Prayer is our communication and fellowship with God. In prayer, we may not only talk to God, but we can also listen to Him, talking to us. The most common way in which God is talking to us today is through His Word – the Bible. However, God also wants personally communicate with us in prayer. In this communication, we can talk to God, and the Lord can talk to us. Prayer is an expression of our love to God, which we have in our hearts. Our mouths will speak what fills our hearts (Mt.12:34). If our hearts are filled with love to God, it will be expressed in our desire to have fellowship with Him in prayer. We always want to be in the presence of those, whom we love, and spend as much time with them, as possible. If we love God, we surely will find time to be in His presence and to communicate with Him in prayer. Prayer is our service to God, flowing from our heart. Let us see, how Holy Scriptures describe this concept to us in several passages.
Deut.6:5 “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might”
Deut.10:12 “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul”
Lk.2:36-37 “There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshipping with fastings and petitions night and day”
Despite the fact, that God wants to hear our prayers, He does not listen to the prayers of many people. There are some obstacles, which prevent God from hearing our prayers or answering them. Let us take a closer look at a few of them.
One of the biggest obstacles in prayer is a sin in person’s life, in which he or she did not repent. The Bible clearly teaches us, that sin makes a separation between God and men, and God does not hear prayers of sinners. However, there are some exclusions to this. For example, God hears prayer of repentance from a sinner. Sometimes God hears prayers of sinners and answers them, in order to show them, that He exists, and to demonstrate His power, and might. He does that to bring them to Himself. Nevertheless, in most cases, God does not hear prayers of sinners and does not grant their petitions. Many verses of the Bible prove this.
Ps.66:18 “If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened”
Pr.15:8 “The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is his delight”
Isa.59:1-2 “Behold, LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it can’t save; neither his ear heavy, that it can’t hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear”
Jn.9:31 “We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to him”
One of the most serious sins, which prevents God from hearing our prayers, is a sin of religious pride, self-righteousness and despising of other people. In order to warn people about this sin, Jesus told a parable about a Pharisee and a publican (tax collector) (Lk.18:9-14).
Next huge obstacle in our prayers is unbelief. Jesus taught, that in order to receive what we ask from God, we must have faith. Apostle James also wrote in his Epistle that we must ask with faith, if we want to receive anything from God.
Mk.11:24 “Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them”
Jas.1:5-7 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord”
3. Lack of preparation for the prayer
One more obstacle in a prayer could be the lack of preparation for the prayer. The Bible teaches us, that we need to prepare ourselves for the prayer. This preparation includes internal preparation, as well as external preparation.
Sir.18:23 “Before thou prayest, prepare thyself; and be not as one that tempteth the Lord” (KJV)
Internal preparation for the prayer – is a preparation of our hearts and our thoughts for the prayer. David prepared himself before he started sing to God, pray to God, and praise God. He started to think about God, about His mercy and truth. Before we start to pray, we also need to remove all distracting thoughts from our minds, and strive to think only about God, about His mercy and truth. We need to think how we will be addressing Him in our prayer, and in our praise. Furthermore, we need to prepare ourselves not only to talk to God, but also to hear from God in our prayer.
Ps.57:7 “My heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises”
Eccl.5:1 “Guard your steps when you go to God’s house; for to draw near to listen is better than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they don’t know that they do evil”
External preparation for the prayer – is a preparation of our outward appearance and a preparation of a fitting place for prayer. We should prepare ourselves to prayer not only internally, but also externally. In ancient times, God told his priests to wear special clothing, when they served in the temple and offered sacrifices. It had to be modest, clean clothing, which covered nakedness very well (Exodus 20:26, 28:40-43). In the same manner, today the Lord wants us to dress in modest, clean clothing, covering nakedness well, when we pray or go to church service (1Tim.2:9). When we do this, we show that we have respect for God and fear of the Lord. When anybody goes to church services, or starts to pray in immodest, inappropriate clothing, he or she shows disrespect to God. God will not hear his or her prayer, not will He answer such a prayer. Bible also teaches us, that women should cover their heads with a head covering when they pray, but men should not.
Ex.20:26 “Neither shall you go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it”
Ex.28:42-43 “You shall make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the waist even to the thighs they shall reach: They shall be on Aaron, and on his sons, when they go in to the Tent of Meeting, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the holy place; that they don’t bear iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him”
1Cor.11:4-13 “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonors her head. For it is one and the same thing as if she were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man; for neither was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this cause the woman ought to have authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, neither is the woman independent of the man, nor the man independent of the woman, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, so a man also comes through a woman; but all things are from God. Judge for yourselves. Is it appropriate that a woman pray to God unveiled?”
