Christian Living

PART 3 PRAYER

by james rondinone 
03/11/16
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Does God hear and answer our prayers?               

●After I Got Saved And Eventually Went To Work For A Church

There Were Two Things That I Had No Intention Of Immersing Myself In

●When, How Often, And For How Long Should We Pray?

Contrasting the Jewish and Roman day:

When, how often, and for how long did Jesus pray for?

When, how often, and for how long did the leadership and those who were in the assembly of the early church pray for?                                             

CHAPTER 2

After I Got Saved And Eventually Went To Work For A Church

There Were Two Things That I Had No Intention Of Immersing Myself In

   In 1976, I repented and believed in Christ as my personal savior. When I did, I was flooded with God’s presence.

   At this time I was in a church that had the following belief system. They believed in the doctrine of Calvinism, that God predestined some to heaven and some to hell. There was a mandate that if you professed belief in Christ, you must be baptized in water in order to complete the salvation process. There was also the teaching that a believer should look the way God would have them to look. If you had long hair, then cut it, and make sure that you dressed up presentably. You also had to be careful not to make too much money. Being wealthy was frowned upon. And lastly, to live for God meant to live a moral life.

   I can remember going to church, listening to a few hymnal songs, and then hearing a message from the pastor. Something was missing. The presence of God that I had experienced at salvation disappeared. I continued to attend for a while longer, but I sensed a void of the refreshment of the Spirit. Doctrinal differences were often the main topic at fellowship gatherings, while I can’t remember hearing any teachings on how to grow in Christ other than to attend church and make sure you follow the directives as mentioned earlier. Thinking anew about oneself in the light of God’s scriptural declarations, confessing known sin, and replacing carnal thoughts with Godly thoughts was unheard of.

   I eventually left this church and asked God to find me a place where I could experience His presence again. On a particular day as I was driving my car on one of the main streets in my home city I recognized a guy walking on the sidewalk, who I used to hang around with, but hadn’t seen in a while. I pulled the car over and asked him how he was doing. He told me that his life had totally changed. He had become a born again Christian and was attending a church in the area. He gave me the address and time of the gathering to which I showed up at the next meeting.

   When I walked into the facility what I noticed was that there were a lot of young people there. The pastor was also very young, probably about 26. He played the guitar and sang. The songs were alive. Something was different. After the pastor spoke, all I could say was wow. I didn’t understand most of what was said, but I was flooded with God’s presence. I knew that I had found my spiritual home.

   Church gatherings were held three times a week. There were two services on Sunday, one in the morning and the other in the evening along with a bible study during the week. I attended these meetings faithfully for over a year. I slowly began to understand some of the doctrinal views of the church. They believed in tithing 10% of your income. Their view on the office (leadership) gifts was that there were no longer any apostles or prophets. The only office gifts which remained were those of evangelist and pastor-teacher. They also believed that the gifts of the Spirit were no longer in operation. Although they did mention that at various times God in his sovereignty would allow a gift to be exercised, but this was the exception rather than the rule. They also focused on getting to know one self as we are known by God. In order to grow there had to be a change of mindset toward oneself. As I began to learn about these new truths, God’s presence became more and more operational in my life.

   On one particular day, the pastor of the church told me there were plans to buy a building, which would be used for church related activities, in the near future. He asked me that if this took place would I consider quitting my day job and go to work for the church in a multi-functional capacity (e.g. visiting church members, overseeing a bible study, coordinating outreach programs, etc.). I told him that when the time came I would definitely go to work for the church. Soon after a multi-functional property was purchased that had two buildings on it. This property had been originally owned by the Catholic Church being used to house nuns. I was approached and told that a building was purchased and that now was the time for me to make a decision as to whether I would quit my day job and go on staff for the church. I replied, yes I would. I gave notice to leave my other job and soon I was involved with the day to day responsibilities of being what was called an outreach coordinator. Besides myself there were three other hirelings. A person from the assembly was hired to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for staff. Another member of the assembly was hired on an as need basis for maintenance (e.g. plumbing, electrical, carpentry, etc.). And lastly, an assistant resident pastor was hired, who would oversee the day to day operation of the ministry.

   As I proceeded to fulfill my responsibilities there were three things that made me very uncomfortable, two of which I had no intention of immersing myself in.

   The first was being told that I had to sit next to the pastor in front of the congregation during church service. I never enjoined being in front of people in any capacity.

