NEW DELHI: Pakistan has long claimed victory over India in the 1965 war, celebrating September 6 as the 'Defence of Pakistan Day', when most objective assessments have held that the war ended more or less in a draw. India was always more realistic, with its official war history recording that the 1965 war was more of a stalemate than anything else. Military gains were also lost on the negotiating table. NEW DELHI: Pakistan has long claimed victory over India in the 1965 war, celebrating September 6 as the 'Defence of Pakistan Day', when most objective. 'Loudness war' or 'loudness race' is the popular name given to the trend of increasing audio levels in recorded music since the early 1990s, which many critics. Who Won Science Fiction’s Hugo Awards, and Why It Matters Guests fill the auditorium at the Hugo Awards in Spokane, Washington, August 22, 2015. Schwarzkopf:how The War Was Won By A BabyA drama about the fate of brothers forced to fight in the Korean War.
The companion website for 'The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century,'. Donate to Stop the War; Join Stop the War; Subscribe to our email list; Local Stop the War Groups; Students; Trade Unions; Volunteer; Leave a legacy to Stop the War. There was no national outcry. The nation was not mobilized to do anything. That heartless leviathan we call History swallowed that event whole, erasing it from the.
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On September 28, 2010, Williamson County Commissioner's Court approved a pilot program called the Counterfeit Vehicle Inspection Program. This program will identify. 20 Responses to “Illegal Lock Out! Getting back in and getting your property.” nick Says: August 2nd, 2008 at 9:53 pm. My landlord tried this once till I. John McGiver, Actor: Midnight Cowboy. John Irwin McGiver came to acting relatively late in life. He held a B.A. and Masters degrees in English from Fordham, Columbia. Police are investigating an overnight shooting involving an off-duty Dallas County constable. Officers responded to the shooting call shortly before 2 a.m. Notes on. Revelation. 2015 Edition. Dr. Thomas L. Constable. Introduction. Historical background. The opening verses of the book state that 'John' wrote it (1:1, 4. Talking to God: What the Bible Teaches about Prayer A Biblical Theology of Prayer Thomas L. Constable © 2003 Thomas L. Constable, published by Sonic Light, www.soniclight.com 2 Table of Contents Preface.....................................................................................................................4 Chapter 1 What Prayer Is.....................................................................................6 Chapter 2 A Prayer Tool Kit ................................................................................8 Questioning God ............................................................................................8 Asking for Ourselves ...................................................................................11 Asking for Others.........................................................................................12 Conversing with God ...................................................................................15 “I Confess”...................................................................................................17 Praising the Lord..........................................................................................23 Giving Thanks in Everything.......................................................................24 Complaining to God.....................................................................................26 Chapter 3 The Place of Prayer in Christianity .................................................28 Counterfeit prayers ......................................................................................29 Wishing ............................................................................................29 Glorying ...........................................................................................30 Woes.................................................................................................31 Swearing...........................................................................................31 Prayer's frequent companions ......................................................................32 Sacrificing ........................................................................................33 Burning Incense................................................................................34 Pouring Water ..................................................................................35 Casting Lots......................................................................................35 Imposing Hands................................................................................36 Dedicating ........................................................................................37 Repenting .........................................................................................38 Fasting ..............................................................................................39 Watching ..........................................................................................42 Reading Scripture .............................................................................43 Singing .............................................................................................43 Practices that include prayer ........................................................................45 Worshipping .....................................................................................45 Vowing .............................................................................................48 Requesting Signs ..............................................................................50 Chapter 4 The Progressive Revelation of Prayer..............................................53 Prayer in Early Human History ...................................................................54 Prayer in Israel before the Monarchy ..........................................................60 Prayer during the Monarchy ........................................................................66 Prayer in the Exilic and Postexilic Period ...................................................69 3 Prayer during the Life of Christ...................................................................70 The Lord's Prayer .............................................................................73 The Teaching about God's Desire to Bless.......................................78 Jesus' Encouragement to Pray ..........................................................80 Jesus' Teaching about Humility........................................................82 The Upper Room Discourse.............................................................82 Jesus' High Priestly Prayer ...............................................................84 Other Instruction about Prayer from Jesus .......................................85 Prayer in the Church ....................................................................................86 Luke..................................................................................................86 Paul...................................................................................................87 The Writer of Hebrews.....................................................................88 James ................................................................................................88 Peter..................................................................................................89 John ..................................................................................................89 Jude...................................................................................................90 Prayer in the Future......................................................................................92 Summary......................................................................................................93 Chapter 5 Theological Difficulties......................................................................94 What the Bible Says about Man and Prayer ................................................95 Prayer and Human Sinfulness ..........................................................95 Intercession and Human Freedom....................................................96 What the Bible Says about God and Prayer.................................................98 The Love of God and Petitions ........................................................98 God's Immutability and Asking......................................................100 Divine Omniscience and Prayer .....................................................101 What the Bible Says about God's Control of Human Events ....................102 Chapter 6 Unanswered Prayer .........................................................................105 Improper Attitudes.....................................................................................105 Improper Actions .......................................................................................112 God's Viewpoint ........................................................................................114 Conditions for Answered Prayer................................................................117 Select Bibliography ............................................................................................123 4 Preface All my life I have had questions about prayer. Prayer and Bible study have been two of my primary interests most of my life thanks to the influence of Godly parents, a good home church, and certain influential friends and teachers. When I was scrounging around for a subject on which to write a doctoral dissertation at Dallas Theological Seminary, what the Bible teaches about prayer seemed an obvious choice. I wanted a subject that would keep me in the Scriptures and would keep my interest since it would be a major study project. For over a year I went through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, studying all the references to prayer as I came to them. Then I read all the books on the subject that I thought would be helpful and finally wrote up the project. It proved tremendously profitable to me personally. I found that the Bible teaching on prayer is completely self-consistent. Even though I discovered that the answers to some of my questions are probably unknowable, due to the limits of God's revelation and my understanding, what God has revealed in the Bible about prayer makes sense. This study did not satisfy my interest in the subject of prayer as I initially thought it would. Rather it fueled that interest. Since then, about 25 years ago, I have continued to read books on prayer that have caught my attention. I have not attempted to read everything published on the subject. That would be impossible for me to do, and it would absorb the time of just about any person who attempted such a Herculean task since the volume of literature on prayer is overwhelming. For over twenty years now I have also taught courses on prayer at Dallas Seminary. My students and I have studied what the Bible teaches on prayer, how saints through church history have prayed, and how prayer relates to the Christian life and to Christian ministry. Students have shown great interest in these courses, for which I am grateful to God and to them. Some of the most motivated students have been Doctor of Ministry students, people who have been in ministry for many years and who see the importance of prayer, want to learn more about it, and want to do it better. I do not consider myself a master of this subject or of the practice of prayer by any means. However, I do believe that an understanding of what the Bible teaches about prayer will not only enable any person to pray better, but it will also motivate him or her to pray more. That has been my experience and the experience of my fellow students of prayer. There are many different approaches to prayer that writers on this subject have taken. This book seeks to stress what the Bible itself reveals about prayer. Thus it is a biblical theology of prayer, though the style is popular rather than academic. Hopefully people who want to know what the Bible says about prayer will find this little volume helpful and stimulating. 