1Tim.2:8-10 “I desire therefore that the men in every place pray, lifting up holy hands without anger and doubting. In the same way, that women also adorn themselves in decent clothing, with modesty and propriety; not with braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothing; but (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works”
Jesus Christ also taught, that in order to pray to God, we need to find appropriate quiet place, where nobody will see us and distract us from praying.
Mt.6:6 “But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly”
Jesus taught us, that God would surely reward those, who pray to Him in their private room, with the door shut, so that nobody can see them or distract them. God will answer their prayers and help them. Of course, He will do this, if there will be no other obstacles to prayer in their life. What else could be an obstacle to prayer, besides sin, unbelief, and unpreparedness for prayer?
Bad relationships in family, as between husband and wife, may be an obstacle in prayer, and may prevent God from hearing people and answering their prayers.
Mal.2:13-14 “This again you do: you cover the altar the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, because he doesn’t regard the offering any more, neither receives it with good will at your hand. Yet you say, ‘Why?’ Because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion, and the wife of your covenant”
1Pet.3:1-7 “In the same way, wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; so that, even if any don’t obey the Word, they may be won by the behavior of their wives without a word; seeing your pure behavior in fear. Let your beauty be not just the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on fine clothing; but in the hidden person of the heart, in the incorruptible adornment of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God very precious. For this is how the holy women before, who hoped in God also adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands: as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you now are, if you do well, and are not put in fear by any terror.
You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life; that your prayers may not be hindered”
Above quoted text, about hindrance in prayer, most often is applied only to husbands. However, this text is relevant to wives equally. It must be read in context from verse one to verse seven. If a wife does not have right relationships with her husband, if she does not obey him nor honor him, if she adorns herself externally, but does not have meek and quiet spirit – her prayers will be hindered.
Relationships between husbands and wives and their influence on our prayer life are given here only as an example. If children do not have the right relationships with their parents, parents with their children, members of the church with their pastors, and so on, they all will have hindrance in their prayers. Their prayers might not be answered.
Jesus taught us that we have to seek reconciliation with everybody before offering sacrifice to the Lord. Our prayers are our sacrifices to the Lord. Therefore, it is very important to have right relationships with other people before we start to pray and offer thanksgiving to the Lord.
Mt.5:23-24 “If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift”
Heb.13:15 “Through him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name”
5. Asking against God’s will, or for our own lusts
Sometimes prayers are not heard and answered, when people pray about something against God’s will, or ask for something they will use for their own lusts and whims. Prayer is not presenting to God a list of our needs and wants, which He must satisfy. Prayer is the participation in God’s plans and in fulfilling His will on this Earth. That is why, before we pray, we need to be sure, that our prayer is in accordance with God’s will. Only then we can be sure, that God will hear and answer our prayers. In order to know God’s will, we need to study Holy Scripture, the Bible, and learn how to listen to God in our prayers. If someone does not want to know the will of God, and turns his ears away from hearing God’s Law – his prayer is an abomination before the Lord. Bible teaches us that God fulfills desires of those, who fear Him. People, who fear God, are those people, for whom doing God’s will is the most important thing in their life.
Jas.4:1-3 “Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members? You lust, and don’t have. You kill, covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask. You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures”
1Jn.5:14-15 “This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him”
Ps.145:19 “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him. He also will hear their cry, and will save them”
Usually, the complete prayer consists of several parts. Those include confession of sins, thanking God, praising God, worshipping God, petition for ourselves and for others. Sometimes prayer can consist only of one or several of those parts. Let us look more deeply into the components of prayer.
Earlier we’ve examined some Bible texts stating that God does not listen to prayers of sinners (with some exceptions). Sin makes a separation between God and people. Therefore, when we start to pray and know that there is a sin in our life, in which we need to repent, we must start our prayer with repentance and confession of this sin. When we ignore this and just start to pray with sin, God will not listen to our prayer. If we sinned not only against God, but also against another person, we need to ask this person for forgiveness, and seek reconciliation, before we start our prayer.
Jas.5:16 “Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective”
1Jn.1:5-10 “This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us”
1Jn.2:1-2 “My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world”
There is an example in the Bible of the prayer, which started with repentance and confession. It is King David’s prayer after he had sinned against God. When David recognized his sin, he started his prayer not with praising God, thanking God or petition about his needs. He started prayer with confession of his sin. It is an example for us, how to start our prayer, when we sinned in something.
Ps.51:1-4 “For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me. Against you, and you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge”
To confess means “to agree with”, “to speak the same thing”, “to acknowledge”. To confess sin, is to acknowledge this sin before God, to name it by its name. Decision to leave sin and a prayer to God for mercy and forgiveness must accompany such a confession.
We may not always see ourselves as God sees us. We may not always recognize or remember our sins and shortcomings. That is why it is so important for us to pray that God would cleanse us from secret sins. There are a few examples in the Bible of prayers, which we can pray, asking God for such cleansing.
