Keep on Praying as He Taught Us to Pray
What does the Bible say about prayer?
How should a Christian pray?
There are some new ideas circulating about how one should pray but do those agree with what the Bible says about prayer?
As we look at the Bible we can find many examples of prayers. I would like to begin by looking at the prayer that Christ gave us as an example:
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Luke 11:2-4
Now, let us take a closer look at this prayer and see what is being said here.
Notice that He says, "After this manner...". In other words this is a basic guideline for our prayers. It is not so much these exact words that we should say but we should include the subjects thus contained. So what are the basic ingredients?
1) The first element that should be contained in our prayer is an acknowledgment of who we are speaking to. This is similar to what we would do if we were writing a letter. We are addressing the Creator. This is to be a prayer to the one who made us and not a prayer to the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:3-4) We address him as our Father in heaven.
2) Second, we show reverence for who he is and the sacredness of His name and position. He should be acknowledged as more that "the man upstairs".
3) Third, we should be looking forward to His glorious return, His second coming and invite Him into our hearts.
4) Forth, we let Him decide what is best for us. Like Christ in the garden before his trial we should be willing to accept His will. "Thy will be done" Though we can make known our desires we cannot see the future and as a child trusts its parent we should trust our Heavenly Father that what He gives us is for our best interest.
5) Fifth, we ask him for our necessities. It is important to show gratitude to Him for what He has given us and trust that He will provide for our needs. Like the Leper that was healed (Luke 17) we should show our thanks to God.
6) Sixth, ask Him to forgive us of our sins.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (see also: Matt. 7:7-8, Acts 3:19 & Rom. 4:7)
Some people today treat lightly the importance of asking forgiveness of our sins, but Christ said that it should be included in our prayers. Matt. 6:14-15 reveals the importance of asking forgiveness of God:
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15
And look at this in Matthew 18:
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Matthew 18:21-35
7) Point seven, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil". This is a request that God protect us from those things in the world that will lead us astray. We are to ask Him to help us avoid those things that will hurt us. This world is full of evil and we need His help in discerning those things that are used by Satan against us.
In closing our prayer we are to again acknowledge God as all powerful and the King in our lives.
Notice here what is NOT in this prayer.
There is not instruction on journaling or breathing a certain way or emptying your mind. He does not tell them to chant a phrase or to imagine anything or anybody. He does not tell them to use any tools like beads or wheels. He doesn’t tell them to all pray at the same time each day. He doesn’t tell them to pray to anyone other than our heavenly Father.
What other instruction did Christ give concerning prayer?
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Matthew 6:5-7
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; Matthew 5:44
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. Luke 6:28
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 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. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 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. 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. Luke 18:9-14
Christ also said not to pray like the heathen:
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Matthew 6:7
God is all knowing and He knows what we need before we ask so to be constantly repeating the same prayer over and over to God is vain and pointless. Some people think that they can bully God or wear Him down but how foolish to think that the Creator of the whole world would allow Himself to be pushed around by His created beings. He is a merciful God and is always there to forgive and care for us but he isn’t a man or an animal that can be guided and manipulated. We are to be used of Him not the other way around. God can see the future and He knows if it is in our best interest to grant us our request. Again, we should pray as Christ prayed, "Thy will be done." Leaving it in the hands of One who loved us so much that He sent His only son to die for us.
Here are some examples of prayers found in the Old Testament:
Thus I fell down before the Lord forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the Lord had said he would destroy you. I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin: Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm. Deut. 9:25-29
And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17
And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. 2 Kings 19:14-19
For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, And said, O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts: Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. Now therefore, O Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me. Now then, O Lord God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David. But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built! Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee: That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place. Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.
If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.
And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.
When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.
If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be: Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name. If thy people go out to war against their enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name; Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near; Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly; If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee. Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. O Lord God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant. 2 Chron. 6:13-42
A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 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. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. Psalm 51:1-19
In these prayers you can see many of the same elements that Christ included in his sample prayer. Acknowledgement of God as the God of Heaven, the Creator having power and glory. Asking for forgiveness of sin and asking Him for our needs. Trusting Him and giving Him the honor and glory. Asking that His kingdom be revealed.