   The second was being told to conduct a bible study. I knew this would involve study, and one of the things which I seldom did was read. I read very few books in my childhood. I found books boring, and as such a waste of time.

   And third I was told that I had to get up early in the morning and join the pastor for prayer, which would last for about one hour. My thought on this endeavor was not only what does one pray for, but why for an hour? 

   Over time I began to appropriate, memorize, and meditate on God’s word which helped me to think differently about myself concerning these uncomfortable situations. Soon the fear of sitting in front of the congregation was replaced with the anticipation of being called upon to speak before others a brief message. The apprehension of reading was replaced with the expectation of God unveiling to me personal insight from the word by means of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And prayer became the platform for starting out my day thanking God for who he has made to be and asking him to use me for others throughout my day for His service.

   What I realized through all of this was that it’s not how old or how young the pastor is. It’s not whether the pastor is soft spoken, eloquent in speech, or outrageously loud. It’s not whether I agree with every doctrinal view that the church perpetuates. It all boils down to one thing.

Is the pastor in fellowship or communion with God or not, and if he is, does the teaching that comes forth from the pulpit teach me how to walk with God so that I myself might enjoy this same kind of fellowship or communion with Him? I didn’t say that it all boils down to good works or volunteering. The bottom line is, am I learning about who God has made me to be along with how to address my areas of weakness?

   If I’m learning how to decrease in being controlled by the old sin nature and increase in being filled with the Spirit, I will be prompted to do good works and volunteer without being coerced.

   So now you know about what my thoughts used to be concerning reading and prayer.

   What else should we know about prayer?

   Some believers think that they must spend a certain amount of time in prayer each day. Others say that we should follow the example of Jesus, who separated himself at times from society in order to be alone to pray. And still others say that we should pray early in the morning as was the example of Jesus.

   What we will attempt to do next is take a look at the life of Jesus and the lives of those, who were in the leadership positions of the early church and try to answer these questions that have been brought forth concerning prayer. Following this we will contrast and compare what we have come up with.

   In the next chapter we will begin by trying to answer the question, how long and how often should we pray for?

CHAPTER 3

When, How Often, And For How Long Should We Pray?

   Should prayer be mandatory? Should there be a specified amount of time that each of us should set aside each day for prayer? Is there a particular time when believers should pray?

   Some churches believe that prayer should be mandatory. Certain times of the week are designated for corporate prayer. In some instances these gatherings are segregated. There are some believers, who pray for many hours each day, while others are not so inclined. There are those who use prayer as a measuring stick that signifies how spiritual each person is in the assembly. The more one prays the more spiritual they are considered to be.

   All of these questions should be looked into so that we are not caught off guard when another believer or someone in leadership tells us that we must pray so often, for so long, and at a certain place. We should know what the scriptures say in this regard.

   We will begin by looking at the Jewish day by finding out what was each day’s name or description along with how were the times within each day described. Why is this important to know? This is important to know because in the early church the description of each day along with the times within each day were referred to according to the Jewish perspective. But we will not stop here. I will also introduce the Roman way of naming their days along with how the times within each day were described. After each has been introduced I will they try to put them together so that as you read about when prayer took place you will understand it according to both systems of time.

1. Contrasting the Jewish and Roman day:

   The Jews referred to their days of the week as the first of the week (of the Sabbath cycle), the second of the Sabbath cycle, etc. The seventh day was known as the Shabat (Sabbath), the day of rest. The Sabbath began at approximately 40 minutes after sunset, when a minimum of 3 stars were able to be seen in the sky, which would be considered to begin at the close of the sixth day. Each of these days began and ended at sunset. The first day of the week is the day following the Sabbath, beginning at sunset. Another thought to consider is how the Jews talked about the various times within each day. According to Acts 3:1 they would describe a particular time as “the ninth hour”. What does the ninth hour mean? It means the ninth hour after dawn or the ninth hour after dawn. There were 12 hours in the Jewish day beginning at dawn and 12 hours in the Jewish night beginning at sunset.

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

   When we look at passages of scripture in the New Testament which refer to morning, evening, first day of the week, etc. we need to understand that each of these words need to be interpreted according to the Jewish perspective. What further complicates this is the fact that the Romans had a different way to describe not only the names of their days, but the times within each day along with when their days began and ended. Let’s take a look at the Roman description of their days and after which try to combine both perspectives.