Ps.19:12-14 “Who can discern his errors? Forgive me from hidden errors. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I will be upright. I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, LORD, my rock, and my redeemer”
Ps.139:23-24 “Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way”
The next important part of prayer is thanksgiving. We thank God for what He has done and continues to do for us and for other people. The word “bless” sometimes is used in the Bible instead of “give thanks”. For example, “to bless God”, means to give thanks to Him. If we started our prayer with confession of sins, the next thing we may do, is to thank God for forgiveness of our sins, and thank Him for His Son Jesus Christ, in whom we receive forgiveness through faith. Thanksgiving may precede our praise to God, preparing us for it. Therefore, we may start our prayer with confession and thanksgiving, and then proceed to praising God. Thanksgiving may also follow petition, as a sign of our gratitude to God for what He has done for us and for what He will do for us in the future. When we thank God for answering our prayers even before we received an answer, we demonstrate our faith. Jesus Christ taught that we must ask and pray with faith.
Ps.100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name”
1Cor.14:16-17 “Otherwise if you bless with the spirit, how will he who fills the place of the unlearned say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, seeing he doesn’t know what you say? For you most certainly give thanks well, but the other person is not built up”
Phil.4:6 “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”
An example of how and for what we may bless God (or thank God) is given to us in Psalm 103. Let us read the beginning of this Psalm.
Ps.103:1-4 “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (KJV).
Another important part of prayer is praising God. If we start our prayer without any sin to confess, we may start it with thanksgiving, and then proceed to praise. However, if we start our prayer knowing, that there are sins in our life, which we need to confess, we should start the prayer with repentance and confession, and then proceed to thanksgiving and praise. We can see this pattern in Psalm 51, which we quoted before.
Ps.51:10-15 “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Don’t throw me from your presence, and don’t take your holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways. Sinners shall be converted to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness. Lord, open my lips. My mouth shall declare your praise”
Praising of God is a proclamation of who God is, and what He did, does, and will do in the Universe. A good example of what it means to praise God could be seen in Psalms 95, 96, 100, as well as in many others.
Ps.95:1-5 “Oh come, let’s sing to the LORD. Let’s shout aloud to the rock of our salvation! Let’s come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let’s extol him with songs! For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth. The heights of the mountains are also his. The sea is his, and he made it. His hands formed the dry land”
Ps.96:1-10 “Sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD! Bless his name! Proclaim his salvation from day to day! Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised! He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in holy array. Tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” The world is also established. It can’t be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity”
Ps.100:1-5 “A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he [is] God: [it is] he [that] hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name. For the LORD [is] good; his mercy [is] everlasting; and his truth [endureth] to all generations” (KJV)
The praise, which God accepts, must be given to Him through Jesus Christ. Only this kind of praise is acceptable and pleasant to Him. God would not receive praise from those people, who reject and despise His beloved Son Jesus Christ.
1Pet.4:11 “If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen”
Jud.1:25 «To the only God our Savior, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, from before the whole age, and now, and to all the ages. Amen». (Darby)
The next part of prayer, after praise, is worshipping God. This is the exact order in which they are written in Holy Scriptures. First, comes praise, and then, worship.
Ps.96:7-9 “Ascribe to the LORD, you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in holy array. Tremble before him, all the earth”
Worship in the literal sense means bowing down or prostrating with the face down toward the ground. It is a demonstration of honor, respect, fear, submission and humility before God. It is also a posture of admiration and awe, coming from acknowledgement of glory and majesty of God.
Ex.33:10 “All the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent, and all the people rose up and worshiped, everyone at their tent door”
Ex.34:8 “Moses hurried and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped”
Ex.34:14 “For you shall worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”
Ne.8:5-6 “Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: and Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. All the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” with the lifting up of their hands. They bowed their heads, and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground”
2Chr.29:28-30 “All the assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. When they had made an end of offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped”
However, genuine worship is not contained only to the physical act of bowing down or prostrating oneself before the Lord. God wants us to worship Him in spirit and truth. Such worship can be done at any place and in every prayer. Jesus told us, that God is actually seeking this kind of worshippers, who worship Him in spirit and truth.
Jn.4:19-24 “The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth”
Jesus taught that those, who worship God, must worship Him in spirit and in truth. What does it mean to worship in spirit? To worship in spirit means to worship from inner parts of our being, to worship with right disposition of our spirit. Spirit is the innermost, deepest part of human being. To the sphere of spirit belongs our conscience, intuition (knowledge, coming from anointing of God), and our ability to fellowship with God and worship Him. Worship must occur in our spirit, and not just externally, with our body. Worship in spirit is deep internal adoration and admiration of God, His glory, His majesty, and His works. It is reverential, internal, awe inspired, humble bowing down of our spirit before God. It is done in awareness and realization of God’s majesty, might, glory, holiness and love, and our insignificance in comparison with Him. Worship in spirit is something God is worthy of, and something God desires from people.
