What Is Prayer?
“He will call on me,
and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and
honor him.” (Psalm 91:15)
Prayer is more than coming before
God with a shopping list of
requests that we wave in front of His superior being before swiftly making our
exit. The Hebrew word for prayer is tefilah,
which encompasses petition, but also worship, thanksgiving, praise, confession,
and communing.
At the root of tefilah is the word palal, which means to
think, to judge, to differentiate, to clarify, and to decide. Prayer, therefore, is
an introspective process that helps us examine ourselves, judge situations, differentiate between right and wrong, clarify our
relationship with God, and decide on a course of action.
Our lives are filled with
bewildering situations for which we must find answers and choose a proper
course of action. This is not easy in the midst of the constant clamor of
electronic devices that stream information and entertainment to us with the
force and noise of an ocean.
To receive our Father’s wisdom, it
is important to find a place where we can quiet our minds to hear His still
small voice. Only a regular pattern of prayer
allows us to develop the ability to be in consistent communication with our
Father in Heaven.
Prayer in the Bible
“And pray in the
Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this
in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.” (Ephesians
6:18)
The Bible is full of people who
pray—and God answers them. The first mention of individual,
intercessory prayer is perhaps Abraham’s plea for the city of Sodom. This prayer not only reveals that we can converse with God,
it shows the influence a righteous person can have in the outcome of big events
in cities or nations, including obtaining mercy in the outpouring of God’s
judgment. (Genesis 18:23–32)
In Numbers 11:2, Moses prays to God
for mercy on His people after their constant complaining causes God to create a
fire in the camp. But God is also attentive to
personal needs. In Genesis 24:12–14, Abraham’s servant, while on a
mission to find a wife for Isaac, petitions God for clarity on which of the
pretty maidens he should choose.
He asks God to perform a sign
through Isaac's future wife: she would offer him water to drink and also water
his camels. God answers that prayer through Rebekah. Later, in Genesis 25:21, Isaac cries
out to God on behalf of Rebekah who was childless. God answers his
prayer, and she becomes pregnant with Jacob and Esau.
In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah prays for a
child, despite her apparent barrenness and pre-dedicates him to the Lord.
God sees her heart and gives her a son even though Eli the priest
mistakes her silent praying as drunkenness.
The Bible also records the petitions
of leaders. In 1 Samuel 8:6, the prophet Samuel
prays to the Lord when the people demanded a king to rule over them, instead of
God. (1 Samuel 8:6–8) In 2 Samuel 7:18–29, David asks God
to confirm the establishment of the house of David to rule over Israel.
In 1 Kings 3:6–9, Solomon prays for wisdom when he receives the throne
from his father David. That prayer includes the request for discernment: “an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern
between good and evil.”
Many prayers in the Bible concern
crying out to God in times of trouble.
In Genesis 32:9–12, Jacob prays for protection when reuniting with his
brother Esau. In Psalm 86, David turns to God for
support and strength when he is in distress. Many Psalms also record David’s
crying out in repentance and confession.
In Psalm 51, David asks for God’s
forgiveness (probably following the death of the man he murdered by his command)
and includes the tender words: “Create in me a
clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Daniel 9:4–19 relates Daniel’s
prayer of repentance and his supplication and request in which he seeks God’s
compassion upon the city of Jerusalem and, by extension, the exiled people of
Judea.
And although many
Believers avoid reciting prayers by rote, desiring sincere and original worship
straight from the heart, Deuteronomy 26:5–10 may record the first standardized
prayer in Judaism, not of petition but of praise and thanksgiving. Moses dictated it for the people to
recite before the priest when they presented the first fruits of the
harvest.
The Lifestyle of
Prayer
“Rejoice always, pray
continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you
in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah).” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)
Prayer is meant to be an integral
part of our lives, not something done once a week at the synagogue or
assembly. In Judaism, prayer is made
continuously. The observant or Orthodox Jew is in constant contact with
God through a pattern of prayer that precedes every act. There are prayers of blessings on
awakening, putting on the prayer shawl prior to the morning benedictions,
following the use of the bathroom, for washing hands, for hearing bad news,
etc.
There is even a blessing when
drinking water. There is a prayer said over bread
before a meal followed by a long prayer Birkat
HaMazon (Blessing over the Food)
at the end of the meal. Each short prayer of blessing said
before eating begins with these words: “Blessed art Thou, oh Lord our God, King
of the universe, Creator.” The prayer for drinking wine or grape juice,
for instance, is “Blessed art Thou, Lord our
God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.”
