When most people think of prayer they simply think of it as presenting a case to God for His input and the most favorable outcome. For example, if we are praying for the sick, we usually pray for their healing; or if someone is in a terribly situation we usually pray for their peace and deliverance out of it. Of course, this is highly generalized but I hope you get my meaning. However, there is more involved in prayer. The reason I have titled this post, "Praying and Receiving Prayer," is because both the ones praying and those receiving prayer must be rightly positioned to pray and be listened to or to receive the result of the prayer that is sought.
In addition prayer is not a one-way street. There are two components to prayer: 1) Making supplication (the ask), and 2) listening (the answer). I will explain what I mean. There are other components such as worship and adoration, however, my point here is not to teach how to pray but to share on the proper positioning to pray and to be prayed for.
I. Praying
Now there are many types of prayers to countless deities; I am only referring to prayer to the God of those who follow Jesus Christ. I am ill equipped to address any other type. In addition, this is the only type of appeal to any deities that in fact yields results because there is only One true God Who is, by the way, only accessible through Jesus Christ. And no, not all roads leads to God. But that's a discussion for another day perhaps.
Now that we have laid that foundation, let's discuss prayer. By prayer I mean addressing God for any reason whatsoever do address needs, to receive counsel, to receive empowerment, to be enabled with wisdom, knowledge, understanding. The list is endless. The fact is, we seek God for something we do not have, even to feel and sense His presence, experience His glory. It does not always have to be seeking the answer to needs, that is, seeking something from His hand. It could also be seeking His presence, that is, seeking His face. Perhaps if we sought His face more than His hand, we would not need to seek His hand as much. So, let's talk about some of the specifics of prayer.
How do we pray?
To God through Jesus Christ Who said: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life...no one comes to the Father but through me." Matt. 14:6. Prior to His return to heaven, Jesus told the disciples that He would ask the Father to send a Helper, Who is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. He empowers, teaches, guides, protect, warns, and really anything to assist us to live abundant lives in Christ while accomplishing all that God has put before us individually and corporately. In other words, you must come to God as His child through the sacrificial and enabling blood Jesus Christ, Who died on the Cross of Calvary to make it possible. Our forefather Adam's sin in the garden permanently separated us from God, whereas, Jesus Christ, God on earth, died to once again make a Way, the Way back to God. See the Disciple's Prayer in Matthew 6:(8)9-13(15):
When should we pray?
At all times. Any time you want to need to worship, speak to, or appeal to the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:(16)17-(18): "16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Where should we pray?
Anywhere you want or need to speak to, worship, or appeal to God through Jesus Christ. He is everywhere you are. Matthew 28:19-20:
To Whom do we pray?
This is an easy one but just so we are all on the same pages. We pray to God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son, Who is the only Way to God. [See Model Prayer Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 again.]
Prayer involves Conversation - We must also listen
Holy Spirit
The One God uses to communicate with us; Jesus receives from the Father and releases to the Holy Spirit Who then releases to us. Remember, Jesus is The Way. John 16:13: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Why do we pray?
Another easy one. We cannot survive as Children of God on this earth without constant communication with Him. In John 15:5, Jesus said, "I an the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." That is both sobering and humbling, but above all it is the absolute truth. We are bankrupt in every way with the God and Jesus made the Way to the Father of fathers, Who is responsible for every good gift. James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
II. Receiving Prayer
When I say receiving prayer, I do not mean, the person is the one to whom we are prayer but the one on whose behalf we pray. The best way to set this up is based on an experience I have had which really is the reason for this post. I was shocked when I experienced it then God used it to teach me a lesson about prayer and its effectiveness. Sometimes we think the reason our prayers don't "work" is due to some deficiency on our part, whether of faith, or belief, or compassion, etc. That may be the case at times but I have seen where a very impassioned-Spirit-led prayer seemed to fall flat when it was tested.
I remember an impassioned, Spirit-led prayer prayed with such expectation it was almost palpable. Then when the time came to see the result of the prayer, there was no indication that the prayer even went anywhere, which of course we know it went to the Lord. That is when I realized the following. You may pray a great prayer, God may hear it and be prepared to act, but then....
THE PERSON UPON WHOSE BEHALF THE PRAYER WAS PRAYED MUST BE IN A POSITION WITH OPEN SPIRIT FOR GOD TO DO WHAT HE SEES FIT TO DO SO THAT THE PRAYER WOULD BEAR THE FRUIT IN AND THROUGH THE PERSON FOR THE GOOD OF ALL.
