From the
pages of
PRAYER
( A Bible study by brother Tarran Dookie)
THE NECESSITY AND POWER OF PRAYER
Job 21:15 “What is the Almighty, that we should serve
him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?”
Ps.65:2 “O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall
all flesh come.”
Is.45:11 “Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel,
and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the
work of my hands command ye me.”
Mat.7:11 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in
heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
Mk.9:28-29 “And when he was come into the house, his
disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come
forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
Ph.4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God.”
Rev.5:8 “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and
four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them
harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”
See also
Ps.66:19-20; Acts 4:31; Acts 9:36-42; Acts 16:25-26; Acts 28:8; Rev.8:3-4.
We should have
no anxieties but instead we should make all requests known unto God. He is the
God who hears prayer. Our prayers are a sweet savour unto Him. He will not work
unless we pray. The awesome God tells us to command Him. There are mountains to
move, captives to be set free, fetters to be broken. Let us pray for He will
give us good things.
WATCH AND PRAY
Mat.26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Mk.13:32-33 “But of that day and that hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take
ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.”
Lk.21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye
may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and
to stand before the Son of man.”
Eph.6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints.”
See also
Lk.22:40,46; Col.4:2; 1Pet.4”7.
We should not
just pray. We should watch and pray. We live in an evil day. The times are
perilous. The enemy attacks us on every side. We must be watchful lest we fall.
The day of Christ will come as a snare. Many hearts will be taken up with cares
and pleasures. Let us watch and pray that we may not be ashamed at His coming.
IN HIS NAME
Jn.14:13-14 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will
do it.”
Jn.16:23-24 “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name,
he will give it you. Hitherto have ye
asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
See also
Jn.15:16.
Many say “in the
name of Jesus” at the end of their prayers. And in many cases their prayers are
not answered. To pray in the name of Jesus means to pray in His authority and
power. Only the believers whose lives are wedded to the Lord can know prayer in the name of Jesus. Let us cling to
the Lord and we shall experience and participate in His name.
CALL ON HIM
Ps.86:7 “In the day of my trouble I will call upon
thee: for thou wilt answer me.”
Ps.116:1-2 “I love the LORD, because he hath heard my
voice and my supplications. Because he
hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I
live.”
Rom.10:12-13 “For there is no difference between the
Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon
him. For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved.”
See also
Ps.80:18-19; Joel 2:32.
Call on Him and
He will answer. Those who truly call on Him shall not be ashamed. Let us not
lose heart and be defeated. If God be for us who can be against us? Call on
Him.
PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
Ps.55:16-17 “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD
shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:
and he shall hear my voice.”
Rom.12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation;
continuing instant in prayer.”
1Th.5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
See also
Lk.11:5-10; Lk.18:1-7; Acts 10:1-4; 1Tim.2:8.
We must live
prayerful lives. Prayer must not be an occasional matter. Prayer should be
regular, sustained, without ceasing. Too often we give up without praying
through. There must be importunity in our prayer for it shall prove our
seriousness.
WITH HUMILITY
2Chr.7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked
ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land.”
Ps.51:10,17 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and
renew a right spirit within me… The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a
broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
Js.4:8-10 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and
your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves
in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
See also
Ps.51:1-4; Ps.102:17; Lk.18:9-14.
When we come before God let us recognise our frailty, our weaknesses, our emptiness. Let our prayers be steeped in humility and not be like that of the proud Pharisee. God wants His people to be of a broken and contrite spirit.
WITH FERVENCY
Jer.29:12-13 “Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall
go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye
shall search for me with all your heart.”
Js.5:16-18 “Confess your faults one to another, and
pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much. Elias was a
man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might
not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six
months. And he prayed again, and the
heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”
See also Num.11:1-2; Num.21:4-7.
Our prayers must
not be heartless. God wants us to pray with all our hearts. Let us not pray in
a listless, half-hearted manner. Our prayers must be fervent, they must have
unction.
HEAR O LORD
Ps.69:13 “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O
LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in
the truth of thy salvation.”
Ps.102:1 “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come
unto thee.”
Ps.141:1-2 “LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me;
give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee Let my prayer be set forth before thee as
incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
See also
Ps.55:1-2; Ps.61:1; Ps.64:1; Ps.84:8; Ps.86:6; Ps.88:1-2; Ps.143:1.