5 Many people have over the years encouraged me to put this material in print. My wife, Mary, has long wished that many other people could profit from it. One former student and very close friend, Rev. Terry Wood, gave me no rest until I submitted the manuscript for publication, and to Terry I owe a special debt of thanks. My desire is that God will use this small contribution to the already huge library of books on prayer to bring help to many people who have questions about prayer, problems with prayer, or who just want to understand prayer better. Thomas L. Constable 6 Chapter 1 What Prayer Is Most people think of prayer as a way to contact God. Consequently they practice prayer more or less frequently regardless of the religious label they attach to themselves. In a cartoon I saw some time ago, a little boy asked his atheist parents, "Do you think God knows we don't believe in Him?" Instinctively people believe in God. They have to convince themselves that He does not exist. Instinctively people pray to God too. Paul Harvey, the news commentator, reported that when Madeline Murray O'Hare heard that someone had tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II in May of 1981, she exclaimed, "Oh, God!" Christians have a special interest in prayer. We believe it is a way to contact the true God who has revealed Himself in love and who has spoken to us already in His Word, the Bible. The two biblical characters who had most to say on the subject of prayer were Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, the two foremost Christian leaders. The volume of literature available on the subject of prayer testifies to the popularity of this practice. On the average, about two new books on prayer appear each month on the shelves of bookstores in America. Some of these are scientific studies that investigate prayer philosophically or psychologically. The largest group consists of devotional books that urge us to pray more. Comparatively few books, like this one, deal with the subject theologically. That is, they seek to set forth what the Bible teaches about prayer. Prayers and references to prayer appear in sixty-two of the sixty-six books of the Bible, all except the Song of Solomon, Obadiah, Haggai, and 2 John. Several Bible books give considerable attention to prayer: Genesis, Numbers, Judges, Matthew, Luke, Acts, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, James, and 1 Peter. The Book of Psalms stands in a class by itself since it is a book of prayers. Generally speaking the Old Testament contains more information about prayer, and the New Testament stresses the importance of prayer. 7 The Bible presents God as a person who has communicated with us and who invites us to communicate with Him. Since God is the sovereign Creator and we are finite creatures, we need to know what He has revealed about how we can and should communicate with Him. The Christian's relationship to his or her heavenly Father is by definition the most important one that we enjoy. Therefore it is essential that we know how to communicate with God acceptably and effectively. There is no verse in the Bible that gives us a definition of prayer per se. Consequently we must discover what it is by examining the prayers and references to prayer in the Bible if we want a biblical definition. Essentially prayer is talking to God. It is expressing our thoughts and feelings to deity. In almost every prayer recorded or referred to in the Bible, the true God is the person addressed in prayer (2 Chron. 6:14; Eph. 3:14). In a few instances, a person prayed to a false god, an idol (Isa. 45:20). So the word "prayer" refers specifically to speech addressed to a being regarded as deity by the person praying. Moreover the Bible limits prayer to human speech godward. There is no indication in Scripture that animals pray to God. The biblical writers did not describe angelic speech to God as prayer, though it may be. Furthermore the word always refers to our words to God and never to His words to us. The Bible does not use the term "prayer" to describe divine human dialogue either. It uses it specifically to refer to our words to God. His words to us are something other than prayer: revelation, answer, response, etc. Several different Hebrew and Greek words, from the oldest Old and New Testament documents, translate as "prayer" in our English versions. They refer to general or specific types of speech directed to God. Generally "prayer" refers to any and every expression of our thoughts and feelings to God, audible or inaudible. Specifically the word refers to petitions or requests of God (James 5:13-18). We find both uses of the word in Scripture. From this brief introduction to prayer, we will move into a more detailed study of the different types of prayer that the Bible presents. 8 Chapter 2 A Prayer Tool Kit My father was an avid do-it-yourselfer. Almost every Saturday he would work on some project around our house. Sometimes he would repair something that had broken or build something new. I would often help him during my elementary and high school years. We enjoyed working together. One of his do-it-yourself maxims was, "The right tool makes any job easier." As you can imagine, he had a lot of tools. Prayers are similar to tools. They enable us to do work with God. Just as there are many different kinds of tools, so there are many varieties of prayers. Identifying the different spiritual tools that God has given us to work with is essential before we can select the right one and use it to serve a particular function. In this chapter we want to look into God's toolbox, the Bible, to observe and examine the various kinds of prayer. We can divide all prayers into two groups, those in which we ask God for something and those in which we tell Him something. As human beings our spoken communication is divisible into these two aspects as well. We ask questions, and we make affirmations. Some people have very inquisitive minds. They want to know what makes things tick. Children often wear us out with their endless whys. Other people ask fewer questions. Their side of a conversation tends to consist of more statements and fewer questions. As we have noted in the preceding chapter, prayer is the label that the Bible puts on our communication with God. We ask God things, and we tell Him things. Our prayers are our verbal tools that we use to get things done with God. Questioning God According to the Bible God is a person who has infinite knowledge and wisdom. He knows how everything began and how it will all end. He knows what works best in human life, and He wants people to experience what is best. It is natural, therefore, that 9 we should ask God questions. This is precisely what we find happening in the selective record of human history that the Bible contains. People asked God many questions. In the Bible we read of people asking God for information on a wide variety of subjects, as wide as their interests. For example, one of the psalmists, probably David, asked God why the nations were in turmoil (Ps. 2:1). Joshua asked God why He had brought the Israelites across the Jordan River miraculously only to allow them to fall before their enemies (Josh. 7:7-9). David often asked God if he should take a particular course of military action (2 Sam. 2:1, etc.). Job pled with God to identify his sin, sin that he could not identify himself (Job. 7:11-21). One of the psalmists wanted to know why God would not respond to his prayers when everything around him seemed to be falling apart (Ps. 10:1-2). The Apostle Paul asked God who the Person was who appeared to him on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:5). These are some types of questions that biblical characters asked God in prayer. We can learn what to expect when we ask God for information by noting how God responded to questions in prayer. Interestingly God often answered these prayers by giving special revelation. In the early history of humankind, God revealed Himself through visions, dreams, and in direct encounters (Num. 12:6-8). He often communicated answers to people's questions directly to the individuals who prayed. As history unfolded and people had the benefit of divine revelation that stood written in black on white, His direct answers to questions voiced in prayer became increasingly uncommon. He had previously answered them. Frequently the answers to the questions that we pray today stand revealed in Scripture already. We do not need new answers. We just need to find the answers that God has already given. This is especially true when we want information about God's major plans and purposes, why important things are happening as they are, and how things are going to turn out ultimately. When we want information that will affect specific choices that we must make, God has also revealed how to obtain those answers. Essentially He has told us to make those decisions in dependence on Himself and by applying the wise precepts and the examples that He has recorded for us in the Bible (Prov. 3:5-6). The Holy Spirit enables us to make wise choices when we seek to live in the light of what God has revealed. An 10 audible voice giving guidance was necessary when our forefathers lacked the full revelation that we enjoy in Scripture. However, we have a better guidance system that helps us avoid the ambiguity that people face when they hear voices today. People who hear voices have to ask further questions? Was that the voice of God, or was Satan speaking to me, or am I going crazy? Today the Holy Spirit guides disciples of Jesus into the truth by illuminating the truth that God has given us in Scripture (John 14:23-26). In the history of God's dealings with mankind that Scripture records, it is interesting that the clarity of God's guidance was proportionate to the importance of the decision the person praying faced. For example, God's directions to Adam and Eve about their responsibilities as the ancestors of the human race were crystal clear to them (Gen. 1:28-30; 2:16-17). His instructions to righteous Noah were unmistakable because they would affect all of mankind from then on (Gen. 6:13-21; 7:1-4; et al.). Likewise His promises to Abraham about His using that patriarch and his descendents to be a special channel of blessing for all humanity were obvious (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15; et al.). When Abraham's servant went back to Paddan-aram, the old country, to secure a bride for his master's son, God's guidance to Rebekah was clear. It would be through Isaac and his wife that God would fulfill those promises. God may not grant every young man seeking His will concerning a life partner such clear guidance. It would not be wise for a young man wanting God's guidance in choosing a mate to ask God to lead the woman of His choice to offer to fill up his gas tank. Rebekah offered to water the servant's camels, but that marriage had special significance in view of God's stated plans. The consequences of a mate choice for most people today, though certainly important, may not be as significant as the choice of a wife for Abraham's heir was. The more important a decision is, from God's viewpoint, the more definite His guidance is. Sincere Christians want to please God in all their decisions, but realistically not all our decisions are equally important. Therefore God gives us no special guidance in the multitude of small decisions that we make daily, such as which socks to wear today. These decisions are up to us. By observing God's responses to prayers of inquiry in the Bible, we learn that God never rebukes the sincere questions of believers when they struggle to trust Him. 11 God is patient with people who have questions and bring their problems to Him for help. He also gave specific answers to specific questions in many cases, not unsatisfying and frustrating general answers. He treats people's prayers of inquiry seriously even when they do not articulate very serious problems. He does not brush us off. However, God may not answer immediately or as soon as we might want (Job 7:11-12). Moreover sometimes no answer is His answer. Frequently God has already given the answers to our inquiries, and we can find them by searching the Scriptures (Ps. 144:3; cf. John 5:39). Asking for Ourselves Some sincere Christians believe that it is selfish and not very trusting to ask God to give us anything. Some believe that praying for personal needs is more a mark of unbelief than of trust in God. After all, since God loves us perfectly will He not do what is best for us? Such an attitude may superficially sound very spiritual. However, it contradicts Jesus' clear teaching that God's children should ask Him for their needs (Matt. 6:11; Luke 11:1-4). It also ignores James' statement that we do not have some things from God because we do not ask Him for them (James 4:2). God not only encourages us to ask Him for what we need, but He commands us to do so. Evidently He does so to teach us to look to Him for our needs since He is our provider. God's responses to personal petitions teach us what we can expect when we pray this way. Sometimes God granted the request, but sometimes He did not. Sometimes He waited to give an answer. We shall investigate the conditions we need to meet for securing favorable answers to our prayers in a later chapter. For now, appreciate that often God graciously gives what we request for ourselves. Jesus told his disciples the parable of the persistent friend to help them realize that God will always give what is best to His children who ask Him in prayer (Luke 11:5-13). A friend may eventually give his neighbor what he needs because he is his friend. However, God is our Father, and a good father always gives his children what is best for 12 them at the best time. Therefore we should keep on asking in prayer, keep on seeking God's face, and keep on knocking on heaven's door. Fortunately God does not grant every one of our requests just because we ask. Sometimes we make foolish petitions. Moses once asked God to kill him because he felt discouraged (Num. 11:15). Fortunately God understands our situation and gives us what is best. Sometimes when old people pray for longer life God takes them home to heaven. If He does, that is best for them then. Asking for Others Intercessory prayer is prayer that we offer for someone other than ourselves. We act as a priest