Are Your Prayers Up To Code
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Many people feel as though their prayers go unanswered for one reasonor
another. As a result, questions regarding what prayer is acceptable
and whose prayer is acceptable come to mind. These answers and others
pertaining to prayer can be found in the Bible, if conscientious study
is applied.
Psalm 65:2 O Hearer of prayer, even to you people of all flesh will
come.
Acts 10:34,35 At this Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘For a certainty
I perceive that God is not partial, but in every nation the man that
fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.
These two verses inform a student that a person’s ethnicity, national
background, economic situation or any other such issue makes no
difference when a person petitions God with prayer. What God cares
about are the stimuli in a person’s heart and the manner in which said
person lives his life.
For a prayer to be acceptable to God, there are certain criteria that
must be met. Criteria? God has standards for prayer a person is
expected to meet? Indubitably, for a prayer to be pleasing to God it
must conform to standards that the Bible relays to us. Reflect upon
these verses for examples of God’s standards for prayer.
Luke 11:2-4 Then he [Jesus] said to them: ‘Whenever you pray, say,
‘Father, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Give us
our bread according to the day’s requirement. And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves also forgive everyone that is in debt to us; and do
not bring us into temptation.
In this verse Jesus clearly states: say, Father let your name be
sanctified. Let your kingdom come. This tells us to pray
directly
to Jehovah, or God, not to a saint, or an angel or anyone else. In
order to be certain that prayer is directed to Jehovah God, a person
should always begin there prayer by stating Jehovah's name.
For
example: Lord Jehovah, let your name be sanctified...; Our Heavenly
Father, Jehovah, let your name be sanctified...In this manner a person
can be certain that his prayer is to Jehovah.
John 14:6, 14 Jesus said to him: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me. If you ask anything in my
name I will do it.’
Here, Jesus tells us all things are possible through him, and without
him there is nothing. We are also informed there is no way to approach
the Father except through Jesus. Due to our sinful nature, we are
unable to reach the Father without Jesus acting as intercessor. For
this reason, our prayers should end thusly: In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
1 John 5:14, 15 And this is the confidence we have toward him, that, no
matter what it is that we ask according to his will, he hears us.
Further, if we know he hears us respecting whatever we are asking, we
know we are to have the things asked since we have asked them of him.
It is tremendously liberating to have the assurance of anything we ask
according to his will he hears and will give to us. The next standard
lies therein; according to his will. To be sure his requests are in
agreement with God’s will, a petitioner must know the will of God.
Thorough study of the Bible will reveal God‘s will to those seeking it.
1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of Jehovah are upon the righteous ones, and
his ears are toward their supplication; but the face of Jehovah is
against those doing bad things.
Those that take the time to study the Bible find that it conveys the
knowledge of what is righteous and what is bad.
1 John 3:22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we are
observing his commandments and are doing the things that are pleasing
in his eyes.
Proverbs 28:9 He that is turning his ear from hearing the law [of
God]-even his prayer is something that is detestable.
Support for 1 John 5:14, 15 is found in 1 John 3:22 which adds that by
observing his commandments a person will be doing what is pleasing to
Jehovah. Proverbs 28:9 shows a person that it requires more than simply
saying the right thing in the right way, but actually living in a
manner acceptable to God is a must if we desire our prayers to be heard
by God.
Isaiah 55:6,7 Search for Jehovah, you people, while he may be found.
Call to him while he proves to be near. Let the wicked man leave his
way, and the harmful man his thoughts, and let him return to Jehovah,
who will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will forgive in a
large way.
Matthew 6:5 When you pray you must not be as the hypocrites; because
they like to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the
broad ways to be visible to men. Truly I say to you, They are having
their reward in full.
Luke 18:9-14 But he spoke this illustration also to some who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous and considered the rest as nothing.
Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the
other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and began to pray these
things to himself, O God, I thank you that I am not as the rest of men,
extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I
fast twice a week, I give the tenth of all things I acquire. But the
tax collector standing at a distance was not willing even to raise his
eyes heavenward, but kept beating his breast, saying, O God, be
gracious to me a sinner. I tell you, This man went down to his home
proved more righteous than that man; because everyone that exalts
himself will be humiliated, but he that humbles himself will be exalted.
In the two preceding sets of verse a person learns that those who pray
in a manner such that it is a show for men to prove themselves in front
of man are not praying to God, but to themselves. Why would a person
expect Jehovah to hear a prayer that is not even directed to him. For
more information on this subject see, Breaking The Quasi Christian Chain.
Isaiah 42:8 I am Jehovah. That is my name; and no one else shall I give
my own glory, neither my praise to graven things.
A petitioner is reminded that all symbols should be avoided, not used
as an aid for prayer, in Isaiah 42:8. Does it seem logical that it
would be agreeable to Jehovah for a petitioner to pray before a cross
or other such symbol? Additional information on this subject can be
found in, Avoid The Cross.
Matthew 6:9-13 You must pray then this way: Our father in the heavens,
let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take
place, as in heaven, also upon earth. Give us today our bread for this
day; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not
bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.
In this fashion the followers of Jesus have been instructed to pray.
Jesus starts by asking for the sanctification of God’s name and then
asks for his kingdom to come. Praying for his will to be done on earth
as it is in heaven lends additional support to asking for his kingdom
to come. He then tells us to supplicate God to provide for us and to
forgive us our transgressions. The statement as we forgive our debtors
is an action that only God and the petitioner know is or is not done;
despite this it is this action that tells God we are worthy of his help
because we are doing God‘s will. The prayer finishes by asking for
deliverance from the evil one. The prayer should still be started with
the use of Jehovah's name and needs to be concluded with "In
Jesus' name I pray Amen. All this is in harmony with his
words at
Luke 11:2-4.
When a petitioner follows these guidelines, they are certain to have
prayer that is acceptable to God.
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