Do we agonize
when we pray? Do we recognise our condition before God? Let us cry out unto God
and beseech Him to hear us. Many of God’s children are in the wilderness,
living a defeated life. Let us prostrate ourselves before our God and plead
with Him that He may hear us.
WITH UPRIGHTNESS
Ps.17:1 “Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry,
give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.”
Pr.15:8,29 “The sacrifice of the wicked is an
abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight… The LORD is far from the
wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Mat.23:14 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye
shall receive the greater damnation.”
Jn.15:7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
1Pet.3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are over the
righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord
is against them that do evil.”
See also
Pr.28:9; Mat.6:5-8; 1Jn.3:20-22.
God listens to
the prayers of the righteous and the upright. We cannot practise sin and expect
God to hear us. We must come before Him with clean hands and a pure heart.
There should be no pretence when we pray. The long pretentious prayer is
wearisome to God and to men. Let us not use vain repetitions. Let our prayers
be simple and from a true heart.
PRAY WITH FAITH
Dan.6:23 “Then was the king exceeding glad for him,
and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was
taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he
believed in his God.”
Mk.11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever
ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
Js.1:6-8 “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed. For let not that man think that
he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
To pray and not
believe is to pray in vain. Such a prayer shall not be heard. He who comes to
God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek Him (Heb.11:6). We honour God when we believe Him and His promises. Let us draw near to God
and have faith in God as we pray.
ACCORDING TO HIS WILL
Mat.26:39,42,44 “And he went a little farther, and
fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this
cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt…He went away
again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not
pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done… And he left them, and went
away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.”
1Jn.5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have
in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we
ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
When we pray
according to His will He hears us. Sometimes our prayers may be contrary to His
will. Like the Lord Jesus we should submit to the will of God for He knows what
is best for us. Let us seek His face that we may pray according to His will.
THE SPIRIT AND PRAYER
Rom.8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
1Cor.14:15 “What is it then? I will pray with the
spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the
spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”
Jude 20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on
your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”
One of the
greatest lack in our prayers is the lack of the Spirit in the prayer lives of
many a believer. Too often we have grieved the Spirit rather than cultivate the
fellowship of the Holy Guest. If we live in the Spirit, the Spirit Himself
shall make intercession for us in a language only understood in the Spirit. We
will only build ourselves up when we pray in the Holy Ghost.
SOLITUDE AND TIMES OF PRAYER
Ps.88:13 “But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in
the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.”
Mat.14:23 “And when he had sent the multitudes away,
he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was
there alone.”
Mk.1:35 “And in the morning, rising up a great while
before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
Lk.6:12 “And it came to pass in those days, that he
went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”
See also
Ps.5:1-3; Lk.5:16; Lk.9:28.
David rose early
to pray. So did the Lord Jesus. Many a prayer warrior will attest to the fact
that early rising is essential to an effective prayer life. Early in the
morning there are less distractions, it is quieter, and the body would not be
tired. Today we can hardly go to the mountain or into a wilderness to pray and
the early morning may be our only solitude. As we enter the depths of prayer
and warfare we should also learn to pray late into the night.
SOME HINDRANCES TO PRAYER
Is.59:1-2 “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened,
that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between
you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not
hear.”
Mk.11:25-26 “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye
have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive
you your trespasses. But if ye do not
forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
Js.4:2-3 “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire
to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask
not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon
your lusts.”
1Pet.3:7 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them
according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel,
and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not
hindered.”
See also
Lam.3:40-44.
We must confess
our sins and seek to walk uprightly or else our prayers shall not be heard. We
must forgive those who have wronged us or else God will not forgive us.
Sometimes we do not receive because we ask amiss, that is to say, our motives
may be wrong. The prayers of a husband may be hindered if how he treats his
wife is not pleasing to God. Let us seek to remove every hindrance that our
prayers may ascend to God and be answered.
PRAYER AND THE CHURCH
Mat.18:18-20 “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye
shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I
say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing
that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in
heaven. For where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Mat.21:12-13 “And Jesus went into the temple of God,
and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the
tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house
shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
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 brethren.”
See also Acts
6:4; Acts 12:5.