That's it folks. You may pray your heart out but if the person is not open to God for His input, the prayer most likely would fall flat as the one I described above. You see the Holy Spirit will never violate a person's will. He must be allowed in to use the person. I was highly disappointed to see what I witnessed but then again there is nothing I could do about another person's unwillingness to let God truly use them.
So we need to add to our prayers that the recipients of our prayers would allow Holy Spirit His way in their heart to do all that He wants to do. It all goes back to true submission. (Please see previous posts about Submission, Parts I & II).
In Summary:
1. When we pray we must pray, expecting, believing, and in faith that the One to Whom we are praying can and will deliver.
2. But, our position must be in Christ, as His disciple and follower because He is the only Way to the Father.
3. We must have a level of openness to God's Spirit for change to take place in us, or situations, or both. In other words, for the prayer to take effect requires a level of openness and humility.
4. Know who is praying for and with you. Do not open up to just everyone. This is not to say we are to be suspicious and paranoid but to be prudent and vigilant. The Lord told us, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16.
Please note that this post does not negate the sovereignty of God to do whatever He wants to. But throughout Scripture that we see that the unyielding never prospered in God while those who yielded, even after protest, did in fact prosper in the things of God. Remember, Saul who became Paul, King Manasseh who became a pagan king then a yielded one, of course Abraham, was an idol worshiper who met the true and living God and yielded and through whom we have the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Abraham the entire world has been blessed.
And then there were those who were yielded but needed to mature into the people God could entrust with much power and influence. God processed them through trials and tribulations such as Joseph, King David, Moses, Peter, and many more. And of course, business people such as Barnabas and Lydia. And last but not least the women in the lineage of Jesus Christ who yielded to fulfill their destinies, such as Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, Mary (who faced the possibility of death by stoning). Yielding is not always easy. As a matter of fact, it rarely is when there is anything of value at stake. Yet the rewards of yielding to God so far outweigh the hardships that they are somewhat negligible.
I leave you with this encouragement from Paul that as we live lives committed to prayer without ceasing that we persevere through our light afflictions. 2 Corinthians 4-17-18:
In addition prayer is not a one-way street. There are two components to prayer: 1) Making supplication (the ask), and 2) listening (the answer). I will explain what I mean. There are other components such as worship and adoration, however, my point here is not to teach how to pray but to share on the proper positioning to pray and to be prayed for.
I. Praying
Now there are many types of prayers to countless deities; I am only referring to prayer to the God of those who follow Jesus Christ. I am ill equipped to address any other type. In addition, this is the only type of appeal to any deities that in fact yields results because there is only One true God Who is, by the way, only accessible through Jesus Christ. And no, not all roads leads to God. But that's a discussion for another day perhaps.
Now that we have laid that foundation, let's discuss prayer. By prayer I mean addressing God for any reason whatsoever do address needs, to receive counsel, to receive empowerment, to be enabled with wisdom, knowledge, understanding. The list is endless. The fact is, we seek God for something we do not have, even to feel and sense His presence, experience His glory. It does not always have to be seeking the answer to needs, that is, seeking something from His hand. It could also be seeking His presence, that is, seeking His face. Perhaps if we sought His face more than His hand, we would not need to seek His hand as much. So, let's talk about some of the specifics of prayer.
How do we pray?
To God through Jesus Christ Who said: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life...no one comes to the Father but through me." Matt. 14:6. Prior to His return to heaven, Jesus told the disciples that He would ask the Father to send a Helper, Who is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. He empowers, teaches, guides, protect, warns, and really anything to assist us to live abundant lives in Christ while accomplishing all that God has put before us individually and corporately. In other words, you must come to God as His child through the sacrificial and enabling blood Jesus Christ, Who died on the Cross of Calvary to make it possible. Our forefather Adam's sin in the garden permanently separated us from God, whereas, Jesus Christ, God on earth, died to once again make a Way, the Way back to God. See the Disciple's Prayer in Matthew 6:(8)9-13(15):
"8 'Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.Your will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation,But deliver us from the evil one.For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.'"
At all times. Any time you want to need to worship, speak to, or appeal to the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:(16)17-(18): "16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Where should we pray?
Anywhere you want or need to speak to, worship, or appeal to God through Jesus Christ. He is everywhere you are. Matthew 28:19-20:
19 Go therefore[c] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.Hebrews 13:5
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
To Whom do we pray?
This is an easy one but just so we are all on the same pages. We pray to God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son, Who is the only Way to God. [See Model Prayer Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 again.]