and stand between God and another person seeking to influence God with our words when we intercede in prayer. Essentially we can pray one of two things for another person. We can ask God to bless that person or to curse him or her. Jesus taught His disciples to bless their enemies (Matt. 5:44). Paul taught us to pray for all the saints (Eph. 6:18; cf. James 5:16) and for all people, specifically for governmental rulers (1 Tim. 2:1-2). God wants us to ask Him to bring blessing on everyone. He will not do this as much if we refrain from interceding (James 4:2). In view of Jesus' and Paul's teaching that we should bless our enemies (Luke 6:27-28; Rom. 12:14), how can we understand instances of people in the Bible praying that God would curse others? These are the imprecatory prayers that appear mainly in the Old Testament (e.g., Num. 10:35; Judg. 5:31; Ps. 28:3-5; Jer. 11:20; et al.). Should Jesus' followers not emulate His example as He hung on the cross and prayed for His Father to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34; cf. Acts 7:60)? Should we follow the example of the Old Testament saints or Jesus? There are several factors that are helpful to remember as we consider the problem of imprecatory prayer. First, we need to note that under the Mosaic economy one of God's primary purposes was to demonstrate His holiness and justice (Ps. 79:10-13; Ezek. 28:22). Consequently it was appropriate for Old Testament saints to ask God to do this by 13 judging sinners immediately (Ps. 144:5-7). God ordained holy war when the Israelites entered the Promised Land to judge sin in the Canaanites who then occupied the land (Deut. 7:24-25; Isa. 26:15). It was God's will for the Israelites to occupy that land then. It was therefore appropriate for them to ask Him to destroy their enemies (Exod. 14:25-31; Dan. 5:30). God's purpose is different in the present age. Now He is demonstrating His love and grace primarily (John 1:17). Therefore typical prayers in the New Testament call on God to show mercy to sinners and to save them (Acts 7:60; Rom. 10:1; cf. 2 Pet. 3:9). "Not until the supreme exhibition of God's displeasure at sin, demonstrated by the death of His Son upon the cross, was it possible for the believer to wait patiently while God's longsuffering permitted the wicked to enjoy his temporary success. Nor was the longsuffering of God properly understood until Jesus came to earth to teach His love to men." (Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Survey of Old Testament Introduction, p. 453) Remember too that God inspired some of the imprecations that stand recorded in Scripture. God inspired all Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16), but He did not inspire everything the biblical writers recorded such as lies, murders, and other sins. Some of the imprecations in the Psalms, for example, were part of the prayers that God inspired the psalmists to pray and to record. This does not mean that their imprecations are models that we should reproduce. They were God's will and appropriate for them to pray then, but His will for us now is different. The motive of the person praying was significant in biblical imprecatory prayers. The appropriate ones did not arise out of a spirit of personal vengefulness. Rather, hatred of sin and a desire for God's glory usually moved Old Testament saints to pray this way (Ps. 5:10-11; 21:10-11; 139:19-22; cf. 2 Sam. 1:19-27). Some of the imprecatory prayers in the Bible were prophecies (Ps. 137:8-9; cf. Isa. 13:16). They were God-given predictions of what He would do expressed in prayer. Sometimes there were conditions understood, if not stated, allowing for a change if the people repented We also need to remember that in the ancient Near East the language of expression tended to be more intense, emphatic, and emotional that it is in the modern 14 West. Hyperbole was quite common. To modern western ears these expressions of strong feeling seem even stronger than they did to ancient eastern ears. As history unfolded and as revelation progressed, God revealed more and more about how he would punish the wicked and balance the scales of justice. We can know more about this by reading our Bibles than Job or David knew, for example. Consequently we should feel less anxiety about God vindicating Himself by punishing the wicked than those who called on God to do that in ancient times did. To put the problem in perspective we need to remember that even in the Old Testament we have relatively few prayers of imprecation. There are only about sixty-five verses that contain them. I have not found any examples of true imprecatory prayers in the New Testament books dealing with the church age. Some expressions that may appear to be imprecatory prayers are really pious wishes (1 Cor. 16:22; Gal. 1:8-9; 5:12; 2 Tim. 4:14). Prayers are statements addressed to God, but pious wishes are statements addressed to no one in particular. During the future tribulation period that is coming on the earth, believers who have died as martyrs will call on God to avenge them (Rev. 6:9-10). These prayers are not exactly the same as the prayers of saints alive on the earth. They are, therefore, not examples of imprecations in the usual sense of that term. Returning to the general subject of intercession we must point out that these prayers have moved God to act in remarkable ways according to the biblical record. When Moses interceded for the Israelites in their battle with the Amalekites, God's people prevailed over their enemies (Exod. 17:11). Moses' intercession moved God to be merciful to the Israelites after they had apostitized and built the golden calf (Exod. 32:1014) and when they rebelled at Kadesh Barnea (Num. 14:13). Moses was a model intercessor and a great example of a faithful leader. His outstanding ministry included frequent prayer for those under his authority. Samuel was also a notable intercessor (1 Sam. 7:9-10; 12:17-18; cf. Jer. 15:1). The historical and prophetical books of the Old Testament contain many examples of intercessory prayers. Of course, the Psalter is full of intercession. Paul's 15 writings also abound with them as do the other New Testament epistles, though Paul's prayers are more numerous than those of the other New Testament writers. Jesus Christ's present ministry today is mainly intercessory. He prays for believers from heaven (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). Theologically Jesus' intercessory ministry involves His praying that prevents our falling before temptation and our failing because of weakness. His advocate ministry consists of pleading our case with the Father after we sin (1 John 2:1). Nevertheless both types of praying involve intercessory prayer. The Holy Spirit also intercedes for Christians (Rom. 8:26-27). He articulates our deepest feelings to the Father when we struggle to express ourselves. Even when we cannot express how we feel the Holy Spirit knows and translates those feelings into prayers that the Father understands. The answers to intercessory prayers that God has recorded in His Word indicate that we can move God to affect some changes in people and in circumstances through prayer. These changes are objective; they are real and not just changes that He makes in us as we pray. The fact that Jesus is interceding for His own now should help us to appreciate that intercession can be effective. Moreover God commands us to intercede for others (1 Tim. 2:1-4). Conversing with God Frequently when people pray they enter into simple conversation with God. I do not mean that God responds to them audibly or that God's response is part of prayer. As we noted in the last chapter, prayer as the Bible uses that term describes only our words to God, not His response to us. By simple conversation I mean to exclude the specific subjects of prayer that the writers of Scripture have designated with special words: confession, complaint, praise, and thanksgiving. We are now moving into the second basic type of prayer namely prayers in which we tell God something rather than ask Him for something. Let's consider this general narrative prayer first, the kind in which we simply tell God something in a conversational way. In normal interpersonal communication we sometimes initiate a conversation or make an unsolicited statement, a report-like comment. At other times we respond 16 verbally to someone else's initiative by making a reply or a response. We find examples of both kinds of narrative prayer in the Bible. Often throughout history, as the Bible records it, people laid certain facts before the Lord in prayer as a servant would explain a situation to his or her master (1 Sam. 8:21; Ezek. 20:49). Frequently prayers of this type arose out of feelings of fear (1 Sam. 16:2; Acts 9:13-14) or pain (Job 7:11-21). People who prayed this way wanted to let God know just how they were feeling. Of course, God always knows exactly how we feel about our situation in life because He knows all things and has compassion for every human being. Nevertheless verbalizing these feelings to God in prayer gives us a measure of relief (Phil. 4:6-7). Sometimes when I come home from work I want to tell Mary that I feel good or bad even though she can often sense this without my saying a word. Yet articulating my feelings helps me, and it gives both of us a sense that we are sharing life as partners. It improves my feelings, and it strengthens our fellowship. Of course, she does the same to me. Likewise this is the effect of our pouring our hearts out to God, our closest friend, partner, and Father. At other times something that God has said or done elicits a response from us in prayer. Praise and thanksgiving are two specific responses that we will consider later. Here we want to focus on prayer responses to something that God has said in His Word. Biblical personalities whose lives stand recorded in Scripture often told God that they had heard Him (1 Sam. 3:4; Acts 9:10). These are normal conversational reactions to the speech of someone who is addressing us. After a friend has told us something, we may respond, "I see what you mean," or "I hear you." This response is simply considerate conversation. It results in good rapport between the people talking. Similarly our verbal acknowledgment that we have heard and understood what God has said to us through His Word creates a sense of good fellowship (cf. 1 Sam. 3:9). Frequently in the Bible prayers of inquiry or petition follow prayers of response (e.g., Isa. 6:8-9). This is not unusual. The pattern is common in all interpersonal communication. 17 Report prayers appear in the biographical sections of Scripture, and they help us to appreciate a biblical character's interaction with God. Response prayers normally follow instances in which God revealed Himself to individuals or groups of people. God presents Himself in the Bible as being open and interested in hearing whatever concerns His children (James 5:13; 1 Pet. 5:7). He wants to hear whatever interests us, even the smallest, most insignificant details of our lives. Consequently we should feel free to unburden our hearts and tell God anything and everything. He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother. We can converse with Him casually and comfortably as we would with our most intimate acquaintance. Even though God already knows whatever we might tell Him before we tell Him, He still wants us to tell Him. This proves that God really does desire fellowship with us. Fellowship with God is one of the primary purposes of prayer. Family members who do not talk to each other enough develop problems in their relationship. Keeping the lines of communication open with God is also essential to a healthy spiritual relationship. In marriage communication is usually informal and unrehearsed, and it can be that way with our heavenly bridegroom too. There is definitely a subjective value to prayer. Verbalizing our thoughts and feelings gives us a sense of relief (Phil. 4:6-7). Discussing a particular situation with a friend affords this satisfaction between human beings. Prayer of this type can be similar to having a conversation with someone you love. “I Confess” One kind of narrative prayer that the Bible refers to frequently is confession. A prayer of confession is one in which we acknowledge to God that what we have done is contrary to His will. We admit to God that we have sinned. God does not expect us to identify and confess every sin of which we may be guilty. That would be impossible since we are aware of only some of our sins. We commit sins of omission as well as sins of commission; we fail to do things we should do as well as doing things that we should not do (James 4:17). We sin in our thoughts as 18 well as in our actions. Jesus taught that God regards a lustful look as equally contrary to His will as an adulterous act (Matt. 5:28). Unjustified anger is just as sinful as murder (Matt. 5:22). The consequences are different, but the acts are both sinful. We sin with our tongues as well as with our hands and feet (Matt. 5:22). Even failure to love God and our fellowman perfectly constitutes sin (Matt. 5:44-48). Sometimes we rationalize a situation in our minds without even being consciously aware that we are distorting the truth. John Calvin reportedly said that no one knows the hundredth part of the sin that clings unto his soul. To confess all the sins that we commit even in one day would be