PRAYER

Lesson 1

What Is Prayer?

Prayer is vital to Christian success and power. There seems to be much confusion, especially in America, as to what prayer is and what it is not. With the infusion of Middle Eastern and pagan religions into our society and culture, there seems to be some confusion as who to pray to and how to pray. We will address these issues.

WHAT BIBLICAL PRAYER IS NOT

Prayer has nothing to do with candles.
Prayer has nothing to do with rubbing any kind of charm or necklace or bead.
Prayer is not silent and mental. It is not meditation.
Prayer doesn’t have to be made in any cardinal direction nor is it based on the location of the sun.
Prayer has nothing to do with walking a labyrinth.
Prayer has nothing to do with a shawl, a hat, or a special rug.
Prayer is not toward the non-virgin Mary. (She died a non-virgin.)
Prayer is not toward any dead family member.
Prayer is not toward a dead Apostle or any other dead Christian.
Prayer is not made through any man on your behalf.
Prayer is not limited to the confines of a church service.
Prayer does not require special clothing or garments.
Prayer is not limited to a prayer closet.

Simply put, prayer is not some ostentatious, religious, ceremonial act. It is the basis for our fellowship with God Himself. We can talk to God, and He will hear us.

EXAMPLES OF UNCEREMONIAL (WITHOUT RELIGIOUS FORMALITY) PRAYER

Samson prayed as a slave chained between two pillars (Judges 16:25-29).
Gideon prayed from within a winepress while doing hard work (Judges 6:11-18).
Jonah prayed from within the belly of the whale and from hell (Jonah 2:1-7).
Paul and Silas prayed while in chains in prison (Acts 16:23-26).
Jesus and a thief prayed while crucified to a cross (Matthew 27:46; Luke 23:34, 42-46).
David prayed while living in a cave (Psalm 57; 1 Samuel 22:1-2).
Paul prayed on a ship in front of many of unbelievers (Acts 27:22-36).

PRAYER IS VOCAL

Prayer can be defined as petition and intimacy towards God. But prayer more simply defined is “talking to God.” One of the greatest lies of religion is that prayer can be silent and mental. Mental prayer is not prayer. Prayer is spoken. Prayer is not meditation. However, there is a biblical meditation.

Pagan Meditation—Thinking deeply or focusing one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or often with the aid of chanting. A chanted phrase is called a “mantra.” Many Hindu mantras are the names of their demon gods. These mantras are often used in yoga classes.

Biblical Meditation—Speaking God’s Word over and over again; often meaning to simply muse or reflect. It can also mean the sound of a harp when struck. Psalm 1:2 says that we are to meditate on the Word of God. We are to think on it and speak it. Biblical meditation is not prayer.

It’s not biblical to pray quietly, that is, to pray in your head.

Of all the people in the Bible recorded praying, only one prayed quietly: Hannah.

And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid as a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. – 1 Samuel 1:12-16

This is the only person recorded in the Bible to have prayed to God silently. Though it was silent, her mouth still moved, but the high priest marked her mouth and her lack of sound struck him as unacceptable. He judged her to be drunk. This should let us know that even under the Old Testament, silent prayer was an oddity and was not what the God of Israel expected from His people.

Prayer is spoken communion and fellowship and communication with God.
Prayer keeps the believer’s relationship with God fresh and powerful.
Prayer is the believer’s tool to change the world around them.
Prayer brings God on the scene and provides Him an avenue to move in your life.
Prayer changes the natural course of events and allows God’s will to be done.

Prayer has several different missions or agendas, but they all work to bring God’s will to pass in the earth. We will be studying the different types of prayer for the remainder of this course: Prayer of Faith, Prayer of Consecration, Prayer of Agreement, Supplications, Intercessions, Petitions, Giving of Thanks, Groanings and Travailings, and Praying in Tongues.

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PRAYER

Lesson 1

What Is Prayer?

WHAT BIBLICAL PRAYER IS NOT

Prayer has nothing to do with candles.

Prayer has nothing to do with rubbing any kind of charm or necklace or bead.

Prayer is not silent and mental. It is not meditation.

Prayer doesn’t have to be made in any cardinal direction nor is it based on the location of the sun.

Prayer has nothing to do with walking a labyrinth.

Prayer has nothing to do with a shawl, a hat, or a special rug.

Prayer is not toward the non-virgin Mary. (She died a non-virgin.)

Prayer is not toward any dead family member.

Prayer is not toward a dead Apostle or any other dead Christian.

Prayer is not made through any man on your behalf.

Prayer is not limited to the confines of a church service.

Prayer does not require special clothing or garments.

Prayer is not limited to a prayer closet.

Simply put, prayer is not some ostentatious, religious, ceremonial act. It is the basis for our fellowship with God Himself. We can talk to God, and He will hear us.

EXAMPLES OF UNCEREMONIAL (WITHOUT RELIGIOUS FORMALITY) PRAYER

Samson prayed as a slave chained between two pillars (Judges 16:25-29).

Gideon prayed from within a winepress while doing hard work (Judges 6:11-18).

Jonah prayed from within the belly of the whale and from hell (Jonah 2:1-7).

Paul and Silas prayed while in chains in prison (Acts 16:23-26).

Jesus and a thief prayed while crucified to a cross (Matthew 27:46; Luke 23:34, 42-46).

David prayed while living in a cave (Psalm 57; 1 Samuel 22:1-2).

Paul prayed on a ship in front of many of unbelievers (Acts 27:22-36).

PRAYER IS VOCAL

Pagan Meditation—Thinking deeply or focusing one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or often with the aid of chanting. A chanted phrase is called a “mantra.” Many Hindu mantras are the names of their demon gods. These mantras are often used in yoga classes.

Biblical Meditation—Speaking God’s Word over and over again; often meaning to simply muse or reflect. It can also mean the sound of a harp when struck. Psalm 1:2 says that we are to meditate on the Word of God. We are to think on it and speak it. Biblical meditation is not prayer.

It’s not biblical to pray quietly, that is, to pray in your head.

Of all the people in the Bible recorded praying, only one prayed quietly: Hannah.

Prayer is spoken communion and fellowship and communication with God.

Prayer keeps the believer’s relationship with God fresh and powerful.

Prayer is the believer’s tool to change the world around them.

Prayer brings God on the scene and provides Him an avenue to move in your life.

Prayer changes the natural course of events and allows God’s will to be done.

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