Notice what is NOT here.
They are not asking for riches or honor for themselves. They are not journaling or using beads or wheels. They are not praying to someone other than the God of heaven. They are not repeating over and over their prayer. It is not a set format of words recited without thought. The prayers of the Bible are simple and from the heart. They are a souls petition to the Father in heaven. As a trusting child would talk to a loving parent.
See Ezra 9, Nehemiah 1:4-11, Job 42:10, Isaiah 38:1-8, Isaiah 37:15-20, Jeremiah 32:16-25 for some other examples of prayers offered to God.
How often should we pray?
Here are a couple of texts that should help answer that question.
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
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thes. 5:17
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephes. 6:18
We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Col. 1:3
In the first verse above we read that Daniel had just found out that he was about to be persecuted for his faith. He knew that praying to God was now against the law. He needed to pray more than ever with this threat on his mind. Did he stop praying? No, he continued as before praying 3 times a day on his knees. Shouldn’t we do the same? Shouldn’t we pray always to our Father? We still have the freedom to pray to God but how many of us give God more than a minute of our time. How many of us as parents would want out children to spend only a minute or two of their time with us? If we are loving parents we want them to look to us when they need something.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16
It doesn’t say, "the effectual fervent prayer of many righteous men availeth much." does it? And it doesn’t say, "the hundreds of prayers of the unrighteous availeth much." No it says "a righteous man". One righteous man will get answers to his prayer.
By this I’m not saying that that man is "perfect" or that he has never sinned for the Bible says that all have sinned but what I am saying is that the person has made wrongs right---they have asked Gods forgiveness of the sins they have committed and have turned from any known sins in their life. They have a humble and contrite spirit. The prayers of this kind of person is the kind that God hears.
There are many examples through out the whole Bible that show this to be true. Both in the Old Testament and the new. David prayed for the Lord to renew a right spirit within him. His son Solomon asked for wisdom with a humble heart. Even Christ in humility asked that he be spared the death on the cross with the submission that "thy will be done." Christ who was the King of kings who created the whole world left His request in the hands of His Father. We who are His subjects should do the same.
So why are these people seeking our help in getting the answer to their prayers? Why do they need so many people praying for the same thing? Are they not getting the answer they want? Are they not right before God? Are their prayers wrong? Perhaps all these are the case on occasion.
What causes our prayers to go "unanswered"?
Sometimes the problem is that we think that unless God says yes to all our requests He simply didn’t answer our prayers but is this true? If a child asks their parent for a real gun with bullets and the parent says "no!" has the parent answered the child? Yes they have. They didn’t give the answer the child wanted to hear but the child got an answer.
What if the child asks for a car and the parent says, "Wait until you are older. When you are 18 I will give you one." Did the parent answer the child? Yes. The answer was to wait until the right time.
We are like children. We don’t see everything clearly. God is all wise and He knows the end from the beginning and if He says, no or wait, to our questions shouldn’t we be willing to do as He says?
Another reason God may not answer a prayer is found in this verse:
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:3
Here is a subject that is not talked about in Christian circles much these days. The idea of asking and not getting the desired answer because our request is so that we can "consume it upon your lusts". What we think of today when we think of the word LUST we think of sexual desires. But the term lust has a much broader meaning then it does now. It means whatever we desire. It could be a strong desire for a car, money, fame, popularity, expensive clothes---all kinds of things. If our prayers are for God to make us rich we are asking amiss---we are asking the wrong question.
Like the illustration above where the child asks for a car the parent knows that if they got that car they would get seriously hurt if they had it. God knows that if we were rich it would not be in our best interest. You see, the saying really is true that money can’t buy happiness. Why would God willingly give you something that He knows will make you unhappy? So as you pray ask yourself why you are asking God for the thing you are praying for. If you are asking because you "just got to have it!" you are asking something that is not in accordance with Gods will and you are not in harmony with Him.