humanly impossible simply because we are unaware of most of them. I'm speaking about Christians as well as non-Christians (1 John 1:6-10). God does ask us, however, to confess any and every sin of which we are aware. He promises that when we do so He will cleanse us from the guilt of all our sins, not just those that we are aware of and confess (1 John 1:9). Jesus instructed His disciples to ask God to forgive their sins (Matt. 6:12; Luke 11:4). However, Paul taught that when a person trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior God forgives all his or her sins, past, present, and future (Rom. 8:1; cf. Rom. 5:1). How can we reconcile these two apparently conflicting revelations concerning our forgiveness? The Bible speaks about two kinds of forgiveness. There is the legal or forensic forgiveness that we experience when we become Christians. When we trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, God promises never to condemn us for our sins (Rom. 8:1). He will never reject us because His Son paid the penalty for our sins (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24). Consequently we will never have to pay that penalty. The new birth brings us into a new relationship with God. We become His children and enter His spiritual family. As saved sons of God we continue to sin because we still have a sinful human nature, we live in a sinful world, and Satan tempts us. Our sinning does not result in God disinheriting us, but it does result in our displeasing Him. In a human family when a child disobeys his parent he breaks fellowship within the family, but his father does not throw him out of the family. Likewise we do not lose our 19 salvation when we sin, but our fellowship with our Father suffers. Confession restores fellowship on both levels, the human and the divine. Suppose a judge had a teenage son who broke the law by speeding. The son comes before the judge and receives a guilty verdict and a fine. Because the judge is the young man's loving father he decides to pay his son's fine for him. This makes the son legally free and under no further obligation to the state. However when the son goes home that night he discovers that his dad has decided to ground him for a month for speeding. The legal responsibility had been met, but there were still obligations within the family that the son had to fulfill because of his act. Jesus Christ paid the legal obligation we owe God because of our sin, but we also have an obligation to the Father as members of His family. However, God graciously does not ask us to do anything more than confess our sins to make things right with Him. What does confession involve? The Greek word in the New Testament that the translators have rendered "confess" (homologeo) means to say the same thing, to acknowledge that what we have done is truly sinful. Some Christians find it impossible to believe that that is all that God requires even though the meaning of the Greek word is beyond dispute. They have added that there must be evidence of a change of behavior too or the confession is not genuine. However that is not what God said in His Word. He said that all we need to do is to acknowledge that what we have done or not done is a sin against God, to say the same thing about our sin that God says. Calling sin something else makes God a liar because He calls it sin (1 John 1:10). This is an extremely serious thing to do. Confessing does not mean just pasting the sin label on our sin, however. To say the same thing about our sin as God does involves assuming His attitude toward it too. Unfortunately the way other people have dealt with us in the past colors our understanding of how God deals with us. Many people cannot accept God's gracious forgiveness because they have never or rarely experienced that kind of treatment at the hands of other people. That is why it is so important that we believe what God has said in His Word. Obtaining forgiveness for simply confessing without doing penance seems too 20 good to be true to some Christians, but God says it is true. All we have to do to experience restoration to fellowship with God is agree that we have sinned against God. When we do that, our Father will forgive us those sins and he will cleanse us from all our unrighteousness, even the sins of which we are unaware. Just as children prefer to cover up their mistakes, so we all hate to admit that we have done wrong. One of the ways that we try to cover up is to disguise our sins. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer was walking down a street in Dallas, Texas one day with a man who believed in sinless perfection. This gentleman believed that once a person becomes a Christian he stops sinning. He was claiming to Dr. Chafer that he had not sinned since he had entered God's family. Suddenly a gust of wind caught his hat and blew it down the sidewalk ahead of the two men. The perfectionist's immediate reaction was to use the Lord's name in vain. When he had recovered his hat, Dr. Chafer said to him, "I thought you told me that you had not sinned since you became a Christian. What do you call using the Lord's name in vain?" "Oh, that wasn't a sin," his companion responded. "That was just a mistake." One common way that we avoid confessing—viewing sin as God views it—is to call it something else like a mistake, or a white lie, or a blunder. When we do that, we deceive ourselves, not God, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). God calls sin sin. Children who refuse to admit that what they have done is disobedience do not enjoy restoration to family fellowship. On the one hand obtaining forgiveness is very easy, but on the other it is painfully difficult. It involves humbling ourselves, and that is never easy for proud human beings such as ourselves. When we say the same thing about our sin as God does, we are acknowledging that we have offended a holy God and are worthy of His wrath (Ps. 51:3-4; Jer. 3:13). When we rationalize our condition or behavior by giving it another name when it is really sin, we are not confessing but covering up. There are many examples of individuals confessing their sins to God in the Bible (e.g., Ps. 66:18). There are also several instances of groups of people doing this 21 corporately (Lev. 16:12, 31; Heb. 5:1, 4; 8:3). Great spiritual leaders of the past spoke for their contemporaries and confessed the sins of their people to God. Outstanding among these were Moses, David, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. The Apostle James wrote that we should confess our faults to one another (James 5:16). In view of the context, the faults he seems to have had in mind were offenses against other people that spoil interpersonal relationship and make worship together difficult if not impossible. We should acknowledge our sins against other people not only to God but to those individuals whom we have sinned against (Matt. 5:23-24). Failure to forgive others who have sinned against us will result in God not forgiving us (Matt. 6:1415). We can understand how this works when we think of healthy human family relations. If two children in a normal family have a fight, it affects their relationship with their parents as well as their relationship with each other. Their parents will not be content until the children confess and forgive each other. Child to child forgiveness is necessary before child to parent forgiveness can take place. Our horizontal relationships have to be right before our vertical relationship can be. Confession that God approved in the Bible was sometimes public (Acts 19:1819). How should we handle public confession? The Bible does not give specific instructions, but biblical examples and common sense provide some guidance. It is wise to limit the circle of confession to those whom the offense has affected. There is no value in publicly confessing a sin in the hearing of those who have had no part in it or who are unaffected by it. Doing so sometimes does more harm than good. The Christian man who confesses in a church meeting that he has been secretly lusting after his neighbor's wife is going beyond what God requires. Since the sin was in his heart and only God knew about it he should confess it only to God. The Christian woman who confesses publicly that she has cheated on her husband also has gone too far. She need only confess her sin to God, her husband, and the other man assuming they were the only people affected by the sin. The pastor who confesses that he has been embezzling funds from the church treasury should confess his sin to his congregation as well as to God since he has sinned against all of them. But there is no reason he should take out an ad in his local newspaper to announce 22 his sin. Publicizing sin beyond the circle of the affected brings reproach on the church and the Lord. How can we become more sensitive to sin in our lives so we can confess when we need to? It is interesting that some revelation from God or some greater insight into God's character usually triggered the instances of confession that God recorded in the Bible (Job 40:4-5). When we get to know God better and gain a deeper appreciation for His holiness, our own lives look sinful in comparison. This perspective produces conviction and confession (Isa. 6:5). Confessing our sins is one way that we praise God. We glorify Him by acknowledging that we have fallen short of His perfection (Josh. 7:19; Ezra 10:11). This constitutes testimony that He is holy. There are many examples of this kind of praying in the Bible. The Bible books in which apostasy abounds are especially full of prayers of confession. The historical and prophetical books of the Old Testament record many such prayers in the life of ancient Israel. The prayers of confession in Scripture teach us the great breadth of God's grace. He pardons every sin that His people confess, and He cleanses from all unrighteousness. Many people suffer under feelings of true guilt that they could remove if they would only confess their sins and believe God's promises of forgiveness (e.g., 1 John 1:9). Some extremely sensitive Christians suffer under feelings of false guilt; they are not really guilty before God, but they think they are. These dear people do not need to confess, but they do need to believe God's promises of forgiveness and to learn what is and what is not sin. Even though God removes the guilt of our sins when we confess them, He does not usually remove all their consequences. David is a typical example. God forgave him for committing adultery with Bathsheba and for murdering her husband Uriah. David did not die immediately. Nevertheless many bad consequences followed those sins. The child that Bathsheba conceived died, and adultery and murder plagued David's family and kingdom from then on. We should never conclude that it is all right to sin since we can 23 obtain forgiveness from God just by confessing. Consequences will inevitably follow (Rom. 6:23). The man or woman who thinks, "I will be unfaithful to my mate and then confess my sin and receive forgiveness," is not really taking the same view of sin as God. This is not true confession. Such a person should not expect forgiveness and should expect consequences to follow that are God's punishment for deliberate sin. Praising the Lord We speak about praising and thanking God as almost synonymous terms in popular English conversation. However the Bible uses these words more specifically. Praise refers to our positive responses to the revelation of God's person that He has given in nature and in Scripture. Thanksgiving on the other hand describes our positive reaction to God's works. The Book of Psalms contains more prayers of praise than any other portion of Scripture though these prayers are very common throughout God's Word. The Israelites frequently praised God in public worship (e.g., 2 Chron. 