Ps.5:7“But as for me, in the abundance of your loving kindness I will come into your house. I will bow toward your holy temple in reverence of you”
Ps.92:4 “For you, LORD, have made me glad through your work. I will triumph in the works of your hands”
Ps.96:9 “Worship the LORD in holy array. Tremble before him, all the earth”
Worship in truth means worship according to the Word of God, which is truth (John 17:17). Jesus Christ is the Word, which was made flesh, and He is Truth (John 1:14, 14:6). Only those people, can really worship God in truth, who abide in Truth, meaning, who are in Christ Jesus. They are those people, who believed Jesus, who confessed Jesus as their Lord, and who live according to His Word (Rom.10:9). It is impossible to worship God in truth without abiding in Jesus Christ. We cannot do anything without Jesus Christ, and without Him, we cannot worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 15:1-8). Worshiping God in truth occurs through Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Only through Him, we can come unto God the Father, including coming unto the Father to worship Him (John 14:6). Jesus Christ revealed the Father to us, and only through Jesus, we have access to God.
Jn.17:17“Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth”
Jn.14:6“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me”
Jn.15:5“I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing”
Another part of the prayer is petition. When we have come into the presence of God through Jesus Christ, and worshipped God in spirit and in truth, then we can present before God our petitions, in order to obtain mercy, and find grace for help in time of need. At this point in our prayer we may present before God our needs, as well as pray for the other people.
Heb.4:14-16“Having then a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold tightly to our confession. For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need”
Phil.4:6“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”
1Tim.2:1“I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men”
Perseverance and Persistence in Prayers
Jesus Christ taught that in order to receive answers to our prayers we need perseverance in prayers. We should not stop to pray, and we should not give up, even if we did not receive answer to our prayer quickly. If we have removed all obstacles to prayer, God will surely answer our prayers. However, we need patiently wait for those answers. We need continue to pray, until we get the answer. Our perseverance and persistence in prayers is an evidence of our faith. In order to show us importance of perseverance and persistence in prayers in a very vivid way, Jesus told a few parables, recorded in the Gospel of Luke.
Lk.11:5-13 “He said to them, “Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,’ and he from within will answer and say, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give it to you’?
I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs.
“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Lk.18:1-8 “He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up, saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t respect man. A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ He wouldn’t for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’” The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. Won’t God avenge his chosen ones, who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
There are many mentions in the Holy Scripture about importance of persistence in prayers. God wants us to pray without ceasing. Our prayers must be regular. There should not be periods in our lives when we do not pray for a long time.
Lk.21:36 “Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man”
1Pet.4:7 “But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer”
Rom.12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer”
Eph.6:18 “With all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints”
1Thess.5:17-18 “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you”
There are some examples in the Bible of people, who were consistent and persistent in their prayers. They had regular times of prayer, which they kept regularly, despite any circumstances. In most cases, they prayed at least three times a day – in the evening, in the morning, and at noon.
Ps.55:17 “Evening, morning, and at noon, I will cry out in distress. He will hear my voice”
Dan.6:10 “When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his room toward Jerusalem) and he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before”
Teaching of Jesus Christ about Prayer
Jesus Christ taught us that when we pray, we should not say unnecessary words and use vain repetitions.
Mt.6:7-8 “In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him”
What words should we use in prayer?
Furthermore, continuing His teaching, Jesus gave His disciples the exact words with which they should pray to God. In this prayer Jesus explained to us, what are the most important things we should ask God for. This prayer is very often called “The Lord’s Prayer”, because our Lord Jesus Christ gave it to us. Some people call this prayer “The Prayer of the Disciples”, because Jesus commended His disciples to pray this prayer.
Mt.6:9-13 “Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’”
The Lord’s Prayer is a very beautiful and strong prayer according to the will of God. It is very short, but it contains so much. When we thoughtfully pray this prayer and agree with its every phrase, we may experience special fellowship with God through it, and receive a special blessing from God.
After Jesus told His disciples the prayer with which they should pray, He continued to teach about the prayer. Jesus pointed out to His disciples the importance of forgiving others, in order to receive forgiveness from God for our own trespasses. God will not forgive those, who do not forgive others.
Mt.6:14-15“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”
Мар.11:25-26 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions”
Forgiveness is an act and a decision of our will not to avenge another person for evil done to us by him or her. It is a decision not to hold grudge against another person and not use evil done to us as a justification to do evil to him or to her. In addition, when we forgive someone, we do not ever remind him or her about what he or she has done to us.
If we will pray the way the Holy Scripture teaches us to pray, we can be sure, that God will hear our prayers and answer them.