   The Romans adopted their days of the week from their mythical gods. Saturday was named after Saturn, the god of crops and harvest, and was initially considered the first day of the week. The second day of the week was called Sunday, which was considered as a day sacred to the sun. The third day and so on is as follows: Monday was named because it was sacred to the moon. Tuesday was named after Tiw, a god of war. Wednesday was named after Woden, the leader of the gods. Thursday was named after Thor, the god of thunder. Friday was named after Frigga, the wife of Woden. Each of these days began and ended atmidnight. As the worshiping of the Sun increased, the Sun's day (Sunday) advanced from position of the second day to the first day of the week (and Saturday became the seventh day). It was not until Christianity took hold throughout Europe that most calendars marked Sunday as the first day of the week. It is a little known fact among most Christians, that the Romans first adopted the seven-day week in the first century and that they borrowed it not from the Jews, but from the Egyptians.Each Roman day began and ended at midnight. With this in mind time within a day was designated as either being am (before noon for up to a period of 12 hours) or pm (after noon for up to a period of 12 hours).

   As best we can let’s try to mesh these two perspectives together.

   For the Jew the ninth hour meant an hour beginning at the 9^th hour after dawn (sunrise) and lasting for one hour. For the Romans this would mean beginning at 3:00pm and ending at 4:00pm. Dawn would be equivalent to 6:00am. Sunset would be equivalent to 6:00pm. If time refers to the night then the Jewish wording for this would be something like the third hour of the night. The third hour of the night would be equivalent to 9:00pm. Another way of talking about the night times would be to describe three hour periods of time using certain words such as:

Sunset (6:00pm) to the third hour (9:00pm) – First Watch

(9:00pm) to the sixth hour (midnight) – Second Watch

Midnight to the ninth hour (3:00am) – Third Watch

(3:00am) to sunrise – Fourth Watch

   The Jewish day would be described as being from dawn (6:00am) to sunset (6:00pm). The Jewish night would be from sunset (6:00pm) to dawn (6:00am).

   The Jewish Sabbath, the 7^th Day, would be from sunset (6:00pm) to sunset (6:00pm) or from Friday (6:00pm) to Saturday (6:00pm).

   So for an example if a scripture said that Jesus went to pray in the evening, this would tell us that he went to pray sometime from 6:00pm until 6:00am. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he prayed for this entire time, but that he prayed during this time frame.

2. When, how often, and for how long did Jesus pray for?

   We will begin by taking a look at the life of Jesus in regard to prayer. Will we be able to determine that he prayed only during certain times (e.g. morning, afternoon, evening) or that he prayed for a specific period of time or that he prayed for a certain number of times each day? Hopefully what we find out will help us in our own walk with God.

When the evening was come:

Suggested Reading: Matthew 14:13-25

   John the Baptist had just been killed by Herod. Jesus after having heard about this departs into a desert place. However, when the people found out about where He had gone to they followed him there. When they arrived Jesus not only had compassion on them and healed their sick, but said to the disciples to feed them. His disciples responded by saying that they only had five loaves and two fishes on hand. Jesus took the loaves and while looking up to heaven blessed them and then handed them to his disciples, who took their share, and passed the rest around to the multitudes. Not only were five thousand people fed, but after gathering up the remaining bread they found that they had 12 baskets left over. After this miracle Jesus sent the multitudes away and went up into a mountain to pray (to speak with God; to ask things of God). When it became evening (when night fell) he was still there alone.

   In the meantime his disciples boarded a boat and headed over to the other side of the lake they were on. Sometime later the weather began to be stormy. In the fourth watch Jesus decided to go unto them walking on the water.

And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. (Matthew 14:23,25)

   What does this tell us about prayer? It appears that Jesus went up into a mountain before evening set in to pray. Evening began at 6:00pm. He decided in the fourth watch to leave the mountain and go to the aid of his disciples, because of the impending weather. The fourth watch began at 3:00am and ended at dawn (sunrise-6:00am). What we can gather is that Jesus was at a mountain residing alone at least from 6:00pm to 3:00am. Another word he remained in this place for at least nine hours. Did he pray during all this time? We don’t know. Did he sleep at all? It doesn’t say.

   In the next section we find Jesus in a particular place where he is under great pressure. We also find that while he was there he prayed the same prayer three times. Why do you think he did this?