In first Peter we find that there is another way to hinder our prayers. It says:
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Peter 3:7
We should treat each other kindly and with the kind of love we want from them. If we are harsh and mean to our family members our prayers will not reach beyond the roof. This text admonishes husbands to honour their wives. He goes on to say:
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 1 Peter 3:8-12
Christ says it this way:
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7
If we want mercy from God we need to treat others the way we would like to be treated. Would you want God to treat you the way you treat your spouse? I doubt it. Show kindness to other people and God will show kindness to you. (see also Matt. 21:33-41)
What about praying for someone that is dying? Should we pray that they be healed? What if they are not healed? What if they die in spite of our prayers?
In 2 Kings 20 we have a story about king Hezekiah who was going to die. He prayed that the Lord would let him live and God granted his request and gave him 15 more years to live. How did Hezekiah spend those 15 years? Did he spend them giving glory to God and doing Gods will? No, instead he became proud of his riches and showed his visitors all his wealth. Those 15 years were a curse to him, eternally speaking. He lost sight of God and what was of true worth. So perhaps when it is our time to die maybe it is because the Lord sees what would happen if we were to continue our lives. If we live in harmony with Gods will while we are alive it really doesn’t matter when we die because we will be ready for heaven and Satan can no longer tempt us.
Only God knows what would happen if our lives were to be prolonged and we should leave it in His loving hands. Like Christ we can say, "thy will be done" knowing that God loves us beyond our comprehension. We can safely ask that "if it is His will" that He might heal us. This is true faith.
A few years ago I heard about a woman who was on death row. She became a Christian while awaiting her death. As the time neared for her execution she didn’t ask for pardon and she calmly said that she was ready to receive her sentence. Do you think she was using her religion to avoid punishment? No she wasn’t. She showed a faith that went beyond this world. Her faith was in a God that will raise her up someday soon. She knew that this death was not the one to be feared. She was trusting God. I knew that her religion was real. By her death she showed the world true Christianity. She didn’t use her faith as a cloak to avoid punishment. But so many people today claim that the death penalty isn’t Christian. They want to save people in their sins instead of from their sins. They pray to be saved from the penalty of their sins but they don’t turn from the sins. If given a stay of their punishment and they are put back in the world they go back to the evil they were doing before. There was no change in the heart but a fear of judgment and punishment.
God alone knows the heart but the Bible says that "by their fruits ye shall know them". When there is true repentance and confession it is from a heart that is renewed by God and it no longer desires to continue in sin. That change is seen in the life of the person by those around him.
The prayer of this new person will be answered by God. That person is in the sight of God a righteous person and God loves to give them all the help they need. Their desires and hopes are in harmony with Gods desires and they won’t be asking for things that are not in their best interest.
Some may say that we should pray for riches because God wants us to be rich. They may use this text to support their claim:
But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 1 Cor. 12:31
But is that a right understanding of the text? What are the best gifts? If you read the chapter that this verse comes from he explains what he is talking about. In chapter 13 he goes on to speak of love. Now there is no sin in coveting the ability to love others as we should. It is the Lords desire for us to love and He will give us that gift if we ask for it. We won’t be asking amiss if we ask for things like that.
Solomon when he became king asked for wisdom to rule the nation. God gave him wisdom and more. The Bible promises:
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5
Christ said that we should seek the kingdom of God:
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. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:30-34
But what is the kingdom of God? Is it the riches of this world? No, Christ says:
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. John 18:36
So should we pray to be made rich? No, not if we are looking for the riches of this world. The riches God wants to give us are found in these texts:
A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. Psalm 37:16
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death. Proverbs 11:4
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. Proverbs 11:28
By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life. Proverbs 22:4
And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! Mark 10:23
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans 11:33
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; Ephes. 3:16
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 1 Tim. 6:17
If we are praying that God would give us a pure heart and a righteous life then those riches He will give us. Those are the durable riches.
How should a Christian pray?
There are some new ideas circulating about how one should pray but do those agree with what the Bible says about prayer?
