TOPICS PAGE: http://www.eztech.com/bibletalks/topics.htm EMAIL: bibletalks@eztech.com Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Bible Talks about PRAYER. TO PRAY MEANS TO TALK TO GOD FOR WHATEVER REASON WE MIGHT HAVE. PSALM 62:8 "Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." PSALM 103:1 " Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!" PHILIPPIANS 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;...." GOD KNOWS OUR NEEDS: MATTHEW 6:8 ".... For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." SINCE GOD KNOWS OUR NEEDS, WHY PRAY? 1). (Because God commands us to pray). MATTHEW 26:41 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 1 THESSALONIANS 5:17 "...pray without ceasing,..." 2). (Because God encourages us to pray). JEREMIAH 29:12 "Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you." MATTHEW 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." JOHN 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." TO WHOM DO WE PRAY, FATHER, SON OR HOLY GHOST? PSALM 5:2 (To God the Father). "Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray." JOHN 14:13 (To God the Father in the name of Jesus). "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." MAY WE PRAY TO SAINTS? NO. HEAVENLY SAINTS WITH GOD DO NOT HEAR US. PRAY TO GOD THE FATHER: ISAIAH 63:16 "Doubtless You are our Father, though Abraham was ignorant of us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name." HOW MAY WE APPROACH THE FATHER IN PRAYER? (We may approach in boldness and with confidence). EPHESIANS 3:12 "... in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him." HEBREWS 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." ARE WE TO PRAY "IF IT BE THY WILL" AS JESUS DID ON MT. CALVARY? NO. (Jesus knew the will of His Father. Note that Jesus did not wait for an answer but recognized that His Father's will had to be carried out and He, Jesus, was willing. This prayer was a prayer of dedication and consecration, an acknowledgment and agreement with His Father.). LUKE 22:42 ".... saying, "Father, if it is Your will, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." DID JESUS EVER PRAY "IF IT BE THY WILL" WHEN JESUS WANTED SOMETHING DONE? NO. (Jesus never prayed "if it be Thy will" if He wanted something done.. The raising of Lazarus from the dead is an example. Jesus thanked His Father for something that hadn't happened yet). JOHN 11:43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" (And Lazarus came forth alive. There was no,"if it be Thy will.") WE ARE TO PRAY WITH FAITH, EXPECTING TO HAVE OUR PRAYERS ANSWERED. MARK 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." ARE WE TO PRAY IN PRIVATE? MAY WE PRAY WITH OTHERS WHO WISH TO SHARE WITH US? (Praying alone). MATTHEW 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." (Examples of Jesus praying alone are in Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12; Mark 6:46.) (Praying with others). MATTHEW 18:19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven." ACTS 1:14 "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." (The Lord's prayer, Matthew 6:19, is the believers’ group prayer for the church membership on earth). FAITH IS VERY NECESSARY AND ESSENTIAL WHEN WE PRAY. MARK 11:23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says." JAMES 1:6,7. "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;..." DO YOU FEEL YOUR FAITH IS TOO WEAK TO RECEIVE ANSWERS TO PRAYER? BE ENCOURAGED. PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER TELLS GOD YOU HAVE THE FAITH NEEDED FOR ANSWERED PRAYER. BY PERSISTING, YOU ARE TELLING GOD, "I KNOW YOU WILL ANSWER LORD IF I STICK WITH IT." PERSISTENCE SHOWS THE BELIEF AND FAITH YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU HAD! MATTHEW 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (This translation is not accurate. The correct translation from the Greek is: "ASK AND KEEP ASKING, SEEK AND KEEP SEEKING, KNOCK AND KEEP KNOCKING..." (In LUKE 18:2 Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should not give up in prayer: The parable is about a woman who wanted justice from a judge who refused to bother with her. Her continual INSISTENCE and NAGGING finally moved the judge to give her what she wanted. See also Luke 11:8). WE ARE TO NAG AND KEEP AT THE LORD UNTIL OUR PRAYER IS ANSWERED! ASK AND KEEP ASKING, SEEK AND KEEP SEEKING, KNOCK AND KEEP KNOCKING. 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