Elements of Prayer

By Eddie Littrell and Bob Myhan

Inasmuch as prayer is our only method of communicating to God, knowing what to include in our prayers is essential to the most effective communication. At least six purposes for speaking to God are mentioned in the Bible. All are necessary for the fullest expression of our deepest desires, thoughts and needs. Learning more about the diversity of prayer will also help us to better understand the importance of communicating with the Heavenly Father on a regular basis.

Praise is speaking to God about God—relating to Him the effects that His character and acts have had upon us. He is marvelous, therefore we marvel; He is magnificent, therefore we magnify Him; He is glorious, therefore we glorify Him. Praise gives to God both honor and glory for His greatness in all things. His creation, attributes, blessings and justice are but a few of these.

Thanksgiving has been defined as “an attitude of gratitude.” But the attitude must express itself in prayer, if we want to continue to be blessed by God. By this, it is meant that we must thank God for the favors already received, as we petition Him for a continued supply of the same. Above all, we should be grateful for His most majestic gift—His only begotten Son, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving should be included in our every prayer, because there will never be a time when we will not have something for which to be thankful.

Confession, according to an old saying, is good for the soul. This is surely true in regard to our relationship with God. Prayer gives us an opportunity to admit to God that we have sinned and that we need His help to overcome the burden and guilt of sin. We cannot afford to allow sin to taint our lives. We must petition Him for forgiveness to be pure in His sight.

Supplication is seeking, asking, or entreating. It is used in the New Testament of the requests addressed by men to God, in which men primarily implored God—with holiness and humility—for help in a matter. This implies that we can draw near to Him, not merely in general terms, but with specific requests. As our confidence that God will answer our prayers grows, our supplications will become more and more specific. Of the two words that are translated “supplication” in the KJV, the one in Heb. 5:7 appears nowhere else in the New Testament. The other word is more frequently translated “prayer” (Luke 1:13; 2:37; 5:33; Rom. 10:1; 2 Cor. 1:11; 9:14; Phil. 1:4, 19; 2 Tim. 1:3; Heb. 5:7; James 5:16; 1 Peter 3:12). The distinction between them is explained by Robert Milligan, in his Commentary on Hebrews. “The Greek words rendered prayers and supplications...are often used interchangeably for prayers in general. But when used together, as in this instance, the former denotes such petitions as flow from a sense of our wants; and the latter, such as are prompted by a deep sense of our own helplessness.” (p. 194)

Intercession, praying on behalf of others, is one of our most solemn responsibilities. In praising and thanking God, we express our love for Him. In supplication and confession we express our concern for self. In intercession, however, we express our love and concern for others, as well as our belief that they need the help that God alone can and will give them. Therefore, we should pray for each other’s physical and spiritual health, and for each other’s safety while traveling. We should pray not only that religious freedom might continue in our land, but also that it might be extended to other lands.

Imprecation is petitioning God to defeat one’s enemies. The Old Testament prophets used this type of prayer quite extensively with reference to those who vexed the Israelites from time to time. In the New Testament, imprecations were made concerning those who hindered the cause of truth. This is not to say that we ought to ask the Lord to destroy someone physically or financially but that we may ask Him to defeat them in their efforts to pull us away from Him. Satan’s assaults come on a variety of fronts as we have pointed out in several recent articles. He will stop at nothing to bring us down and has many ministers ready and willing to aid him (2 Cor. 11:3, 12-15). The Lord spoke a parable, in Luke 18:1-8, “to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” At the conclusion of the parable Jesus asked, “Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?” He then answered His own question, saying, “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.” Clearly, then, we may ask Him to avenge us and leave the specifics in His hands, while we attempt to “live peaceably with all men” (Rom. 12:17-21). &

Acceptable Prayer

By Bob Myhan and Eddie Littrell

We must ever keep in mind that God is not a “genie” that is ready to do our bidding as soon as we “rub the magic lamp” of prayer. Whether He hears and answers us [by granting our petitions] depends upon the state of our hearts while we are praying. “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him” (John 9:31). Thus, one may seem very pious, use flowery speech, and assume a lowly posture when he prays yet not be praying acceptably. Consider the following conditions of acceptable prayer.

One should not pray to be seen of men (Matt. 6:5-6). Jesus did not, here, forbid public praying, but praying for the purpose of making a show. Those who do so “have their reward.”

One should not use empty repetitions in prayer (Matt. 6:7-8). Jesus did not prohibit His disciples from repeating certain words and/or phrases, per se. More exactly, He condemned the glorifying of numerous and lengthy prayers as being meritorious in themselves. Some have suggested that the “vain repetitions” were senseless babblings.

Prayer must be accompanied by a righteous life (James 5:16). One who is living an unrighteous life has no biblical right to expect God to grant his requests. Prayer is for those who are willing to do God’s will. This does not mean that one must be sinless to pray acceptably. Otherwise no prayer of confession for forgiveness would or could be acceptable. But it does mean that sin is to be the exception in our lives, rather than the rule (Rom. 6:12; 1 John 1:5-7; 3:9).

Prayer must be accompanied by a penitent attitude (Luke 18:13). We must always manifest a proper attitude toward sin, especially when we go to God in prayer for mercy and grace. We must hate all forms of evil and resolve not to take part therein. The more we hate sin, the less frequently we will commit sin. David said, “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104). Having sinned, we must experience godly sorrow, which “produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10). God will not respect impenitent pleas for forgiveness (Acts 8:22).

Prayer must be accompanied by reverence and humility (Luke 18:9-14; James 4:6). “Reverence” is the recognition that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God” (Heb. 10:31), while “humility” is a sense of one’s unworthiness. We should never pray to God with pride, as though we have a right to demand this or that. We should approach Him, rather, with a realization of our shortcomings—aware that we are talking to the Almighty, without whom “we can do nothing.” When we come near to our Father in prayer, we should do so in awe of who He is and what He has done for us. Reverence and humility are not difficult for those who realize that the Hearer of our prayers is the One who “created the heavens and earth.” How great and marvelous He is! How little and insignificant we are! We are made to wonder, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” We are compelled to exclaim, “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” How can we be otherwise when we recognize our dependence on God and appreciate His mercies toward us?

Prayer must be accompanied by an attitude of forgiveness toward others (Matt. 6:14-15; 18:21-35). It will do us no good to ask God to forgive our sins against Him if we are unwilling to forgive those who sin against us. If those who sin against us repent, we must forgive them (Luke 17:3).

Prayer must be “in faith, with no doubting” (James 1:5-8). Prayer is to be an expression of faith in God’s ability and desire to help us. When we pray, we must believe He is both willing and “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).