As we look at the Bible we can find many examples of prayers. I would like to begin by looking at the prayer that Christ gave us as an example:
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Luke 11:2-4
Now, let us take a closer look at this prayer and see what is being said here.
Notice that He says, "After this manner...". In other words this is a basic guideline for our prayers. It is not so much these exact words that we should say but we should include the subjects thus contained. So what are the basic ingredients?
1) The first element that should be contained in our prayer is an acknowledgment of who we are speaking to. This is similar to what we would do if we were writing a letter. We are addressing the Creator. This is to be a prayer to the one who made us and not a prayer to the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:3-4) We address him as our Father in heaven.
2) Second, we show reverence for who he is and the sacredness of His name and position. He should be acknowledged as more that "the man upstairs".
3) Third, we should be looking forward to His glorious return, His second coming and invite Him into our hearts.
4) Forth, we let Him decide what is best for us. Like Christ in the garden before his trial we should be willing to accept His will. "Thy will be done" Though we can make known our desires we cannot see the future and as a child trusts its parent we should trust our Heavenly Father that what He gives us is for our best interest.
5) Fifth, we ask him for our necessities. It is important to show gratitude to Him for what He has given us and trust that He will provide for our needs. Like the Leper that was healed (Luke 17) we should show our thanks to God.
6) Sixth, ask Him to forgive us of our sins.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (see also: Matt. 7:7-8, Acts 3:19 & Rom. 4:7)
Some people today treat lightly the importance of asking forgiveness of our sins, but Christ said that it should be included in our prayers. Matt. 6:14-15 reveals the importance of asking forgiveness of God:
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15
And look at this in Matthew 18:
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Matthew 18:21-35
7) Point seven, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil". This is a request that God protect us from those things in the world that will lead us astray. We are to ask Him to help us avoid those things that will hurt us. This world is full of evil and we need His help in discerning those things that are used by Satan against us.
In closing our prayer we are to again acknowledge God as all powerful and the King in our lives.
Notice here what is NOT in this prayer.
There is not instruction on journaling or breathing a certain way or emptying your mind. He does not tell them to chant a phrase or to imagine anything or anybody. He does not tell them to use any tools like beads or wheels. He doesn’t tell them to all pray at the same time each day. He doesn’t tell them to pray to anyone other than our heavenly Father.
What other instruction did Christ give concerning prayer?
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Matthew 6:5-7
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; Matthew 5:44
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. Luke 6:28
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 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. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 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. 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. Luke 18:9-14
Christ also said not to pray like the heathen:
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Matthew 6:7
God is all knowing and He knows what we need before we ask so to be constantly repeating the same prayer over and over to God is vain and pointless. Some people think that they can bully God or wear Him down but how foolish to think that the Creator of the whole world would allow Himself to be pushed around by His created beings. He is a merciful God and is always there to forgive and care for us but he isn’t a man or an animal that can be guided and manipulated. We are to be used of Him not the other way around. God can see the future and He knows if it is in our best interest to grant us our request. Again, we should pray as Christ prayed, "Thy will be done." Leaving it in the hands of One who loved us so much that He sent His only son to die for us.
Here are some examples of prayers found in the Old Testament:
Thus I fell down before the Lord forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the Lord had said he would destroy you. I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin: Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm. Deut. 9:25-29
And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17
And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. 2 Kings 19:14-19
For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, And said, O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee in the heaven, nor in the earth; which keepest covenant, and shewest mercy unto thy servants, that walk before thee with all their hearts: Thou which hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him; and spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. Now therefore, O Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; yet so that thy children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as thou hast walked before me. Now then, O Lord God of Israel, let thy word be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David. But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built! Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee: That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place. Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive.
If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.
And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.
When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.
If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be: Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house; Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name. If thy people go out to war against their enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name; Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near; Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly; If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee. Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. O Lord God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant. 2 Chron. 6:13-42
A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 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. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. Psalm 51:1-19
In these prayers you can see many of the same elements that Christ included in his sample prayer. Acknowledgement of God as the God of Heaven, the Creator having power and glory. Asking for forgiveness of sin and asking Him for our needs. Trusting Him and giving Him the honor and glory. Asking that His kingdom be revealed.