Gethsemane

Suggested Reading: Matthew 26:36-45

   Jesus has just partaken of the last Passover feast with his disciples. Following this he decided to go to the Mount of Olives with Peter, James, and John to a particular place called Gethsemane (orchard of olive trees). His betrayal by Judas Iscariot into the hands of those, who would bring Him before the high priest and accuse him of blasphemy, was imminent. When they arrive at Gethsemane He decides to separate himself a small distance away from his disciples so that he could pray alone. Before he walks away from them he reminds them to stay awake.

   His mental state was one of being sorrowful (greatly amazed and sore troubled) and heavy (distress of mind; a feeling of terrified surprise). At some point he falls on his face (the head was put between the knees, and the forehead brought to touch the earth - this was not only humiliating, but a very painful posture) and prayed to the Father asking him if it were possible to let this cup pass from him.

   Some commentators say that Jesus was asking God the Father for a way out from the coming suffering, imminent death, and separation from Him. I am not going to address this now, but I will in the next chapter when we talk about, what did Jesus pray for?

   After prayer he checks in on his disciples and finds them asleep. So he decided to go back to the place where he initially prayed and makes a similar request to God the Father. After which he goes back again and checks on the disciples, and finds them still asleep. For the third and last time he goes back to the same place and prays again making the same request as he had twice before.

   What can we learn about prayer from these scriptures? We know that it was following the observance of the Passover, when Jesus and his disciples went to Gethsemane. The amount of time spent in observance of the Passover varied. It could have lasted from anywhere between 2-4 hours. If Jesus and his disciples arrived at Gethsemane by 10:00pm, then what we could say is that He prayed during the second watch [(9:00pm) to the sixth hour (midnight)]. Another word he prayed during the evening. It’s interesting to note that He essentially prayed the same prayer three times as if to be emphasizing to God the Father that the need for His response was critical.

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. (Matthew 26:39,42,44)

    In the following section we will take a look at Jesus prayer to the Father when He was on the cross. When did He pray and for how long?

Then, said Jesus:

Suggested Reading: Luke 23:33-46  

   The background is that Christ and two others are hanging on a cross, at a place called Calvary (kranion), the Greek word for Golgotha - the place of a skull. He is placed between two thieves as if to indicate that he was the worst of the three transgressors. The superscription above his head, which indicated his crime, was, “This is the King of the Jews”. This was written in the 3 learned languages, Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

   During the time preceding the Jews exodus from Egypt and the time following, when they entered the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, while operating under the institution of the Mosaic Law, it was common for an executed person to be publicly displayed by hanging them from the stakes of a stockade wall. This was done to discourage civil disobedience and to mock defeated military foes. Another method which the Jews employed for carrying out a death sentence was stoning. After which, the person was placed on a tree “hanging” for public display. People so displayed after execution by stoning for breaking Israel’s Law were said to be cursed of God

   During the time when Christ lived on the earth, the Sanhedrin (the judicial system of the Jews) had four forms of capital punishment: stoning, burning, beheading, and strangling. However, the Roman judicial system took away from the Sanhedrin the power of inflicting capital punishment. (Sanhedrin, 1, beginning; 7,2, p.24). This simply meant that without the confirmation of the sentence on the part of the Roman procurator, the Jews had no power to carry out the sentence of the Sanhedrin.

   As far as Roman justice was concerned the stake or cross came to be used as a means of civil and military punishment for persons convicted as enemies of the state (foreign soldiers, rebels, spies, treason, desertion in the face of the enemy, robbery, piracy, assassination, sedition, etc.). The Roman citizen was exempt from crucifixion, the use of which was abolished under Emperor Constantine in about 300 AD.

   In regards to the coming Messiah the Jews were looking for someone, who would deliver them from Roman rule. If Jesus was, who he said he was, he would not only deliver himself from the Romans that had him now in their hands, but also he would deliver the Jews from Roman rule. Obviously, he did neither. Therefore, the Jews prosecuted him under the notion of a pretended Messiah.

   He was placed on a cross, sentenced to die for blasphemy, claiming to be someone, who according to the Jews, he was not. While on the cross Jesus prayed to the Father. This prayer was made in the morning before the sixth hour (noon) when darkness would occur over all the earth and remain until the ninth hour (3:00pm).

And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.  And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. (Luke 23:33-34,44)  

   What can we say in regards to Jesus prayer? Due to circumstances it was said in the morning, and it was brief.

   I was surprised to find out that Jesus prayed when he was being baptized by John the Baptist. Were you aware of this? Please go to the book of Matthew.

