Prayer: Obligation or Invitation?

 

I have been writing and studying about prayer today. It is an exciting thing to study. In the Book of John he tells us several times that God will give us what we ask for in prayer. These promises are conditioned upon knowing God’s will, praying in God’s will, and seeking God first in our answers. God is not a cosmic sugar daddy waiting for us to ask for desires of the flesh.

Just yesterday I shared a little bit of my testimony with some friends at lunch. I always say it was the conviction of sin that God used to save me – and so He did but He also made Himself known to me through prayer. I had heard a sermon that “everyone” was a sinner. I was insulted at being included in “everyone!”

I prayed to God that if that was true about me He would have to show me. Show me is just what He did. I had done some really selfish thinking and God pointed it out. The sin did not upset me. What upset me was that God had communicated to me very clearly. He was there. He heard my prayer. He had answered me! I was scared to death. I had denied Him for years and here He was making Himself known through answered prayer!

I think that God frequently communicates with us and we ignore it or squelch it and pretend it didn’t happen. For some of us, we’ve gotten so wrapped up in the business of this world that we don’t recognize His voice when He speaks – not that this is an audible voice. God uses all kinds of little prompting in our hearts and minds to let us know what He thinks or wants us to do. He often uses times of prayer and His answers to prayer to do this.

In His book, The Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald Whitney points out that we can approach prayer as pessimists and just pray because God commands us to (Continue in prayer. Colossians 4:2) or we can approach it as optimists who view prayer as an opportunity to receive the mercy and grace of God in our obedience! (Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16)

 

Prayer is a privilege that God has given to His people. Jesus prayed, so if we want to be conformed to His image we need to pray. Jesus did only those things His Father had given Him to do. Jesus prayed.

Just as Jesus’ prayers demonstrated His dependence on the Father so our prayers demonstrate our dependence on Him as well. When we go to work for the Lord without prayer we’re going in on our wisdom and strength. Why do we do that when we know that God’s wisdom and strength are so much greater?

Often this dependence on prayer has not been modeled for us in the church or in our families. We need to look at God’s Word and recognize the emphasis that God places on prayer. The word pray (all forms of it) and ask are used almost 400 times in the Bible.

These are just a few of the verses the Word of God gives us about prayer:

Pray without ceasing. Thessalonians 5:17

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Romans 8:26

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.

James 5:15

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 1Peter 3:12

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

Prayer promises God’s mercies, grace, help when we’re weak, saving from sickness, forgiveness, overcoming anxiety, rejoicing and patience (and that is only eight out of almost 400 verses)!

God expects us to pray because we need it – not because He needs us to. He does not obligate us to pray. He invites us to pray.