PRAYER
PRAYER IS MORE THAN... “ASKING AND RECEIVING”05/06/10 9:19 am
In 1942 Dr. John R. Rice published and excellent book about prayer. I would highly recommend this book to any believer. The book is titled: Prayer Asking and Receiving. Any person who reads my blog and would like to read Dr. Rice's book on prayer, I would be happy to loan you my copy.
Dr. Oswald J. Smith wrote the two-page introduction to this book and the best and most accurate statements he made in his remarks are: “The Christian who does not know the power of prayer is missing everything really worth while in the Christian life. Results are achieved by prayer.” (Now to my favourite sentence in this excerpt from his introduction.) “It is prayer that moves the Hand that rules the world.”
Though I am not (necessarily) disagreeing with any of the content of the book, I do disagree with the title. That is why I say that “prayer is more than... asking and receiving.”
Have you ever really thought about prayer? I mean to have really sat down somewhere and all by yourself and on purpose spent some time contemplating prayer? You do know of course that although “prayer” might come somewhat naturally... to do it correctly requires teaching. John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus both taught their followers how to “pray.”
I'm much afraid that for most believers their only teaching came from hearing other believers pray in public meetings... then, they copy the copy who has copied the copy who before that time has copied the copy they heard from! and if you doubt that, then simply listen to people as they pray in public.
I have been to a lot of public meetings in churches in different parts of the country and I assure you that for the vast majority of men who pray in public... only the names change... the prayers are identical! I am not trying to get believers to be innovative: I am really just wanting believers to be aware of the fact that they are speaking to God and not to man!
Try this easy test in your own church where you attend. The next time a person begins to pray in public (if you have heard them many times before) see if you can know before the words come out of their mouths what they are next going to say... that my friend, is not prayer. That type of “praying” is monkey see, monkey hear, monkey repeat... and repeat... and repeat!!!
If you are fortunate enough to have an earthly father still around try this experiment on him. Write on a sheet of paper many kind and true things about him. Now, the next time you see him read the words off the paper to his face. Maybe it could go something like this: “Father, I just want to thank you for bringing me into the world, and I want to thank you for the times you were patient and forgiving when I erred. I even want to thank you for the times you disciplined me... because I know it was for my own good. I also want to thank you for always being there and providing and taking care of all of my physical needs. By the way, do you have another twenty I could “borrow?” Thanks for everything father... I love you.”
Now, if you do this once... or even twice... he might be impressed and would perhaps think that he really did a good job in raising his son. Do it more than that... and my guess is he will begin to question your mother to see if perhaps you were dropped (repeatedly) on your head when you were very young. If your earthly father would be unimpressed by repetitious talking from you, why do you think God would be pleased with such “talk” as well? Keep in mind, you are not Roman catholic. If necessary, repeat that last phrase often: I AM NOT ROMAN CATHOLIC! Many of the people I have heard are (apparently) mentally counting their rosary beads as they repeat and pray exactly the same things and in the exact same order as every other prayer they have ever made! Again... that is not prayer!!!
Don't we as believers in Christ decry the Roman catholics for their prayers they do by rote? How (though) are many believers in fundamental Baptist churches any different? Especially when what they pray has no more thought in it than what the Roman catholics pray... both could do it in a state of semi-sleep!
What follows is what Roman catholics do and they actually believe this is prayer and somehow pleasing to God? They make the sign of the cross and with rosary beads in hand they begin their counting off and their recitations and they start with the “Apostle's Creed.” This is followed by the famous “Our Father” prayer that Jesus taught: then, three “Hail Mary's” and “Glory be to the Father” followed by still yet another “Our Father.” Now they repeat ten “Hail Mary's” while they meditate on the Mystery. After that they say another “Glory be to the Father” and immediately announce the Second Mystery: this, of course, is followed by another “Our Father.” If you think they are done “praying” at this time... you would be wrong. They repeat steps six and seven and continue with the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Mysteries in the same manner. I'm not kidding you, they actually believe this “much speaking” and “recitation by rote” are actual prayers and are pleasing to God. INSANITY!!!
Before you think too badly of them, listen to yourself pray and see if you are also only praying by rote... monkey hear...monkey repeat, and repeat, and repeat.