Prayer involves Conversation - We must also listen
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”If indeed we are praying to a living being, then there must be 2-way communication otherwise how will we ever be able to follow instructions; which way to turn, what to do, etc.? If you are a child of God you hear his voice. By "hearing His voice" I do not mean just audibly, although that is possible, we "hear" in the form of an impression, and the way it comes to me often is "as an established fact." I know that I know that I know, although I do not know how I know; I just know by the Holy Spirit. Some call it, an impression in our "knower."
Holy Spirit
The One God uses to communicate with us; Jesus receives from the Father and releases to the Holy Spirit Who then releases to us. Remember, Jesus is The Way. John 16:13: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Why do we pray?
Another easy one. We cannot survive as Children of God on this earth without constant communication with Him. In John 15:5, Jesus said, "I an the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." That is both sobering and humbling, but above all it is the absolute truth. We are bankrupt in every way with the God and Jesus made the Way to the Father of fathers, Who is responsible for every good gift. James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
II. Receiving Prayer
When I say receiving prayer, I do not mean, the person is the one to whom we are prayer but the one on whose behalf we pray. The best way to set this up is based on an experience I have had which really is the reason for this post. I was shocked when I experienced it then God used it to teach me a lesson about prayer and its effectiveness. Sometimes we think the reason our prayers don't "work" is due to some deficiency on our part, whether of faith, or belief, or compassion, etc. That may be the case at times but I have seen where a very impassioned-Spirit-led prayer seemed to fall flat when it was tested.
I remember an impassioned, Spirit-led prayer prayed with such expectation it was almost palpable. Then when the time came to see the result of the prayer, there was no indication that the prayer even went anywhere, which of course we know it went to the Lord. That is when I realized the following. You may pray a great prayer, God may hear it and be prepared to act, but then....
THE PERSON UPON WHOSE BEHALF THE PRAYER WAS PRAYED MUST BE IN A POSITION WITH OPEN SPIRIT FOR GOD TO DO WHAT HE SEES FIT TO DO SO THAT THE PRAYER WOULD BEAR THE FRUIT IN AND THROUGH THE PERSON FOR THE GOOD OF ALL.
That's it folks. You may pray your heart out but if the person is not open to God for His input, the prayer most likely would fall flat as the one I described above. You see the Holy Spirit will never violate a person's will. He must be allowed in to use the person. I was highly disappointed to see what I witnessed but then again there is nothing I could do about another person's unwillingness to let God truly use them.
So we need to add to our prayers that the recipients of our prayers would allow Holy Spirit His way in their heart to do all that He wants to do. It all goes back to true submission. (Please see previous posts about Submission, Parts I & II).
I have seen situations where a person is completely unconscious but I could feel them pulling on the anointing while I prayed for them. One time I came up behind a person as his wife asked me to lay hands on him to pray and without knowing it, he was pulling on the anointing. These are people with hungry spirits. The Lord Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matt. 5:3).
So we must position ourselves as one who can be the recipients of what we ask in prayer either directly or because of the prayers of others.
In Summary:
1. When we pray we must pray, expecting, believing, and in faith that the One to Whom we are praying can and will deliver.
2. But, our position must be in Christ, as His disciple and follower because He is the only Way to the Father.
3. We must have a level of openness to God's Spirit for change to take place in us, or situations, or both. In other words, for the prayer to take effect requires a level of openness and humility.
4. Know who is praying for and with you. Do not open up to just everyone. This is not to say we are to be suspicious and paranoid but to be prudent and vigilant. The Lord told us, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16.
Please note that this post does not negate the sovereignty of God to do whatever He wants to. But throughout Scripture that we see that the unyielding never prospered in God while those who yielded, even after protest, did in fact prosper in the things of God. Remember, Saul who became Paul, King Manasseh who became a pagan king then a yielded one, of course Abraham, was an idol worshiper who met the true and living God and yielded and through whom we have the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Abraham the entire world has been blessed.
And then there were those who were yielded but needed to mature into the people God could entrust with much power and influence. God processed them through trials and tribulations such as Joseph, King David, Moses, Peter, and many more. And of course, business people such as Barnabas and Lydia. And last but not least the women in the lineage of Jesus Christ who yielded to fulfill their destinies, such as Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, Mary (who faced the possibility of death by stoning). Yielding is not always easy. As a matter of fact, it rarely is when there is anything of value at stake. Yet the rewards of yielding to God so far outweigh the hardships that they are somewhat negligible.
I leave you with this encouragement from Paul that as we live lives committed to prayer without ceasing that we persevere through our light afflictions. 2 Corinthians 4-17-18:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
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Hello,
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to connecting with you. In the meantime, please share this blog with your friends and family members.
Blessings in Christ,
Sonia