29:28-30) as well as privately. Likewise expressions of praise to God are common in Acts, the epistles, and in Revelation. The better people came to know God as He progressively revealed Himself through history the more mature their prayers of praise became. The most majestic and glorious praise of God occurs in the Book of Revelation where saints who will be in God's presence in the future express their praise of Him for who He has proved Himself to be throughout history. The particular aspects of God's character for which people praised Him in Scripture include His goodness, His loyal love or lovingkindness, His faithfulness to His promises, His power, His eternality, His holiness, His wisdom, His truthfulness, His omnipresence, and His compassion. Frequently people praised the name of God. The name in ancient Near Eastern thought represented everything about the person who bore it. It was roughly equivalent to that person's reputation. Therefore when we read that the name of God was the focus of 24 praise, it was the person of God as He has revealed Himself that is the object of that praise. The more we know about God and the better we know Him personally the more mature our praise will be. Children often reflect their concept of God by the way they pray. Recently a four-year-old friend of mine prayed that God would keep a police officer who attends our church safe. This boy has learned to appreciate God as a strong defender who is able to protect the vulnerable. As adults we too betray our understanding of God by how we praise Him. One way to grow in our appreciation of the greatness of God's person is to look for His personal characteristics as we read His Word. These come through in direct teaching about God, but they are also obvious in His actions as He has revealed these through history and in our own experience. When we contemplate God, our normal reaction will be to praise Him. Lack of praise in our praying may indicate a lack of appreciation for His person or a shallow understanding of His character. If we want to cultivate our praise of God, we should get to know Him better and review His characteristics that we already appreciate. It is very important that we get our information about God from His selfrevelation in Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21). We tend to make God in our own image, as the Greeks did who viewed their gods as human beings blown up into superhuman proportions, warts and all. We could never imagine that the true God is the type of person that He has revealed Himself to be if we just sat down to figure out on our own what God is like. This is one reason that God has glorified His Word above His name (Ps. 138:2). His Word contains an articulate and complete revelation of His person. Giving Thanks in Everything In praise we focus on God's person, but in thanksgiving we express a positive reaction to what God has done, His works. Prayers of thanksgiving express gratitude to God for favors, benefits, and mercies that He provides. Notwithstanding in biblical prayers of thanksgiving God Himself, not just His blessings, is primary in the mind of the person praying. What He has done or given is the focus of the prayer, but the giver is more important than the gift. 25 Another biblical term that means the same thing as thanking God is "blessing" Him (Deut. 8:10; 1 Chron. 29:10-19; Matt. 26:26-27; John 6:11). In prayers that bless God, the person praying thanks Him for something that He has done. This is a different use of the word "bless" than what occurs when in intercessory prayer we ask God to bless someone. Then we mean that we want God to deal with the objects of our concern in a positive way, to pour out His goodness on them. When God is the person we bless in prayer, what we are saying is that we praise God as a response to some goodness that He has granted. There are few prayers of thanksgiving in the Pentateuch and the prophetical books of the Old Testament. There are many, however, in the historical books and the Psalms. The Pauline epistles abound with them. Typically Paul thanked God for the people to whom he addressed his epistles, and then he prayed that God would give them something (e.g., Phil. 1:3-11). Paul thanked God for the spiritual vitality of the people to whom he wrote primarily (Rom. 1:8; 2 Cor. 8:11-16; Eph. 1:15-16; Col. 1:3-8; 1 Thess. 1:2-3). As is true of prayers of praise, throughout history thanksgiving increased in both number and fullness of expression with God's progressive self-revelation. As people became increasingly aware of God's great acts for them, they praised God more. Thanksgiving burst into full flower following the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57). That great victory gave assurance to all people that Jesus Christ's sacrifice fully satisfied God's demands against sinful humanity. Probably the two greatest themes of thanksgiving are creation (Rev. 4) and redemption (Rev. 5). However all of God's activities have furnished the raw materials out of which people have fashioned their prayers of thanksgiving (Gen. 24:26-27; 2 Sam. 22:29-46; Ps. 9:3-6; 116; 118; Acts 28:15; 1 Cor. 1:4-9; 2 Cor. 4:15; Eph. 1:3-14; 1 Tim. 4:4-5; 1 Pet. 1:3-12). Both physical and spiritual provisions are the subjects of thanksgiving prayers the former being more common in the Old Testament and the latter more common in the New. Thanksgiving glorifies God (Ps. 50:23; Luke 17:11-19; Rom. 1:21). Therefore we should express our gratitude to God in prayer. Furthermore God has commanded Christians to thank Him always (Col. 3:15; 4:2-4; Heb. 13:15) in every circumstance 26 (Phil. 4:6-7; 1 Thess. 5:16-18) and for all things (Eph. 5:20). We can do this sincerely because God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). Thanksgiving is also a mark of spiritual vitality (Col. 2:6-7) whereas the absence of thanksgiving indicates a spiritual deficiency. Complaining to God Prayers of praise and thanksgiving express positive reactions to God's person and performance. There are also quite a few prayers in Scripture that express negative reactions to Him. Usually biblical prayers of complaint accused God or blamed Him because of some situation that the person praying regarded as bad (Exod. 5:22-23; Job 10:3-6; Ps. 42:9-10; Jer. 4:10). Sometimes the complaint sounds more like self-pity than accusation (1 Kings 19:14). Nevertheless these were definitely prayers to God, not just soliloquies. Many of God's choice servants complained to Him in prayer including Moses, Elijah, Job, David, Jeremiah, and Jonah. Frustration, discouragement, loneliness, worries, anger, and impatience caused them to complain. How did God respond when our spiritual forefathers complained to Him? His responses are very illuminating and encouraging. Characteristically He reacted with patient understanding. He understands when suffering saints chafe. He did not kick these complainers when they were down. He understands our true feelings even better than we do (Rom. 8:26). He does not punish us when we speak rashly because we feel uncomfortable. He treats us tenderly, as a loving and understanding father treats His distressed and unhappy children. We can learn how to get through an uncomfortable situation that provokes complaints by noting the testimonies of biblical characters who finally emerged from their slough of despond. We need to keep God in view rather than turning from Him in such situations. Job maintained his sanity during his monumental trials by talking to God and about God. He kept turning back to God rather than away from Him. David said that 27 when he went into the Lord's presence the hatred that he felt in his heart melted away (Ps. 73:3-17). Many people tend to turn away from God when they experience discomfort. This is exactly the opposite reaction to the one that provided healing for many of God's people in the Bible. Rather than dropping out of church we need to go there when we feel badly. Rather than stopping praying because we feel we should not complain to God we should honestly tell Him how we feel. God's reactions to prayers of complaint in Scripture encourage us to believe that we never need fear telling God whatever is on our hearts. God is not looking for an opportunity to punish us. He desires to bless us. Being honest with God in prayer is the fastest and best way to begin to deal with our disappointments. If we cover them up or deny them, God has to discipline us first to get us back into fellowship with Himself. However if we are open with Him, He needs only to deal with our handling of whatever situation has caused us to complain. As we have seen in this chapter, prayer is a relational exercise. We communicate with another Person in prayer. I believe that God created the family with its interrelationships at least partially to help us understand our relationship with Himself. Jesus revealed that God relates to His disciples as a good father relates to his children (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:2). We can learn much about what God wants and how He will respond as we think about the ideal father. Scriptural revelation promotes this analogy. We can ask God for information and ask Him to give us and others the things that we need and want. We can tell Him whatever is on our minds. We can and should confess our sins to Him. We should praise Him for His matchless character and thank Him for His gracious conduct. We can even complain to Him knowing that He will understand and at the proper time heal our hurts. 28 Chapter 3 The Place of Prayer in Christianity Jessica just began collecting postage stamps as a hobby. Her parents had given her a modest stamp album, and she had accumulated several dozen stamps. One afternoon she sat down with her stamps and her album intending to put her treasures neatly in their appropriate places in their new home. Immediately she realized that to get them organized and to put them in their proper places she needed to look carefully at the stamps to distinguish them from each other. She had a particular interest in United States stamps. So the first thing she had to do was to separate U.S. stamps from the others and from the many different types of stickers that also filled the shoe box that was their temporary home. To her surprise she discovered that there were some stamps that looked very much like U.S. stamps but were not. She also discovered that bits of envelopes stuck to some of the stamps, and she had to remove them carefully. In some cases the cancellation marks almost obliterated the stamp itself. She had to use a magnifying glass to determine what the stamp looked like before the post office cancelled it so she could position it in her album. In studying what the Bible teaches about prayer it is also very important to distinguish prayer from other religious practices. Some of these practices appear to be prayer but really are not. Many ordinary stickers look like postage stamps, but they are quite different. Other spiritual practices go hand in hand with prayer but are not prayer, as cancellation markings on a stamp sometimes distort its true image. Still other religious practices contain prayer within them. They are similar to bits of envelope that have a stamp on it. Sometimes the extra paper makes the stamp appear to have a different size or shape. Christians need to understand prayer not just as a matter of curiosity, as we might admire a stamp collection. We need to be able to distinguish prayer from other religious practices so we can use it properly. In this respect prayers are more like coins than they are stamps. Our ability to identify what prayer is and what it is not has great practical value. 29 Counterfeit prayers As a Christian reads his or her Bible, one runs across certain practices that look very much like prayer. We ask ourselves, "Is this prayer, or something else?" It is important for us to identify phony prayer because if we do not do so our understanding of prayer will be inaccurate and we may not pray as we should. Wishing One practice that looks remarkably like prayer and that many people confuse with prayer is wishing. I can remember saying, "I wish I had a million dollars." Is that a prayer? Was the Apostle Paul praying when he wrote, "Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you" (1 Thess. 3:11)? When Job said, "Oh that I knew where I might find Him!" was that prayer? No, those statements are not prayers. The difference between praying and wishing is that in praying we address our communication specifically to God whereas in wishing we simply voice our desire. I do not mean that wishing is wrong and praying is right. They both have their place, but they are distinct practices. We often find it hard to distinguish wishes from prayers in the Bible because the person wishing may have God in view even though God is not being addressed. Also a person may tell God in prayer what he wishes or may request that God grant a wish (desire or craving). A person may share a desire with another person that he has previously expressed to God in prayer. The key to the difference between prayers and wishes—and sometimes they are very pious wishes—is the person addressed. Communication to God constitutes prayer, but reflective statements made generally or wishes expressed to another person, or even to no one in particular, are not prayers. That is, the Bible never identifies them as prayers. Perhaps the most obvious identifying characteristic in a wish in the Bible is the presence of "may," the optative verb tense. However this verb usually needs supplying since it is often assumed in a wish (e.g., Rom. 15:5-6; 1 Pet. 5:14). Many of the salutations in the New Testament epistles are pious wishes (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2) 30 as are many of the invocations and benedictions. Probably the writer prayed at another time that God's grace and peace would rest upon his readers, but the salutation itself that he wrote is not a prayer. It is the expression of a wish since it does not call on God to grant these graces. This may seem like a fine point, and in a sense it is, but this distinction helps us to understand what prayer is and what it is not. The phrase "blessed is" describes God or someone else. The phrase "blessed be" is part of a wish (Gen. 9:26; Matt. 5:3-11). In the Old Testament the name of God is often present in the wish: "God forbid . . ." (1 Sam. 24:6), "God judge . . ." (1 Sam. 24:12), "God add . . ." (2 Sam. 24:3). In the Pauline Epistles grace and peace are the most common subjects of prayerful wishes (Eph. 1:2; et al.). It is amazing that even though pious wishes are not prayers God often responded to them as though they were prayers (e.g., Job 19:23-24). God searches hearts and knows the desires from which prayers spring. Sometimes He graciously grants the desire of the heart even though the person desiring did not express the desire as a prayer to Him. Nevertheless He wants us to pray, and we do not have some things