Prayers

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In Genesis 25:22, Rebekah “went to enquire of the Lord.” Prayer is our line of communication with God. We pray for help with problems and answers to our questions. We pray in times of sadness and grief, in times of struggle, for support and strength. Abraham Lincoln said, “I have been driven to my knees many times because there was no place else to go.” Sometimes only through prayer can we find solace. We pray to express joy and thanksgiving for blessings received. Often we recognize the answers to our prayers; just as often, we receive answers but do not realize it. There are rare occasions when our prayers do go unanswered; this in itself is a form of answer.

The scriptures give instructions and examples that show us how to pray and how to make our prayers more meaningful. Philippians 4:6 teaches we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be troubled by things, but pray (1) with supplication, (2) with thanksgiving, (3) making our requests known unto God.

Matthew 6:8 states, . . .”your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Though he already knows all we need, he requires us to ask in the faith of prayer before giving it to us. We may look to Adam and Eve to learn why this is so. From the beginning, choices have been placed before us. In the Garden of Eden, it was between abstaining from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and thereby remaining safely in the garden, or giving in to temptation and partaking of the fruit, and by so doing “falling” into a world that requires us constantly to be making choices between good and evil. This is illustrative of the principle of free will. God wants us to freely choose him; he will not force us to accept what he has to offer us. In order for us to freely choose, he cannot act before we make it possible, through our petitions in prayer. To give us, or do for us, what he knows we need before we ask for it, violates the principle of free will.

Because prayer is such an important part of our eternal growth God has not left us without help in learning how to pray. We have the pattern of prayer as set forth by the Savior himself, in Matthew 6. In the Old Testament, a good but less familiar demonstration of how prayer works is found in 1 Samuel.

Elkenah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had been blessed with children, but Hannah was barren. In ancient times, this was seen as a reproach from God, and Hannah suffered greatly both from her own thoughts, and from the taunting and gloating of Peninnah. It became so bad, that Hannah was “in bitterness of soul.” As with Abraham Lincoln, she had no place else to go, so turned to the Lord in prayer. Eli the priest observed her as she prayed, moving her lips but making no sound. At first he accused her of being drunken; she denied, and explained that she sought the Lord “out of the abundance of [her] complaint and grief. The priest told Hannah that the Lord would answer her prayer. Hannah and her family returned home, and Hannah continued to be faithful. The Lord did bless her, and she bore a son, Samuel. As she had promised, she gave him into the service of the Lord. This must have been difficult Hannah; to finally have the child she desired so deeply, only to put him into the care of Eli, and only being able to see him once in a great while. 1 Samuel 2 tells us Hannah made a “little coat” for Samuel, and brought him one every year. Yet, even though she had given up this child she loved, she prayed with thanksgiving and rejoiced in the Lord. Later on, Hannah was blessed to have three more sons, and two daughters.

Hannah’s prayer was finally answered, in the Lord’s time. Sometimes it seems that our prayers, even when we are doing the very best we can, go unanswered. There are several possible reasons for this. Perhaps, as with Hannah, her time is not the Lord’s time. Sometimes we need to practice patience, and “wait upon the Lord,” and have faith that he has heard us, even if we don’t see immediate results. In Hannah’s situation, she was faithful; she was doing all she could, and still had to wait upon the timing of the Lord.

Sometimes prayers go unanswered because they are born out of our own selfish desires and are not in line with the will of Christ. John 15:7 teaches that if we align our will with his, “ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Conversely, if we are not in tune with our Savior, we cannot expect answers. “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:3). In 1 Timothy 2:8, the Lord, through the apostle Paul, requests that we pray “without wrath and doubting;” in other words, to not try to place our will above God’s, contending with him to have our own way.

In humbling ourselves in prayer before the Lord, we show a willingness to set aside our own self-righteousness and submit to his will for us. In so doing we open ourselves to him, and he is able to bless us. If we do not pray with humility and with a desire to submit to his will, he cannot help us. Humility and prayer are inseparably connected if we want to be heard. God is always waiting for us to seek him. 2 Chronicles 7:14 and 15 teaches, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made. . .” (see also 2 Chronicles 15:4, Psalm 55:17)

There are times when we know we need to pray, but don’t know what it is we need to pray for. We feel it, but cannot express it. Romans 8:26 brings a message of hope. Paul teaches here that: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for 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.” As long as we make an earnest effort, we will have help in our prayers.

The scriptures do teach us, however, some things we are to pray for. Mark 11 counsels us to pray to forgive, so the Father may also forgive us (Mark 11:25-26) In any circumstance where we need guidance, we should turn to the Lord in prayer. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Psalm 3:5,6). In Numbers, the people come to Moses and ask that he pray for them (Numbers 21:7), and Samuel indicates that it is a sin against the Lord when we don’t pray for others. (1 Samuel 12:23). The Savior confirms this in Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” [italics added.] Prayer is not only required of us for ourselves, but on behalf of others.

We are also not left without guidelines on how to pray. Mark 11:24 tells us if we truly believe we will receive an answer, we will. “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering,” is the counsel from James. (James 1:6). God wants our trust, our complete faith. We may not always be that firm in our faith; then along with the father who desired his child be healed yet knew he lacked perfect faith, we may cry in our anguish, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief, (Mark 9:23), and the Spirit will intercede for us.

Praying vocally helps focus us and keeps our minds from wandering off. If we are in situations where we are unable to pray vocally, we may do as Hannah, and move our lips as we speak in our minds and hearts. Even this keeps our thoughts on track better than silent prayers alone; although, there are occasions for those, as well. It has been suggested we try to create individually a sacred space in our homes, a place we can retreat to akin to entering into our closets, and pour our hearts out to the Lord without interruption or distraction. It is our personal “holy of holies.”

Meaningful prayer requires preparation. As with Hannah, we must be diligent and determined. The sixth chapter of Matthew gives us the most comprehensive instruction on how we are to pray. Some of the elements found therein are (1) pray in a private place; prayer is between you and God, and should not be done to seek praise of other men. (2) don’t use the same words over and over again, without putting any sincere thought behind them. (3) acknowledge God and his power over all things in Heaven and earth. (4) pray for what we need, (5) seek forgiveness of our sins and faults.

We should be humble, recognizing our sinful, imperfect state, but should not let that hinder us in coming to our Father in prayer. As did Hannah, we should also pray with thanksgiving, expressing gratitude for blessings received. We should pray “rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; [constantly persisting] in prayer; (Romans 12:12.

Luke 21:36 counsels us to “pray always.” As stated previously, our private prayers should be as vocal as we can make them; however, we are to always pray. There will be times and circumstances when it is inappropriate or undesirable to pray vocally, or to drop to our knees before God. In these times we still may pour our souls out in supplication to God, in the silence of our hearts.

Prayer is a basic element of our salvation. None of us always knows perfectly what to pray for, so we need the Spirit to give us direction. We only see what we can see through a keyhole while the Spirit knows all that lies beyond. In our homes we would do well to allow one another the time and space to have seclusion to seek God in prayer, and join together as well in prayer with and for loved ones. In times of need we must be persistent in “crying mightily to the Lord.” As our children see this process at work in our lives they will begin to follow the pattern of prayer themselves. Prayer must always be a conscious and conscientious choice; not an established habit that becomes something we do unthinkingly and without meaning. Leonardo da Vinci said, “O Lord, Thou givest us everything, at the price of an effort.” Pray takes effort, but through that effort, we can be blessed and find peace and joy in a world where no other source can provide it, as we go to “enquire of the Lord.”

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