The three traditional daily services
of the Jewish prayer book are Shacharit (morning), Mincha (afternoon), and Maariv
(evening). These correspond to the three
sacrificial services offered up during Temple times. The prayer
book or siddur consists of
prayers offered during each of these three services, many of which are the same
or similar such as the Amidah (Shmoneh Esreh, or Standing Prayer) or the 18
Benedictions.
(In fact, there are 19: the
12th benediction was added in the first century and is considered to be a
condemnation of the Minim, Hebrew for
sectarians or heretics,
implying those who believe in Yeshua. It is thought to have been included
to discourage Jewish Believers from attending synagogue services.)
Yeshua’s Example
“One day Yeshua was
praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said
to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’"
(Luke 11:1)
Consistent with the Jewish lifestyle
of prayer is Yeshua’s devotion to the Father.
He spent a lot of time praying: morning, day, and night. (Matthew
14:23; Mark 1:35)
“Yeshua often withdrew
to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)
Because prayer is such
a continual part of the observant Jewish lifestyle, Yeshua’s disciples
requested that He teach them to pray,
the same way that Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) had taught His talmidim (disciples). Much of Yeshua’s teaching was in
fact related to prayer. He wanted His talmidim to be in communication
with the Heavenly Father as He was.
He warned them against using prayer
as an outward demonstration of devotion. Such outward displays often have
no inward spiritual substance. They can be designed to make a show of
“holiness.”
“When you pray, you
are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the
synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.
Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” (Matthew
6:5)
Yeshua stressed the importance of
spending time alone with God “in secret.” He contrasted prayer arising from
relationship with God to the pagan conception of repetitive prayer. This
type of prayer uses beads and prayer wheels to repeat prayers numerous times as
a kind of meditation. Although some think that this increases the
strength of the prayer or one's spirituality, He warned against using
meaningless repetition to try to communicate with God.
Reminding them that the “Father knows what you need before you ask Him,”
He emphasized that prayer is not just about
saying words; it is about a relationship with the Living God.
(Matthew
6:7–8)
Yeshua presented His disciples with
what is now called “The Lord’s Prayer.” (Matthew 6:9–13) This very Jewish prayer, begins with
“Our Father” and immediately moves to praise and reverence: Holy is Your Name;
then to petition: “Your will be done.”
The beginning of the Lord's Prayer—Our Father, in Hebrew, Avenu
or simply Abba (Father)—is common in Jewish liturgy. It appears in the Shemoneh Esreh,
(the 18 Benedictions) in the fourth, fifth, and sixth benedictions, in the
prayers recited for the New Year, and in the invocation “Our Father who art in heaven,” which is in common use as in “Yehi razon mi-lifne abinu she-bashamayim”—May it be thy will, our Father who is in Heaven.
Yeshua taught His
disciples that prayer is about bending the knee to God’s will and not imposing
our own will, although as we come into deeper
relationship with God, absorbing His Word and understanding His character, we
sincerely want God’s will to be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.
This is a statement of praise and trust: God is wise and moral. His
will is upright, honorable, and loving.
The idea of God’s will being done on
earth as in Heaven or the coming of His divine kingdom is also seen in the Kaddish (mourner’s
prayer)—“and may He establish His Kingdom ... speedily and at a near
time.” God is reliable, loving, and deeply
concerned with our individual needs. Therefore, after praising God by
recognizing His sovereignty in heaven and revering the holiness of His name
(which signifies His character), we can request that our needs for the day be
met.
Yeshua then emphasized prayer of
confession and repentance: we ask God to forgive us our debts and sins as we
forgive our debtors and those who sin against us. Receiving God’s
forgiveness is connected to our willingness to forgive others.
“But if you do not
forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”
(Matthew
6:15)
Yeshua also instructed His disciples
to request that we not be led into temptation but that we be delivered from the
evil one. We are called to consecration, but we are surrounded by
forces opposing it and drawing us away. We need God’s empowerment to
live a holy life.
Although this prayer generally fits
the Jewish pattern of praise, petition, and thanksgiving, the intent behind it is not to create a formulized prayer
that cannot be personalized. It does remind us that prayer is not
just a shopping list, and that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
It also provides guidance on key
issues that we can incorporate into our conversations with God. Such
heart-to-heart talks with God can cause the reality of His Kingdom to manifest
in our lives, changing our environment and bringing us peace.
“Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Yeshua HaMashiach.”
(Philippians 4:6–7) From: Bibles for Israel
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