because we do not request them in prayer (James 4:2). Glorying Another practice that sometimes passes for prayer but is not is what I am going to call glorying. Glorying is the practice of uttering doxologies, expressions of praise and thanksgiving about God. Again the crucial difference between these statements and prayers is the person to whom we address them. In a doxology the person speaking talks about God is the third person (him or he) rather than addressing Him in the second person (you, thou, or thee). Doxologies in the Bible usually contain a reason the speaker is blessing God either in the statement itself or in the context of the statement (e.g., Exod. 18:10; Ps. 41:13). Some prayerful wishes closely resemble doxologies because they express the desire that God receive glory (2 Pet. 3:18; Rev. 5:13). However wishes hope that something will happen or be true while doxologies state that something has already happened or is already true. 31 God is the subject of biblical doxologies. The word means the word of praise, but biblical writers used it of praise spoken of God particularly. The person of God or the work of God is the focus of a doxology. In the Old Testament the acts of God are more frequently the subject of praise in doxologies whereas in the New Testament the emphasis shifts to His character. Public doxologies are more common in Scripture than private ones. Perhaps by their very nature doxologies lend themselves to public more than to private use. Prayer, on the other hand, is equally appropriate in public or in private. Woes A third practice of biblical religion that many people confuse with prayer is pronouncing woes. The word "woe" is an interjection that means "alas." Woes may be lamentations of one's own condition (Jer. 15:10) or the condition of another or others (Isa. 3:11). They may also be declarations of coming and assured judgment (Matt. 11:21; Rev. 18:10). However the feature that distinguishes them from prayers is that they never appeal to God to act in judgment. Woes are verdicts that announce judgment rather than prayers calling for it (Matt. 23:13). This is true in both the Old and the New Testament. Swearing Finally swearing sometimes appears to be prayer, but it is not. Swearing, as the Bible refers to it, means affirming that one will indeed do a certain thing or that a certain thing is definitely true. The person making the statement also appeals to God or to some other venerated person or object to add force to the affirmation. The statement itself is an oath. People swear to affirm strongly something that they say. An oath is not necessarily a prayer. We can make it to another person as well as to God. The accompanying appeal is usually a wish rather than a prayer. If the person speaking addresses God, then the oath and the swearing are prayers; but if the person speaking does not address God, they are not. One common oath form in the Old Testament is, "(May) God do so to me and more also if . . ." This is a pious wish. The declaration of what the speaker swears to do 32 follows negatively: "if I fail to . . ." (1 Sam 20:13; 2 Kings 6:31). Often the appeal is a wish that God will do something to the person swearing if he does not do what he says he will do. If they are sincere, oaths and their appeals may demonstrate faith in and loyalty to God. The speaker calls on God to witness or to vindicate an action that he or she promises to perform (Rom. 1:9). Nevertheless Jesus Christ taught His disciples to refrain from swearing in everyday speech (Matt. 5:34; cf. James 5:12). The reason is that the Christian's word should not need reinforcing with oaths. It should always be consistently trustworthy and truthful. The Christian's ordinary speech should be as truthful as what we speak under oath. If a person who swears using God's name then breaks his oath, that one uses God's name in vain. He dishonors God as well as himself. Taking an oath in a court of law is a bit different. There the character of the witness is unknown to the court. Consequently to impress the importance of telling the truth on the witness the court requires the witness to affirm with an oath that he or she will speak only what is true. I do not believe that taking an oath in court violates the spirit of Jesus' command. Jesus appears to have had ordinary everyday speech in mind. These biblical practices—wishing, glorying, pronouncing woes, and swearing— are not the same as praying. The difference in each case is that in praying the person speaking addresses God while in these other expressions God is not normally the person addressed. Prayer is a term that the Bible reserves for communication to God. Prayer's frequent companions There are certain practices that often accompany prayer, as the Scriptures reveal. It is helpful to identify these things because to do so enables us to distinguish prayer from other legitimate practices associated with communication with God. When we recognize the important place that God has given prayer in His plan, we will want to give it it's proper place in our lives too. Noticing what often accompanied it in the history of God's people that the Bible records will help us appreciate and promote it today. 33 Sacrificing Making sacrifices to God and praying to Him have gone hand in hand since people first walked this planet (Gen. 8:20; 12:7-8; 13:4, 18). In the nation of Israel both practices became part of the individual and corporate life of God's people. It is remarkable that the Mosaic Law contained no specific instruction about prayer. Evidently prayer was so common, if not frequent, that nothing needed to be said. God took the practice of prayer for granted as a necessary adjunct to sacrificing probably because prayer accompanied offerings to Him even before the Mosaic Law. Prayers accompanied many of the offerings in Israel: the burnt (1 Kings 18:3637), the evening (Ps. 141:2), the peace (2 Chron. 30:21-22), the firstfruits (Deut. 26:510), and the thank offerings (Ps. 56:12-13). Prayers of confession attended the sin and trespass offerings too. The person who brought these offerings had to confess his guilt to God as part of the ritual. God often responded to the prayers offered with sacrifices (2 Chron. 7:1; Dan. 9:20-21). The New Testament writers connected prayer with several Christian offerings including thanksgiving (Eph. 5:20) and praise (Heb. 13:15). Normally we express our personal dedication to God, the offering of ourselves to Him, in prayer also (Rom. 6:13; 12:1-2). In the future the Jews will evidently reinstitute the five major offerings of the Mosaic system (Ezek. 40:39; 46:3). However their purpose then seems to be memorial rather than atoning. Prayer will doubtless accompany these offerings in the future as it accompanied offerings in the past. This brief review reminds us that prayer has always had close associations with the offerings and sacrifices that constitute such an important part of biblical worship. It is natural when we make a sacrifice to God to express our thoughts and feelings about our offering to God in prayer. The sacrifice is a concrete representation of the desire that we articulate in prayer. 34 Prayer has a special connection with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. We may approach God in prayer because Jesus Christ opened the way for us through His sacrifice for us (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 4:16). Burning Incense A second practice that goes hand in hand with prayer in the Bible is the burning of incense. Many religions connect the burning of incense with prayer because the sweet smelling smoke that ascends is similar to prayers arising to God (2 Kings 15:35; cf. Rev. 8:3-4). In Israel the Mosaic Law specified four spices that the priests were to mix and burn on a special altar (Exod. 30). Only the priests could burn this incense (Num. 16:17; 2 Chron. 26:18). Burning incense was part of the ritual necessary to atone for sins (1 Chron. 6:49). It accompanied the burnt and peace offerings of worship, the daily morning and evening offerings of dedication, as well as other special offerings presented during the year (1 Kings. 9:25). When Israelites expressed gratitude to God for answering their prayers, the priest burned incense that accompanied their thank offering (Ps. 66:13-14). The prophet Malachi predicted that in the future Gentiles would worship God and burn incense to Him in every place (Mal. 1:11). This may be a figurative way of saying that they would pray. There are many interesting parallels between incense and prayer. The Old Testament prescribed the exact composition of incense that was acceptable to God, and the contents of our prayers are important to God. Only the priests in Israel could burn the incense, and now all believer-priests can offer prayer to God. Incense cost the offerer something, and prayer involves some sacrifice and energy. As incense often accompanied other offerings that the Israelites made, so prayer often accompanies other sacrifices that we make. Israel's priests offered incense every morning and evening, and these are still the most popular times for praying. The smoke from the burning incense ascended to heaven, and the prayers of God's people likewise rise from earth to heaven. The incense smelled sweet, and our prayers are pleasing to God. Clearly God intended the burning of incense to be a visual and olfactory aid to teach His people about prayer. 35 Pouring Water The pouring of water on the ground is another practice that connects with prayer in the Old Testament. This practice occasionally accompanied prayers of confession (1 Sam. 7:5-6; 2 Sam. 14:14; Ps. 22:15; Lam. 2:12). It symbolized deep humiliation. The person who poured water out while praying was expressing his feeling of being unable to get himself together spiritually and perhaps emotionally. The act visualized the feelings of the person praying. It enabled him to demonstrate his feelings as well as articulating them. Casting Lots Prayer accompanied the casting of lots (sortilege) in Israel's worship for a different reason. In prayer the leaders asked for God's guidance, and by casting lots they received His answer. After the institution of the Aaronic priesthood, the high priest cast lots by using the Urim and Thummim. These were evidently two stones or other small objects that he carried in the breast piece of his ephod, his ceremonial robe. After praying for God's will, he would reach into this pocket of his garment and draw one of the objects out (1 Sam. 14:41). The one he drew out would indicate God's will in a binary fashion. This was not just superstition; God had promised to direct His people in this manner (Prov. 16:33). Sometimes God commanded the Israelites to practice sortilege (Lev. 16:7-10; Num. 26:55-56; Josh. 14:2). At other times the people took the initiative to discover God's will (Josh. 7:14; Judg. 20:9). It is interesting that the early Christians did not cast lots to determine God's will after the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost (Acts 2), though they did shortly before then (Acts 1:24-26). The baptizing work of the Holy Spirit, which joins Christian to the mystical body of Christ, began at Pentecost (1 Cor. 12:13; cf. Acts 11:15). It occurs since then whenever a person trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation (Rom. 8:9). Jesus promised His disciples that when the Holy Spirit came to indwell them He would provide guidance for them (John 14:26; 16:13). The Holy Spirit first permanently indwelt all believers at 36 Pentecost too. Thus the indwelling Holy Spirit replaced the Urim and Thummim after Pentecost. How we can receive guidance in decision making from the Holy Spirit troubles any sincere Christian who wants to do God's will. Since the Holy Spirit guided holy men to write the Scriptures (2 Pet. 1:21), the Bible is the primary source of guidance for Christians. However the Holy Spirit also indwells every true Christian (Rom. 8:9). In the areas of decision making that the Scriptures do not address, the Spirit can provide subjective direction. He can make it clear to any believer who sincerely wants to walk in God's ways what path he or she should take. Many of the mundane decisions that we make do not require special direction from God. We can make those choices in dependence on Him and trust that He is leading us if we are not violating the revealed will of God. Many of our choices are amoral; they do not involve choosing between something that is in harmony with or contrary to God's moral will. Obtaining God's guidance either through modern or ancient means should always include prayer. In prayer for guidance we humble ourselves before God and express our need for His direction. We ask for His will and for His enablement to do His will. To seek for God's direction without praying for it is like trying to find out what the boss wants us to do without asking him. Imposing Hands Prayer frequently also accompanied the practice of laying hands on people in both the Old and New Testaments. This custom visually and tangibly symbolized identification with a person, transference of something intangible to him or her, and devotion to God. In Old Testament times, people laid hand on others when performing acts of blessing (Gen. 48:14), sacrificing (Exod. 29:10), and bearing witness in cases of capital offense (Lev. 24:14). The imposition of hands marked the Levites out as a special group (Num. 8:10). Moses also consecrated Joshua as his successor with this practice (Num. 27:18; Deut. 34:9). 