LORD TEACH US TO PRAY

Dear Friends,

et us prepare our hearts, souls, minds, and spirits for the biblical instructions on "Prayer".

What is the source and the foundation of prayer? Where did it begin? What can I discover in the use of prayer?

The Origin and Discovery of Prayer

(Genesis 4:26)

The professors of true spirituality descend from Seth, and others called themselves the children of God in order to distinguish themselves from the profane and disrespectful descendants of Cain. They also set up or reestablished the more public, earnest, and fervent worship of God on the Holy Sabbath and on other occasions.

It is evident from Genesis 4:26 that at the birth of Enos some remarkable changes took place in the manner by which the people of God paid their reverence to the divine beings. It is after the reference to children being born that we come upon this. “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” It was a right time to do so. It always is and will always be so. People who have not been much conscious of God before may well seek Him when their children come, or when their large family increases-cousins, nieces, uncles, and so on. Awareness of an expanding circle of relationships brings awareness of expanding need. So we must pray.

The secret of prayer is divulged not in elaborate, or complicated theories, but in sweet pursuit of prayer and in demonstration of its promised power. Thus, the practice of prayer is itself the best guide as to how to pray. "We know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Rom. 8:26).

The Scope of Prayer

(Matthew 17:20)

When reading some Gospel passages on the scope of prayer, as familiar as their words may be, we can hardly fail to be moved by every reexamination of them. In taking each look at them, we should do so without reading into them our own disbeliefs. Matthew 17:20 records Jesus’ words, “Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” When we read a similar quote in Mark 11:23, it becomes even more reasonable to believe that Jesus did say these words. His prefacing the thought with “Verily I say unto you” makes it clear that those words were considered by the writer and by Jesus Himself to be worthy of special attention, given the Source.

ur Lord was speaking of the power of faith, and He said that His disciples, by the simple exercise of that gift, would be able to remove mountains.

What are we to understand by this broad statement? If we understand the mountains to be mountains of difficulty or temptation, or barriers to liberty, this figure of speech must be allowed its due significance. It this s metaphor, it is a big metaphor and must have a big meaning.

Observe that in Matthew 21:22 the passage concludes with a sweeping statement. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

These passages are supported by several others in the Gospels. Both Matthew and Mark encourage the expectation that prayer will invariably be answered. This assurance is given without reservation to enlarge the scope and power of prayer.