Notice what is NOT here.
They are not asking for riches or honor for themselves. They are not journaling or using beads or wheels. They are not praying to someone other than the God of heaven. They are not repeating over and over their prayer. It is not a set format of words recited without thought. The prayers of the Bible are simple and from the heart. They are a souls petition to the Father in heaven. As a trusting child would talk to a loving parent.
See Ezra 9, Nehemiah 1:4-11, Job 42:10, Isaiah 38:1-8, Isaiah 37:15-20, Jeremiah 32:16-25 for some other examples of prayers offered to God.
How often should we pray?
Here are a couple of texts that should help answer that question.
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
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thes. 5:17
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephes. 6:18
We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Col. 1:3
In the first verse above we read that Daniel had just found out that he was about to be persecuted for his faith. He knew that praying to God was now against the law. He needed to pray more than ever with this threat on his mind. Did he stop praying? No, he continued as before praying 3 times a day on his knees. Shouldn’t we do the same? Shouldn’t we pray always to our Father? We still have the freedom to pray to God but how many of us give God more than a minute of our time. How many of us as parents would want out children to spend only a minute or two of their time with us? If we are loving parents we want them to look to us when they need something.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16
It doesn’t say, "the effectual fervent prayer of many righteous men availeth much." does it? And it doesn’t say, "the hundreds of prayers of the unrighteous availeth much." No it says "a righteous man". One righteous man will get answers to his prayer.
By this I’m not saying that that man is "perfect" or that he has never sinned for the Bible says that all have sinned but what I am saying is that the person has made wrongs right---they have asked Gods forgiveness of the sins they have committed and have turned from any known sins in their life. They have a humble and contrite spirit. The prayers of this kind of person is the kind that God hears.
There are many examples through out the whole Bible that show this to be true. Both in the Old Testament and the new. David prayed for the Lord to renew a right spirit within him. His son Solomon asked for wisdom with a humble heart. Even Christ in humility asked that he be spared the death on the cross with the submission that "thy will be done." Christ who was the King of kings who created the whole world left His request in the hands of His Father. We who are His subjects should do the same.
So why are these people seeking our help in getting the answer to their prayers? Why do they need so many people praying for the same thing? Are they not getting the answer they want? Are they not right before God? Are their prayers wrong? Perhaps all these are the case on occasion.
What causes our prayers to go "unanswered"?
Sometimes the problem is that we think that unless God says yes to all our requests He simply didn’t answer our prayers but is this true? If a child asks their parent for a real gun with bullets and the parent says "no!" has the parent answered the child? Yes they have. They didn’t give the answer the child wanted to hear but the child got an answer.
What if the child asks for a car and the parent says, "Wait until you are older. When you are 18 I will give you one." Did the parent answer the child? Yes. The answer was to wait until the right time.
We are like children. We don’t see everything clearly. God is all wise and He knows the end from the beginning and if He says, no or wait, to our questions shouldn’t we be willing to do as He says?
Another reason God may not answer a prayer is found in this verse:
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:3
Here is a subject that is not talked about in Christian circles much these days. The idea of asking and not getting the desired answer because our request is so that we can "consume it upon your lusts". What we think of today when we think of the word LUST we think of sexual desires. But the term lust has a much broader meaning then it does now. It means whatever we desire. It could be a strong desire for a car, money, fame, popularity, expensive clothes---all kinds of things. If our prayers are for God to make us rich we are asking amiss---we are asking the wrong question.
Like the illustration above where the child asks for a car the parent knows that if they got that car they would get seriously hurt if they had it. God knows that if we were rich it would not be in our best interest. You see, the saying really is true that money can’t buy happiness. Why would God willingly give you something that He knows will make you unhappy? So as you pray ask yourself why you are asking God for the thing you are praying for. If you are asking because you "just got to have it!" you are asking something that is not in accordance with Gods will and you are not in harmony with Him.