37 Jesus blessed the children (Matt. 19:13, 15) and healed the sick (Matt. 9:18; Mark 6:5) by laying His hands on them. The apostles laid hand on others when they imparted the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17, 19; 19:6) and when they healed them (Acts 28:8). The early Christians employed this custom when they set individuals aside to special ministries (Acts 6:^; 13:3; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6). Likewise authorized representatives recognized spiritual leaders as such in the churches by laying hands on them (1 Tim. 4:14; 5:22; Heb. 6:2). This rite involved no magic. It simply symbolized the transference of a Person (i.e., the Holy Spirit, Acts 6:6; 8:15-17) or a power (2 Tim. 1:6) from God to an individual. It illustrated a divine blessing that prayer, which accompanied the rite, articulated. Prayer sought, obtained, and expressed gratitude for the favor. The laying on of hands visualized its bestowal. Dedicating Dedicating in the biblical sense involves the act of setting anything or anyone aside to the worship or service of God. Prayer is the instrument one uses to present this resolution to God. Prayer accompanied the dedication of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:22-55, 62-64) and Nehemiah's wall (Neh. 12:40-42). After returning from exile in Babylon, the Jews dedicated themselves anew to God and expressed this resolve in prayer (2 Chron. 29:2830). Christians should dedicate themselves to God in view of what He has done for us (Rom. 6:13; 12:1-2). Normally we express this dedication to God in prayer (Rom. 6:16; 2 Cor. 8:5). Essentially dedication involves a fundamental change of attitude and a resolution to obey God (Isa. 6:8; Acts 22:10). While the words we say to God when we dedicate ourselves or something else to Him are obviously important, even more important is our follow through (Mal. 1:9; James 4:2-10). 38 Repenting Repenting has clear connections with dedicating, and prayer normally accompanies it too. It is difficult to understand the biblical concept of repenting because the word has taken on connotations through English usage that it does not have in the original Greek of the New Testament. In English, repentance connotes a change of behavior. We are accustomed to preachers calling for repentance, and we understand them to mean that they want us to clean up our lives. While this is a legitimate concern that comes out of the Bible, it skews our understanding of the biblical call to repentance. The Greek word translated "repent" (metanoeo) comes from two words that mean "to think again." It focuses primarily on the mental change that should result in a change of behavior. When John the Baptist was calling on people to repent because the kingdom of heaven was at hand, he was urging them to change their way of thinking (Matt. 3:2). They had been thinking that the kingdom was far away temporally. They needed to realize that it was very close because the King had already arrived and was about to begin His ministry. Multitudes went out to John to hear him preach in the wilderness and to allow him to baptize them as a sign of their acceptance of and their identification with his message. Pharisees also came to John. They were claiming to have repented, but they had not. Therefore John called on them to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. He challenged them to demonstrate in their behavior that they had really changed their minds. This distinction between repentance (the change of mind) and the fruits of repentance (the change of behavior) is an important one to observe. Repentance is essentially a change of mind—about sin, God, oneself, or something else. Keeping this biblical use of the word in mind helps us to understand what the biblical writers meant went they wrote about it and what the speakers who used the word meant. Repenting means changing one's mind and heart about past or intended beliefs, actions, or conduct. Prayer accompanies repenting in the same sense as it accompanies dedicating. It expresses a personal internal transaction. Repentance is the attitude that expresses itself in confessing guilt (Num. 5:7), requesting forgiveness (Exod. 34:9; 2 Sam. 24:10), and casting oneself on God's mercy (Judg. 3:9; Joel 2:12-14). 39 We should never confuse or equate a prayer of confession with repentance. It is only the articulation of repentance. Prayer is no substitute for repentance either. The attitude of the heart must be present first or the words from the lips will be hollow and meaningless. The condition of our heart is more important than the words in our mouth. Fasting Prayer and fasting go together in numerous passages of Scripture. Fasting means going without food. Fasting usually occurred with prayer in the Bible though most commonly people prayed without fasting. The purpose of fasting for spiritual reasons was to devote the time and energy normally spent eating and drinking to a higher purpose. It was a way of obtaining more time for prayer when the people involved believed that talking to God was a more pressing need than fueling their bodies. People fast for a variety of reasons. Some do it for purely physical reasons, to purge their bodies of impurities. Others do it for mental purposes, to clear their thoughts so they can concentrate better. Still others fast for a variety of psychological reasons. However fasting in the Bible always has spiritual connections. It has to do with a person's relationship with God. Scripture is clear that fasting in itself will not move God to do things that He would not do otherwise. It is, in a sense, one of the fruits of repentance. It expresses physically what is inside a person's heart and mind. When I was in college I read a book that gave me the impression that if I would just fast God would answer more of my prayers. I thought I had discovered a great secret to spiritual power. I set aside the following weekend and determined to fast until God saved a particular individual that I had a burden for. That person did not become a Christian that weekend, but I learned an important lesson. People cannot manipulate God by fasting. Fasting expresses how strongly we feel about praying, so strongly that we are willing to forego eating to pray. Nevertheless God has not promised that He will give us whatever we want when we fast. What fasting does do is demonstrate how strongly we feel about what we are praying about. It enables us to concentrate in prayer and to call on God with unusual intensity to answer. This intense asking based on intense desire is what moves God. He 40 remains sovereign and will not abdicate His authority by caving in to the petitions of fasters, but those prayers do affect Him. Asking will get us things that failing to ask will not (James 4:2). Furthermore asking persistently will get us things that casual asking will not because persistent asking manifests faith (Luke 18:1-8). If your child asks you for something, you will consider giving it to him or her because you love your child and want to bless him or her. However, your decision to give, to delay giving, or to withhold what the child requests depends on many factors only some of which your child appreciates. If your child persistently asks you for the same thing, you realize that this matter is very important to him or her. This realization will incline you further to grant the request, but only if it is in the best interest of your child. Similarly fasting can demonstrate to God how much we want what we ask. It will not force Him to grant our petition, but it will incline Him to do so more than if we did not fast. Occasional fasting is natural when a Christian prays faithfully and earnestly. God does not command us to fast, but if you feel a need very greatly you may want to skip a meal to pray about it. Skipping a meal will give you additional time to pray, and it will show God how much you want what you are requesting. Fasting also expressed sorrow in Old Testament times. People who felt very sorry because of their sins sometimes went without food temporarily to demonstrate that sorrow to God in prayer (2 Sam. 3:35; Jud. 20:26-28; Esth. 4:3). As we might expect, fasting often accompanied prayers of confession (2 Chron. 20:3-13) and repentance (Jon. 3:5-10). The fact that fasting frequently took place in sackcloth and with ashes on the head (Dan. 9:3-19; Joel 1:13-14) illustrates the penitential attitude of those who fasted. Sometimes prostration on the ground also accompanied it (2 Sam. 12:16). God commanded the Israelites to fast once a year on the day of Atonement (Lev. 16:31). As time passed, other fasts became traditional in Israel. Unfortunately the contrition associated with these fasts became formal and hypocritical (Isa. 58:1-9; Matt. 9:14-17). Thus a perfectly wholesome practice deteriorated. Jesus never discouraged 41 voluntary fasting, but He had no use for hypocritically going without food simply to make a pious impression on other people (Matt. 6:16-18). The textual problem in Mark 9:29 has troubled some students of prayer. The context describes Jesus coming down the mountain on which He had been transfigured to find His disciples unable to cast a demon out of a boy. The disciples had previously cast demons out of many people, but this case proved too difficult for them. When they asked Jesus why they had been unsuccessful, He responded that this kind of case required prayer. Some ancient manuscripts have "prayer and fasting." It is very difficult to determine if "and fasting" was in the original autograph of Mark's Gospel. I tend to think it was not. Probably a scribe added it because situations involving much prayer often elicited fasting in Judaism and in the early church. In any case Jesus' point is clear. Some cases of Satanic opposition are so strong that they require more prayer than others do for victory. The addition of "and fasting" in some manuscripts confirms the point that fasting indicated intense praying in the early church. The note of earnestness present in the biblical record of Old Testament fasting persists in the New Testament instances of it, but the element of sorrow seems less prominent (Acts 13:2-6; 14:23). Fasting was a normal attendant to fervent persistent prayer in the early church. Voluntary unostentatious fasting for a spiritual purpose has always been acceptable to God, and it still is today. The length of a fast is of secondary importance. Scripture records fasts of various lengths: 40 days and nights (Exod. 34:28; Matt. 4:2), three weeks (Dan. 10:2-3), seven days (2 Sam. 12:160, three days (Esth. 4:16; Acts 9:11), and shorter periods. The important thing is not how long one goes without physical nourishment. It is that the time spent fasting, regardless of length, be a voluntary setting aside of physical needs to give oneself to spiritual renewal through prayer. Sometimes the Word of God and prayer are more necessary than food (Matt. 4:4). Persistent fervent prayer may result in fasting, but fasting without prayer has little spiritual value. Obviously it could have some other value. Fasting for spiritual reasons should always be a means to a higher end and never an end in itself. 42 Watching Watching is a practice associated with prayer in the Bible that is very similar to fasting. Watching describes keeping awake or alert. Fasting involves going without food to concentrate on praying. Watching means going without sleep to do so. The New Testament describes watchfulness in three different relationships to prayer. First, Jesus Christ commanded Peter, James, and John to watch and pray (Matt. 26:38-39). He meant that He wanted them to stay awake and pray. He explained that by doing so they could avoid entering into temptation that they would experience if they failed to pray (Matt. 26:40-42). In this sense watching involves a battle. The believer's human spirit wants to continue praying, because he recognizes a need for divine grace, but the flesh longs to indulge itself in sleep. Second, Christians should watch (be on the alert) that we do not carelessly neglect prayer but faithfully persist in it (Eph. 6:18). This is slightly different from the former responsibility. It is not so much failing to continue praying as it is failing to pray at all because we see no need for it that is in view here. Jesus reminded His disciples that persistence in prayer often results in answers to prayer that would not be forthcoming otherwise (Luke 21:36). Paul stayed up late at night praying because he believed that doing so would bring God's blessing on the people for whom he prayed (2 Cor. 6:5; cf. James 4:2). Third, we read that we should add watchfulness to our prayers, as an essential ingredient in a recipe. Along with praying we need to remain watchful to what is going on around us. We need to keep alert to other matters (Col. 4:2-4). Jesus told His disciples to keep their eyes open to see how the times were corresponding with His predictions, and to keep on praying (Mark 13:33-37). A third ingredient that should be present is thanksgiving (Col. 4:2-4). To summarize the Scriptural injunctions concerning watchfulness, we should keep alert when we pray, that we pray, and while we pray. Obviously it is very important that we combine watchfulness with prayer. 