The baptism of repentance for the remission (forgiveness) of sins:

Suggested Reading: Matthew 3:1-11

   John the Baptist was preaching to the Jews telling them to change their mind concerning their past sins for the kingdom of heaven (the reign of God) was at hand. This was an announcement that a new intervention of God is beginning in history which invites Israel to accept the prophetic manifestation of his will through the baptizer."In all of the region around the Jordan River the Jewish people came to him to be baptized confessing their sins. But this was not all, John told them that someone would arrive on the scene, who he was not worthy to baptize, that would bring about a different type of baptism, which would be a baptism of the Holy Spirit and of fire.

   Little did he know that soon thereafter Jesus would come to him to be baptized. This baptism of Jesus is also mentioned in Luke 3:21. I mention this because this is where it says that as Jesus was being baptized by John, He prayed.

Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

   What can we conclude about prayer in this instance? It’s in all likelihood that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River in the morning or afternoon. His silent prayer, albeit brief, appeared to have been made while he was being immersed in the water.

   Did Jesus pray all night? We will find this out by going to the book of Luke.

Continued all night:

Suggested Reading: Luke 6:1-12

   There were two instances, both of which had occurred on the Sabbath, of which Jesus was being criticized by the religious elite. The first had to do with plucking and eating ears of corn and the second had to do with healing a man, whose right hand was withered. Right after these instances were mentioned it says that Jesus went into a mountain to pray to God, and continued there all night.

12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

   This is another interesting aspect of prayer. For whatever reason Jesus prayed all night to the Father.

   Another passage in the book of Luke tells us that Jesus prayed for Peter. What can we learn about prayer from this interaction?     

~ Jesus prayed alone at a mountain during the evening. He was there for at least 9 hours. We don’t know how much of this time was relegated to prayer. Matthew 14:13-25

~ Jesus prayed essentially the same brief prayer during the evening in Gethsemane. Matthew 26:36-45

~ While on the cross Jesus prayed in the morning a short prayer to God the Father. Luke 23:33-46  

~ Jesus prayed either in the morning or afternoon briefly while he was being baptized by John the Baptist. Matthew 3:1-11

~ Jesus went up into a mountain and prayed all night to the Father. Luke 6:1-12

   The next thing we said we would do is take a look at the subject of prayer in regard to those who were in the leadership of the church or who were in the assembly of the early church. We will look at when, how often, and how long did they pray for? After which we will summarize and then compare and contrast this with what we just concluded about prayer as it related to Jesus.

3. When, how often, and for how long did the leadership and those who were in the assembly of the early church pray for?

   In the early church both Christian Jews and unbelieving Jews prayed together. As of yet there was not any contention between Judaism and Christianity.

And they continued steadfastly:

Acts 2:42,46

   On the Day of Pentecost over 3000 people believed in Christ as their Messiah/Savior. Those who believed attended constantly: to the teachings of the church; to the meetings of the believers for Christian fellowship, which was centered on intimate worship, sharing, and learning the scriptures; to the sharing of fellowship meals together, which was followed by the celebration of the Lord’s Supper; in prayers.

   They would go into the court yard of the temple at Jerusalem for public prayer on a daily basis. There were three different times of the day, when the temple was open for public prayer. The third hour (9:00am), which accompanied morning sacrifice; the sixth hour (noon), when the sun had gained the meridian; and the ninth hour (3:00pm), which accompanied the evening sacrifice. Some believe that the three daily prayer-times of the Apostles in the New Testament and of the early Christians, consisted of praying first the Lord's Prayer at the three daily times of 9am, Noon, and 3pm; which might be followed according to individual choice (and available time or inclination) with Psalms, Hymns, spiritual songs, and personal prayer²⁵. Jewish men were required to pray during each of these three times, while Jewish women were only required to pray once a day. The amount of time spent praying would be up to each individual.

   At this point of time in the early church there was no contention between those of the Jewish faith and those of the Christian faith. Jewish Christians did not separate from their unsaved Jewish brethren or from obedience to the Mosaic Law. Besides meeting in the temple for public prayers it appeared that Christians also met in homes or other places for group prayer.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,                  

    What have we learned about prayer in the early church? The early Jewish Christian males prayed publicly in the courtyard of the temple with their fellow unsaved Jews three times a day. The saved Christian Jewish women were obligated to pray once a day in regard to Jewish custom. The amount of time spent during each of these prayer times was up to the individual. It also appeared that the Jewish Christians met daily in homes or at other places with their fellow Christians for teaching, fellowship, communion, shared meals, and prayers.