In first Peter we find that there is another way to hinder our prayers. It says:
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Peter 3:7
We should treat each other kindly and with the kind of love we want from them. If we are harsh and mean to our family members our prayers will not reach beyond the roof. This text admonishes husbands to honour their wives. He goes on to say:
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 1 Peter 3:8-12
Christ says it this way:
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7
If we want mercy from God we need to treat others the way we would like to be treated. Would you want God to treat you the way you treat your spouse? I doubt it. Show kindness to other people and God will show kindness to you. (see also Matt. 21:33-41)
What about praying for someone that is dying? Should we pray that they be healed? What if they are not healed? What if they die in spite of our prayers?
In 2 Kings 20 we have a story about king Hezekiah who was going to die. He prayed that the Lord would let him live and God granted his request and gave him 15 more years to live. How did Hezekiah spend those 15 years? Did he spend them giving glory to God and doing Gods will? No, instead he became proud of his riches and showed his visitors all his wealth. Those 15 years were a curse to him, eternally speaking. He lost sight of God and what was of true worth. So perhaps when it is our time to die maybe it is because the Lord sees what would happen if we were to continue our lives. If we live in harmony with Gods will while we are alive it really doesn’t matter when we die because we will be ready for heaven and Satan can no longer tempt us.
Only God knows what would happen if our lives were to be prolonged and we should leave it in His loving hands. Like Christ we can say, "thy will be done" knowing that God loves us beyond our comprehension. We can safely ask that "if it is His will" that He might heal us. This is true faith.
A few years ago I heard about a woman who was on death row. She became a Christian while awaiting her death. As the time neared for her execution she didn’t ask for pardon and she calmly said that she was ready to receive her sentence. Do you think she was using her religion to avoid punishment? No she wasn’t. She showed a faith that went beyond this world. Her faith was in a God that will raise her up someday soon. She knew that this death was not the one to be feared. She was trusting God. I knew that her religion was real. By her death she showed the world true Christianity. She didn’t use her faith as a cloak to avoid punishment. But so many people today claim that the death penalty isn’t Christian. They want to save people in their sins instead of from their sins. They pray to be saved from the penalty of their sins but they don’t turn from the sins. If given a stay of their punishment and they are put back in the world they go back to the evil they were doing before. There was no change in the heart but a fear of judgment and punishment.
God alone knows the heart but the Bible says that "by their fruits ye shall know them". When there is true repentance and confession it is from a heart that is renewed by God and it no longer desires to continue in sin. That change is seen in the life of the person by those around him.
The prayer of this new person will be answered by God. That person is in the sight of God a righteous person and God loves to give them all the help they need. Their desires and hopes are in harmony with Gods desires and they won’t be asking for things that are not in their best interest.
Some may say that we should pray for riches because God wants us to be rich. They may use this text to support their claim:
But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 1 Cor. 12:31
But is that a right understanding of the text? What are the best gifts? If you read the chapter that this verse comes from he explains what he is talking about. In chapter 13 he goes on to speak of love. Now there is no sin in coveting the ability to love others as we should. It is the Lords desire for us to love and He will give us that gift if we ask for it. We won’t be asking amiss if we ask for things like that.
Solomon when he became king asked for wisdom to rule the nation. God gave him wisdom and more. The Bible promises:
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5
Christ said that we should seek the kingdom of God:
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. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:30-34
But what is the kingdom of God? Is it the riches of this world? No, Christ says:
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. John 18:36
So should we pray to be made rich? No, not if we are looking for the riches of this world. The riches God wants to give us are found in these texts:
A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. Psalm 37:16
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death. Proverbs 11:4
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. Proverbs 11:28
By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life. Proverbs 22:4
And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! Mark 10:23
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans 11:33
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; Ephes. 3:16
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 1 Tim. 6:17
If we are praying that God would give us a pure heart and a righteous life then those riches He will give us. Those are the durable riches.
posted by Michael A. Redwine at Tuesday, February 21, 2006
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