How many times have you ever heard people who are supposed to be praying to God, yet you can tell by what is being said that they are only talking to other men? Let me illustrate. There was a time in my life when I was a well-known nobody. Our church had a weekly television program and several different daily radio broadcasts. Two of the radio stations were big: 50,000 watts, one was in Atlanta and one was in Wheeling. At any given time and daily we were broadcasting (potentially) to ½ of the population of the United States.
I am telling you that to set this next story up. In the early '80's we were in Schroon Lake, New York and I was invited, as a known-nobody, to sit at the founders table for dinner. Before I tell you what happened next let me give you a good definition of a big-shot. “A big-shot is a little-shot who is more than fifty miles from home.” So, I guess, according to that accurate description, I qualified as a big-shot.
At that particular table were several “important” men in the Lord's work: including the host who had both founded the ministry and who had given us an invitation to be there. Dinner was served and the meal was set up as a family would set their own table, i.e., one person passing food to the next, etc. I was called on to pray for the meal. Keep in mind the following fact: I was asked to “bless the food,” and that and only that is exactly what I did!
I wasn't actually trying to be discourteous... I knew how the game was usually played. Men who are called on to pray are actually only “praying” the last few seconds of their long-winded speeches. The first ten minutes, or so, they are talking only to be heard by the people they are praising. Their “prayers” go something like this: “Lord (usually sounds like, Lawd) we thank you for this great man (fill in the blank) who You put here these many years ago to be a watchman... (five minutes later) and we thank you for the great buildings where (you fill in the appropriate number) ????? souls have been saved and lives have been changed.” (Five minutes more of this and by now I am praying my own prayer, “Lord (sounds like Lord) would you please shut this blow-hard up... the food's getting cold: thank you God, in Jesus' name... amen.”) You see, that type of prayer is short, sweet, and heartfelt. (lol)
Finally, the man tires of speaking to other men and he gets down to the only part God might actually listen to... “bless this food to our bodies.”
I decided not to play along that day. When I was asked to pray and ask the blessing for the food... that's what I did, it took all of eight seconds. There was no flowery speech about what a great man, ministry, buildings, etc., just a thank you to God for His provision.
After I said, "amen" I looked up and most of the men in the room were still in an attitude of prayer: surely, I couldn't really be done? Didn't I know that asking the blessing for the food was really code for heaping praise on men? Not only was I done, I was ready to eat. “Alright brother (in a loud voice, while clapping my hands together) pass those potatoes... they look great!” Needless to say, I wasn't called on to pray the rest of the week. For any reading this who might feel badly for the founder, you needn't: the rest of the men who were called on that week all decided to play their little game and they more than made up for my faux pas. By the end of the meetings, everyone was certain that now there were at least three men who could walk on water. The Lord Jesus, Peter, and Dr. Jack (W.)
Also, in telling that story I am not disparaging the man or the ministry he founded. My main disagreement with him was on certain standards and the KJV Bible. I did then, and do now believe that he really did a good work in the Lord. Now, I will finish up with my thoughts this morning on prayer.
You see, silly me, I think if you want to learn how to pray, or anything else as it pertains to God... you ought to go to the Bible! So, many years ago when I wanted to know how to pray... I went to the Bible to see how people prayed to God. I found out what prayers were answered and why? When I first did this I found certain prayers that became my own. I don't mean that I then memorized them and simply repeated, but I found some that had great insight and wisdom in the words and the format that was used and I used some of those ideas as my own. For example, chapter nine of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel are all great prayer chapters! I have used all of those chapters and prayed them as my own. I only changed certain wording to make it apply to me and my nation. (Example, as these men would confess the sins of their own people, I changed the names and confessed America's sins... infanticide, etc.)
I also found there was just about every possible body position on display as people prayed: lying down, standing up, kneeling, head cast down, eyes looking upward, speaking aloud, lips moving but no sound emitted, prostate, etc. The position of the body is of no importance whatsoever, it is the position of the heart that is all-important. Though, I prefer (whenever possible) to be on my face when I pray.
This is not an attempt this morning for me to try and write a treatise on prayer. In fact, I am only trying to be certain that everyone understands that when they are praying that they are, in fact, speaking to God, and not to men.
In conclusion: if prayer is the key that unlocks all of God's blessings upon mankind, then wouldn't it just make sense to learn how to pray?
Luke 11:1 “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
You can always email me at clarkmatthews1@aol.com
posted by Robin Johnson @ 9:12 AM
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