Peter assumed that his readers were in the habit of doing so (1 Peter 1:17). This is as it should be, since it is He who sustains us and blesses us (Matt. 6:25-34; 7:11). He always answers prayer but He sometimes answers, “No” (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

The Son mediates in prayer. As Christians approach their Father with their petitions, they are to do so through the mediatory work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Several verses teach the importance of praying to the Father through the Son. Among them:

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)

Since Jesus is both God and man (Heb. 1:8; 1 Tim. 2:5), He is eminently qualified to mediate between the Father and us (Heb. 8:6; 9:15). As mediator, He makes intercession for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). He is also our advocate by virtue of His blood, which He “shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28; 1 John 2:1-2). Therefore, prayer should always be “in the name of Christ,” rather than in our own or someone else’s name, showing that we recognize His position as mediator, advocate and intercessor.