   The apostles did not want to personally undertake the responsibility of distributing money and food to the Grecian widows so they could continue to engage in something that was paramount to the ministry? Do you know what this was?

Give ourselves continually:

Suggested Reading: Acts 6:1-6

   There are those in the early church, whom God had given an office (e.g. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) gift to, who due to circumstances found there was a need to appoint some in the church (deacons) to provide food and money to those Grecian widows (Jewish immigrants to Palestine-those who spoke Greek), who unlike the Hebrew widows (the native Jews) that were being cared for, were being overlooked in the daily administration.

   The apostles recommended that the brethren choose out from among them seven men of honest report (of a good reputation; of integrity), who were full of the Holy Spirit (spiritually minded; partakers of the Holy Spirit by which the soul was sanctified; controlled by the Holy Spirit) and wisdom (discretion), whom they may appoint over this matter.

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. (Acts 6:1-3)

   This was not only done in order to provide for those Christian widows, who needed assistance, but this was also done so that this distribution was not another responsibility for the apostles to implement so as not to interfere with their responsibilities of prayer and the ministry of the word. It’s interesting to note that in verse 4 below, the words “we will give ourselves continually” (proskartereésomen from proskartereo) is similar in meaning to the words “of them that waited on continually” (proskarterountoon from proskartereo) where it talked about a soldier in Acts 10 who waited on a gentile named Cornelius continually. It seems to be the idea being expressed here was that prayer was something that the apostles frequently engaged in.

But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. (Acts 6:4)

And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; (Acts 10:7)

   It is possible that they were still going to the courtyard in the temple three times a day for prayer. However, this activity was becoming more dangerous. In Acts 3, when Peter and John were going into the temple courtyard at the ninth hour (noon) for prayer there was a man who was begging for assistance at one of the gates, as he had been born crippled from birth. A miraculous healing took place where he was able to stand up and walk into the temple with the apostles for all to see. This not only stirred up wonder amongst the people, but caused an angry response from the Jewish hierarchy. Along with this one can assume that the daily meetings of the saints for teaching, fellowship, communion, common meals, and prayer were still going on. Add to this those times when the apostles needed to go to a place for solitary prayer, what we can determine was that prayer was something that was continually a part of their spiritual walk both individually and corporately.

   What have we learned about prayer from these scriptures? Prayed played a central part in each believer’s walk with God. Prayer was engaged in on a daily basis during the morning, afternoon, and evening at the temple, with other Christians, and at other times individually. 

   The next section will answer the question, was there ever a time in the early church where prayer was encouraged for a specified period of time at a particular place in petition to God in order to set a fellow believer free, who was put in prison for their faith?

Peter was in prison:

Suggested Reading: Acts 12:1-23

   Herod the King was persecuting the church. He not only apprehended the apostle James, the brother of the apostle John Zebedee, but had him executed. After which he had the apostle Peter captured and placed in prison with the intention of having a public trial for the same end. Fortunately for Peter this trial would be on hold for eight days as the Feast of Unleavened Bread was at hand. This feast which lasted for seven days was held in conjunction with the Feast of Passover that lasted one day. The Passover would be observed on the first day followed by the seven days of Unleavened Bread.

   The church members were very much aware that what had happened to James was probably going to happen to Peter unless they did something. Their secret weapon was to not to try and storm the prison, but prayer.

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. (Acts 12:5)

   It appeared that some of the assembly would meet in groups to pray for Peter at different houses. The idea of “praying without ceasing” doesn’t appear to indicate that prayer was occurring all day, but what it referred to was the fervency or urgency of the prayer by those who were engaged in it.

And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. (Acts 12:12)

   While Peter was sleeping he was awakened by an angel of the Lord, who led him out of the prison safely and without detection. After he walked through the main gate he went to the house of a woman named Mary, where many had been gathered together all night in continuance of prayer for him knowing that on the next day he would be tried publicly and probably be put to death.

   This story gives us more of a glimpse into prayer. What can we conclude about it concerning this situation? The church was faced with the dire prospect that one of their apostles could be put to death following the Feast of Unleavened Bread which last for eight days. Private homes were made available for group prayer. How often did the believers meet and for how long each day is not clear. What we do know is that on the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread those who met at the house of Mary prayed all night. One more thing to note was the intensity of the prayers. They were made in earnest, which implies urgency and not necessarily constancy.