43 Reading Scripture Prayer and the Word of God go hand in hand in the Christian life as well as in Scripture. This is only reasonable since in prayer we speak to God and in the Bible He speaks to us. Prayer and the Scriptures are the vehicles by which we enjoy communication with God. Prayer is the term that the Bible uses to describe our side of the conversation, and Scripture contains God's words to us. In the very early history of humanity God spoke very directly to people. As time progressed, He spoke to people and preserved the record of His dealings with mankind in Scripture. Eventually He stopped giving special revelation because He had revealed all that He wanted to say. Christian's have long believed that the Bible contains everything that is spiritually essential for life and godliness (2 Tim. 3:16-17). All the spiritual answers that people want and that God wants us to have stand recorded in the Bible. We need to study its pages to find the answers to life's great questions because they are there. Bible reading often leads to conviction of sin that should result in confession in prayer (Neh. 9:1-4; 1 Cor. 11:28). Conversely prayer is excellent preparation for reading God's Word (Neh. 8:6). We also need to pray for divine enablement when we discover God's will in His Word (Acts 4:24-31). Both prayer and Bible reading are necessary practices for the reception of God's good gifts (1 Tim. 4:4-5), and both are indispensable for spiritual growth (Jude 20; Acts 20:32; 2 Tim. 3:17). Singing Prayer and the singing of songs to God accompany one another too. Since psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are frequently expressions of praise, they often contain prayers (Col. 3:16). Psalms refer to the inspired poems in the Bible that God's people used in their private and public worship. Hymns are modern songs that express similar sentiments though they are not on the level of inspired Scripture. Spiritual songs are songs that deal with spiritual subjects. They tend to focus more on personal experience and testimony whereas hymns deal more with the person and work of God. 44 The Psalter contains many different types of psalms: praise, lament, prophetic, didactic, penitential, imprecatory, and others. In some praise and thanksgiving predominate while others exhort the reader to praise and thank God. Some contain petitions for self and others. Usually a psalm contains several different characteristics including many varieties of prayer, but sometimes one sentiment pervades the entire composition. Many psalms are prayers partially or wholly. "That which really, in the last analysis occurs in the Psalms is prayer" (Klaus Westermann, The Praise of God in the Psalms, p. 24). One psalm that is obviously a prayer, Hannah's psalm, appears in 1 Samuel 2:1 10. This psalm contains no petitions, yet the writer of 1 Samuel labelled it a prayer. Another prayer in a psalm occurs in Psalm 6, which is typical of many psalms in this respect. The main part of that psalm is prayer (vv. 1-7). Jonah 2:1-9 contains testimony, praise, and thanksgiving, but the writer called it a prayer. The writer of Habakkuk 3:1-19 called it a prayer, and it is also a psalm. Songs of praise were also prayers (Ps. 42:8). The inspired ancient editors of the Psalter grouped and called the first two books of psalms (Pss. 1—72) "the prayers of David" (Ps. 72:20). This title refers to most if not all the psalms that precede it. The Jews used the Hallel (lit. praise) psalms (Pss. 115-118) as part of their prayers at Passover (cf. Matt. 26:30). These psalms contain prayers that the Jews and early Christians sang as hymns. Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God in their Philippian jail (Acts 16:25). The Greek verb and participle used to describe their action indicate that their singing was praying. They were praying to God in song. Many modern hymns also voice prayers or contain prayers. For example, "Break Thou the Bread of Life" and "Fairest Lord Jesus" are prayers set to music. Singing hymns and spiritual songs is a natural and joyful way to praise and thank God. The Spirit-filled Christian typically sings to God within himself or herself giving thanks for all things (Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:16). Christians who feel in good spirits should sing praises to God (James 5:13). Believers who are in distress should cast their burden on the Lord in prayer (Ps. 57:1; 1 Pet. 5:7). Both praise and petition can be sung as well as simply spoken. The music can often help express the mood. 45 Practices that include prayer There are three more practices of the Christian religion that have close connection with prayer. These practices do not merely accompany prayer, as those explained above. Prayer constitutes an integral part of these practices. Worshipping Webster's New World Dictionary defines worship as "extreme devotion; intense love or admiration of any kind." In this sense, we could say that one individual might worship another. However proper worship in the Bible always has God as its object. Thus the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia defines worship in the Bible as follows. It is "honor, reverence, homage, in thought, feeling, or act, made to men, angels, or other 'spiritual' beings, and figuratively to other entities, ideas, powers or qualities, but specifically and expressly to Deity." Worship involves giving God the honor that He is worthy of receiving because of His person and works (Acts 27:23-24; Phil. 3:3). There are many ways in which we can worship God. These include voicing public testimony to God's goodness (Deut. 25:5-10; 1 Kings 3:6-9) and announcing publicly what He will do before He does it (1 Kings 18:36-37). It involves praising God with musical instruments (2 Chron. 29:28), knowing God and following Him faithfully (Hos. 6:6), fasting (Luke 2:37), and presenting ourselves to Him as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1-2). Perhaps the most simple and common way of worshipping God is by praying to Him. Scripture records that God's people offered worship and prayer to the Lord individually (Job 1:21; Dan. 2:46) and corporately (Ezra 3:11; Neh. 9:1-4). They did so in the church as well as in Israel (Col. 4:2-4; 1 Tim. 2:1-4). Many corporate acts of worship that included prayer included praise to God specifically (Exod. 15:1-19; 2 Sam. 15:32). The German commentator Franz Delitzsch called prayer "the soul of all worship" (Biblical Commentary on Isaiah, vol. 2, p. 363). One of the Greek words for prayer that 46 appears most frequently on the pages of the New Testament, proseuchomai, often means worship. Prayer in some form is foundational to all true worship of God. The true God is the supreme object of worship in biblical revelation. In the Old Testament, people worshipped God with very little distinction between the persons of the Godhead. This was because God had not revealed much about the nature of His triune being then. However in the New Testament, as revelation increased particularly with the teachings of Jesus, we read of various people worshipping the individual members of the Trinity. Jesus taught his disciples to address God the Father in prayer (Matt. 6:9). In the early church, Christians frequently addressed their prayers to the risen Christ calling Him "Lord" (Acts 2:21, 36; 4:24, 29; 8:22; 1 Cor. 1:2). A few verses seem to support the idea that we may pray to the Holy Spirit, but most commentators have rejected the interpretations that lead to this conclusion (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 3:3; Jude 20). Nevertheless it seems proper to pray to the Holy Spirit for two reasons. First, since the Holy Spirit is God praying to the Holy Spirit amounts to praying to God. Second, each member of the divine Trinity stands in immediate relationship to the individual believer since each is supreme in His own work. Each member of the Godhead is properly an object of worship and therefore a legitimate object for Christians' prayers. Nonetheless the scriptural emphasis and natural practice are clearly that prayer should normally be to the Father in the name of the Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit (John 16:23; Jude 20). This is so because of the administrative order within the Godhead. The Spirit glorifies the Son, and the Son glorifies the Father. What caused people to worship God by praying to Him in the Bible? Usually some revelation that God made or some work that He performed generated worship and prayer. Frequently a new revelation of God that He gave His people elicited their worship (Exod. 12:27; 33:10; 34:8; Lev. 9:24; Josh. 5:13-15; 2 Chron. 7:1-3; 20:3-13). Constructive possession n. when a person does not have actual possession, but has the pow. Talking to God: What the Bible Teaches about Prayer A Biblical Theology of Prayer Thomas L. Constable © 2003 Thomas L. Constable, published by Sonic Light, www. Legal definitions from A to Z. Find plain-English definitions for legal terms by browsing Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary. You can also purchase Nolo's Plain. The 1993 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 26th year in professional football and its 24th with the National Football League. The David Klingler experiment at. Tot Yds & TO Passing Rushing; PF Yds Ply Y/P TO FL 1stPy 1stD Cmp Att Yds TD Int NY/A 1stD Att Yds TD Y/A 1stD; Team Offense: 187: 4052: 986: 4.1: 20: 9: 17: 239: 272. The official site of the 2013 Cincinnati Bengals NFL Schedule. Weekly view of the schedule including links to tickets, broadcast channels, and printable views. The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are currently members of the North division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL). Their home stadium is Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati. Their current head coach is Marvin Lewis. Their chief rivals are the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Due to flexible scheduling, the kickoff time of games in the latter part of the season are subject to change. Details. Cincinnati Bengals 1993 RosterCincinnati Bengals Franchise Encyclopedia. Regular Season Record (all-time) : 328-395-3 Playoff Record (all-time) : 5-13 (Last appearance after 2014 season). The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are currently members of the North division of the American. The Good Scars, Evil Scars trope as used in popular culture. You can easily tell heroes from villains by their scars. Good guys tend to scar in an attractive …. The Whipping Scars On The Back of The Fugitive Slave Named Gordon. Date and Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm, 20th September Location: Sippy Creek Animal Refuge, Sippy Downs Cost: Free entry Our garage sale is our biggest fund raising event of the year! Thank you Sunshine Coast for supporting us!! We are accepting items from the 22nd August!!! This year we are aiming to raise over $40,000. Silent auction with great bargains, cakes, coffees and sizzles. Many many.. read more DESEX in the CITY 2014/15 Its that time again - DeSex in the City IV is here. Sunshine Coast residents can purchase a $69.00 cat de-sexing voucher at the refuge. We will have 500 vouchers available again. Our "Desex" campaign will be means tested again this time - so you must present a pension card and / or healthcare card. You need to visit the refuge to purchase the voucher, and while you are here, you can visit our.. read more New Directions to the Refuge!! Sippy Creek Rd is no longer accessible directly from the Bruce Highway. Please see information below on accessing the refuge now the road is closed from the Bruce highway! To visit us from: Northbound – take the Glenview Exit off the Bruce Highway and follow the service road along the front of Aussie World. Follow the signs to Frizzo Rd - this will meet the new road.. read more SCARS & 4Paws Walk for Awareness Fundraiser Its happening - a big dog walk for all of our four legged friends! Sunday the 25th October at Kawana Lake on the East Bank Foreshore. There will be lots to do with dog trials, competitions for best dressed dogs and owners, stalls full of cat and doggie goods and lots of food and fun!!! Come along and support your two local Sunnie Coast animal rescues! The Sunshine Coast Council is also doing c.. read more What We Do About Us The Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge (Sippy Creek Animal Refuge Society Inc) was established in 1979. Our Mission statement is 'Giving refuge to abandoned and surrendered cats and dogs until permanently rehomed and educating the community on responsible pet ownership". The Refuge is an independent, non-profit, charitable organisation and has a strictly regulated non-euthanasia policy. We.. read more Support the refuge Find out how you can help the cats and dogs who need to be kept safe and comfortable while they wait for their new homes...read more News chronological archives; 11:15 Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires for Vita Heads West Digitally; 10:00 Phantom of the Kill Smartphone Game's English Trailer Streamed. Die schwarze Schande or Die schwarze Schmach ('the black shame' or 'the black disgrace') were terms used by the German right-wing press to agitate for opposition to. “The only requirement,' to be a writer, said Stephen King, 'is the ability to remember every scar.” I have a few scars (and you do, too). The true writer enters. 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