A Meditation on Prayer

My mind has been on prayer all day. Two things that keep coming to mind as I meditate are: first, prayer isn't all we are supposed to do, and second, not all prayers, asked in faith, are answered affirmatively. Even with these two things in mind, it is important to remember that we must not lose heart and give up praying.

When I say that prayer isn't all we are supposed to do, I mean that we must be ready to used by God to answer our prayers. For example, you know someone who isn't trusting Christ for salvation. You begin to cry out to God to open their eyes to the Gospel. You even begin to pray several times a day, and fast once a week for their salvation. Your job isn't over. God may desire to use you to open their eyes. In conjunction with your prayers, you need to start preparing for the task. Are you living a holy life that affirms the truth you profess to believe? Are you capable of presenting the message of the gospel? Do you love them enough to risk embarrassment, so they might hear the gospel?

While it is true to say prayer is us asking God for something, it is not an adequate definition of prayer. In prayer we not only list what we wish for God to do, but we listen (by means of the Scripture), to see what he would have us to do. In fact, as we mature in prayer our focus shifts from our needs and desires to the One to whom we are praying. Our prayers take on more and more expressions of adoration and gratitude toward God for his person and work. Thus, prayer becomes a shaping instrument, used by God, to mold us into the image of his Son.

Therefore, God invites us (commands us) to pray to him. He delights in the prayers of his people. The Scriptures are full of images that demonstrate the Lord's willingness to hear his peoples' prayers. However, the Scripture never implies that God always answers every prayer in the affirmative. Sometimes he says, "No."

Someone might object, "But what about Matthew 7:7-11, where Jesus promises those who ask will receive." The context of that passage is instructive. We must always remember to interpret Scripture within its context, and within the greater context of the whole Scriptures. As one once said, "The Scriptures are the greatest commentary on the Scripture." Scripture must be allowed to interpret Scripture, without contradiction. Matthew 7:7-11 is set in the larger context of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is giving the Kingdom Manifesto, the guidelines for kingdom living (guidelines that only Jesus was/is capable of fulfilling). This "asking" is set in the context of humility and obedience (poor in spirit, hungering/thirsting for righteousness).

Two passages offer us insight into what Jesus actually meant. James states, "You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:2-3). James, most probably, has Jesus' quote from Matthew 7:7-11 in mind. He is stressing that the "ask and receive" statement is not an unconditional blanket promise. Jesus isn't saying ask for anything you want and you'll get it. He has already set the conditions of the promise by outlining the requirements of kingdom life (a righteousness that surpasses the Pharisees' righteousness and a pursuit of the kingdom of God and his righteousness). Thus, selfish praying will not be answered.

The second passage that helps us to understand the Matthew 7:7-11 promise is 1 John 3:21-23. John writes, "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us." Thus, again the "ask and receive" reference is expressed within boundaries. John, also, is most probably speaking of Jesus' promise quoted in Matthew.

So we can see from Scripture God doesn't approve every prayer. They must first be prayers that are rooted in a trust in Jesus Christ. They must be prayers that are consistent with the character and nature of God. To ask in Jesus' name is to ask in a way that reflects the character of that name. That means, we can't ask for something that would dishonor Jesus or hurt his reputation. Our prayers must not be prayers that seek something from God that we will squander on ourselves. That doesn't mean we can't ask for what we need (remember: give us this day our daily bread), but means that we should pray for things that would master us or distract us, from Christ-centered devotion. Finally, they must be prayers that are consistent with, and submitted to, God's good purposes.

You may pray in faith, for God's glory, in keeping with Christ's character and God may still say, "No." How can that be you may ask? Most of God's will is plainly revealed to us in Scripture, but there is still a great degree of mystery surrounding his purposes. God's good purposes may permit an heinous evil, through which God will bring about a greater good. For instance, God allowed Christ to die upon the cross, so that whosoever believes will not perish, but have everlasting life. Don't misunderstand me, God does not cause evil, but for his own reasons, reasons which he has not shared with us, he does permit it. This is where we must say with Spurgeon, "When I cannot trace His hand, I will trust His heart."

We have come full circle. Although not all prayers are answered, we must not lose heart. Just as David fasted and prayed for his child, even when the Lord had told him it would die, so we must pray until we know for certain the outcome. David stayed on his face for days, because he thought there was a chance God would relent. Yet, he continued to trust the Lord even when he did not relent. Christ prayed that the cup might pass from him, yet he trusted the Father enough to submit to it. When we pray for someone to be saved, or rescued from a sinful situation, or to be healed, or whatever, we must pray with confident trust in the Lord. We must expect him to answer us in the affirmative, and continue to do so until he shows us otherwise.

If you pray, long and hard, for a loved one to be healed of a disease, and they are not, does that mean God didn't hear your prayers? No. Does it mean he doesn't care? No. Does it mean you didn't ask in faith? No. It simply means it was not his will to heal them. Does that mean it is a sin to ask for healing against God's will? No. Jesus knew the cup was the Father's will for him and yet, he asked for it to pass. We know that Jesus never sinned, so we know that it wasn't a sin for him to ask the Father to remove the cup. In the end, he submitted to the Father's will. And so must we.