The Center of Prayer
To make a request of God is the heart of prayer. We can praise God and commit ourselves to him all day long, but if we never make a request of God, then we have not really prayed. The English word “prayer” means to make a request of an authority. To pray is to seek God for help.
To make requests of God isn’t just something that is a nice idea. We are commanded by God to turn to him in times of need:
• In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
• Cast all your anxiety upon God because he cares for you. I Peter 5:7
• Let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found. Psalm 32:6
• With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18
Why does God desire our prayers?
It might seem odd that God is not only asking, but commanding us to pray. But prayer is the center of who we are as believers in God. If we believe in God, what do we believe him for? To believe that God exists is nothing by itself, unless you also believe that He will reward those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). We pray as a demonstration of our faith that God not only lives, but that he acts in our world today. The more we pray for God to do something, the more we demonstrate our dependence on Him to act on our behalf—and this dependence is our faith (Luke 11:1-8).
But making requests of God is not just a demonstration of our commitment to God. It is the heart of God’s glory. God is the king of the world and he owns all things (Psalm 24:1). He is the center of all justice and all provision. It is only right for us to go to Him to ask of what He has. And if we pray and he responds, then His glory is made known to everyone who sees that prayer fulfilled. God is not known in the world through doctrinal statements—He is seen and experienced through answered prayer.
God will not act unless we ask (James 4:2). Thus, if we do not ask God for help, we are stealing from both ourselves and God. If we do not ask, we do not receive the provision of God, and God does not gain the opportunity to demonstrate His power.
Who do we pray for?
Some think that we should only pray for ourselves. Others think we should pray for others, not ourselves. God desires for us to pray for everyone and everything.
Praying for God
The Lord’s prayer makes it clear that we should spend some time praying for God. Jesus certainly spent quite a bit of time on prayer for God—“Father, glorify your name.” “Not my will but yours.” To pray for God is to ask that God would act on his own behalf on the earth. Every time we pray the Lord’s prayer, we spend half the time praying for God (see below).
Praying for ourselves
It is not selfish to pray for ourselves, rather it is an act of faith. When we pray for ourselves, we recognize that we need God in our lives. Jesus told us to pray for justice in our lives, for the Holy Spirit to fill us, for our basic needs, and for forgiveness (Luke 18:7-8; 11:3-4, 13).
Praying for others
If God is hearing our prayers, then we must be praying for others as well. This is called “intercession”. Many prayers are not effective unless we pray with another who also believes (Matthew 18:19). And to pray for others is a great act of mercy, the center of all Christian ministry. We should pray for others to be healed, to be forgiven of their sin and to be delivered from oppression (Matthew 10:8; John 20:23).
Praying for God’s people
All the requests in the Lord’s prayer is not for ourselves alone, but for the whole church. We must remember not only to pray for unbelievers, but especially for God’s people, especially the congregation we are a part of. Especially we need to pray for God’s glory to be shown in the church and for the purity and reliance on God in the church.
Praying for our enemies
Not only are we to pray for those whom we are friendly to, but we are to pray for our enemies—those who do evil against us. Jesus commands us to do this—but it is not just for our enemies’ sake, but our own. If we pray for our enemies, we are acting like God who blesses his enemies. And if we pray for our enemies, then we are praying for our own hearts to be softened toward our enemies so we can love them as God does. (Luke 6:28, 35)
Examples of requests
Our Father in heaven, may your name be sanctified
May your kingdom come
May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:9-13)
The LORD bless you, and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
O Lord, you have brought all your faithful people into a single, universal family, stretching across heaven and earth. Bind us together with a spiritual love which is stronger than any human love, that in serving one another we may neither count the cost nor seek reward, but only think of the common good. (Mozarabic Sacramentary)
Give food to the hungry, O Lord
And give hunger for You to those who have food. (Anonymous)
Whatever you make me desire for my enemies, give it to them and give the same back to me. You who are the whole truth, correct their errors. You who are the incarnate word, give life to their souls. Tender Lord Jesus, let me not be a stumbling block to them nor a rock of offense. I beg your mercy on my fellow slaves. Let them be reconciled with you and through you be reconciled to me. (Anselm of Canterbury)
Let’s Do It!
Now let’s put this theory into practice. Get a piece of paper and write down a list of people you could pray for and what they need from the Lord. Then make a list of what you need from the Lord. Then pray it to the Lord!
Ask of God, or steal from God and ourselves.
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