   In the next verse we are going to look at the idea of prayer being continuous. How could this be humanly possible?

Pray without ceasing:

1 Thessalonians 5:17

   Paul is unveiling to the Thessalonians what their Christian walk should be evidencing and what it should not. One of the things they should be engaging in is to “pray without ceasing”. What does this mean? Does this mean that a Christian should be on their knees praying all day long in some location? No. It’s meaning can be expressed in a few different ways: to live in a devotional frame of mind;  maintaining continuous fellowship with God as much as possible in the midst of daily living in which concentration is frequently broken; prayer may be without ceasing in the heart which is full of the presence of God, and evermore communing with him).

   What does this tell us about prayer? It tells us that prayer is a mental attitude (a devotional frame of mind) which a believer should be occupied with. When they do the result will be that they will be operating in God’s presence thus maintaining continuous fellowship with Him.

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

   The apostle Paul was praying for a dear friend, who was one of the leaders of the early church, throughout the day.

I have remembrance of thee:

Suggested Reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

   Paul was writing this letter to Timothy, while being chained in a Roman prison. He told him that during his regular times of prayer, which I can only assume was modeled after the Jewish custom of praying three times a day in the courtyard of the temple that being of the 3^rd (9:00am), 6^th (noon), and 9^th hour (3:00pm), he remembered (recalled some information about) him.

3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;

   What should we glean from these verses on prayer? Prayer can consist of recalling to our mind some information about someone else on more than one occasion throughout the day.

   In this section we learn that prayer can occur at any time and at any place.

And we kneeled down:

Acts 21:5

   The apostle Paul while on his journey to Jerusalem had arrived at a place called Tyre, where he has met several disciples and their families. He decided to stay with them for seven days. Upon hearing that a ship on the coastline was ready to depart after unloading its cargo he goes to the shoreline with his disciples where they pray before sending him off.

And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.

   What does this tell us about prayer? It can occur anywhere and at any time, even on a beach.

   Let’s summarize what we have found out about when, how often, and how long should we pray for? We will include at the end of this summary what we have gathered in this regard from the life of Jesus and see if we can come up with some kind of perspective.

~ The Jewish Christians observed the custom of praying three times a day in the courtyard of the temple. They also met in homes or other places with their fellow Christians for teaching, fellowship, communion, shared meals, and prayers. Eventually, there would be friction between the two faiths whereby Christians would be seen as enemies by the Jewish hierarchy. Acts 2:42,46

~ The apostles engaged in prayer: three times a day according to the custom of the Jews, with the Christian assembly, and individually. Hebrews 6:1-6

~ The apostle Peter was facing a death sentence. Members of the Christian assembly met at various homes for group prayer. On the last day, the day before Peter’s possible execution, a group met at Mary’s house and prayed all night. Acts 12:1-23

~ As Christians we should try to maintain a devotional state of mind throughout our day so we may be in fellowship with God the Father as much as possible. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

~ The apostle Paul prayed for his friend and fellow laborer in the Lord by recalling something to his mind about him throughout the day. 2 Timothy 1:1-5

~ Paul along with some disciples and their family prayed on a beach before he was about to depart by ship heading toward Jerusalem. Acts 21:5

~ Jesus prayed alone at a mountain during the evening. He was there for at least 9 hours. We don’t know how much of this time was relegated to prayer. Matthew 14:13-25

~ Jesus prayed essentially the same brief prayer three times during the evening in Gethsemane. Matthew 26:36-45

~ While on the cross Jesus prayed in the morning a short prayer to God the Father. Luke 23:33-46  

~ Jesus prayed either in the morning or afternoon briefly while he was being baptized by John the Baptist. Matthew 3:1-11

~ Jesus went up into a mountain and prayed all night to the Father. Luke 6:1-12

   What do you think we can conclude about when, how often, and how long should we pray for? Think about it. I will present a summary of this later in the study.

   I hope this has given you insight in relation to this aspect of prayer. In the next section we will attempt to answer the question, what should we as believers pray for, when we pray?

   We will begin by looking at what Jesus prayed for. Then we will look at what the leadership and those who were in the assembly of the early church prayed for. This should provide for us a basis as to what we should pray for, don’t you think?

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