Not only should
we pray as individuals, but also we should learn corporate prayer. We should
pray at home and also when we assemble ourselves. The Lord said that He would
be in our midst when we pray as a body. Too little time is allocated to prayer
in the assemblies of God’s people. We spend much time in singing, in preaching
and teaching, in the giving of testimonies and in various church activities but
just a few minutes is given to prayer. We have put the cart before the horse
and are going nowhere. May the church once again become the house of prayer.
PRAYING FOR OTHERS
1Sam.12:23 “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I
should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you
the good and the right way.”
Rom.1:9 “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my
spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you
always in my prayers.”
Eph.6:18-19 “Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints; And for me,
that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make
known the mystery of the gospel.”
Js.5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray
one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.”
See also Job
42:8; Mat.5:44; 2Cor.9:14; Ph.1:4; Col.4:12; 1Th.1:2; 1Th.3:10; 2Th.1:11;
Heb.13:18.
Our prayers
should not be self-centred. When we focus not on ourselves but we pray for our
brethren our prayers shall be of a nobler plane. May we see the body of Christ
and pray for all the saints that we may
all come to the fullness of Christ.
SOME THINGS TO PRAY FOR
Lk.11:11-13 “If a son shall ask bread of any of you
that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a
fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall
ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children:
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
him?”
We need the
anointing of the Holy Spirit. All who are born again have received the gift of
the Spirit. But we may have the Spirit and yet not be filled with the Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit there shall be no power and no victory.
Hab.3:2 “O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was
afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the
years make known; in wrath remember mercy.”
Zech.10:1 “Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the
latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of
rain, to every one grass in the field.”
Ps.80:18-19 “So will not we go back from thee: quicken
us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn
us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”
Let s pray for
revival that God may raise up the standard of the Spirit in this day when the
enemy has come in like a flood. May God quicken us that we would not be
lukewarm but have the zeal of the Lord.
Eph.1:16-19 “Cease not to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayers; That the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the
riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his
power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.”
Col.1:9 “For this cause we also, since the day we
heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled
with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”
Js.1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given
him.”
In order for
Jesus to become a living reality within us and not a mere historical figure we
need the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. To know
Christ is far greater than to know about
Christ. The more we know Him the more shall our lives be transformed.
Eph.3:14-19 “For this cause I bow my knees unto the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom
the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Ph.1:9 “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet
more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.”
We need to be
strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man so that we may walk in
victory. We need Christ in our hearts. We must know the love of Christ which
passeth knowledge. How we need to be filled with all the fullness of God.
Mat.9:36-38 “But when he saw the multitudes, he was
moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad,
as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest
truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth
labourers into his harvest.”
2Th.3:1-2 “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the
word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with
you: And that we may be delivered from
unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.”
Col.4:3 “Withal praying also for us, that God would
open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I
am also in bonds.”
Many are
perishing and need to hear the word. Let us pray for labourers in the vineyard,
and that God may open doors, that the word may have free course.
Js.5:13-15 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray.
Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is
any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick,
and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be
forgiven him.”
Many are sick
and feeble in the church. Let us pray that God may heal us and that we may be
well in spirit, soul and body.
1 Tim 2:1-4 “ I
exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in
authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who
will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
Let us pray for
those in governmental authority so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.
We should pray for peace and stability and for salvation of all men. God is
willing to save as many as come unto Him.
Jn.17:15 “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out
of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”
May we repeat
this prayer of our Lord to be kept from the evil one. The enemy is ever busy
seeking to trouble us, to confound us, to distract us, to shipwreck our faith.
May God keep us from the evil one that we may weather the storm.
Jn.17:20-21 “Neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father,
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may
believe that thou hast sent me.”
1Cor.1:10 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind
and in the same judgment.”
Ps.122:6 “Pray for the peace of
See also
Eph.4:11-16.
It seems as if
this prayer and desire of the Lord has gone unnoticed by the churches of Jesus
Christ. There is division and discord in the body of Christ. But if we discern
the body of Christ we shall seek for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. Let us cry out to God that the watchmen on the walls of
SOME EXAMPLES OF PRAYER FROM THE BIBLE
Hannah’s prayer
concerning Samuel (1Sam.1:9-18; 1Sam.2:1-11)
David’s prayer
after God promised to build his house forever (2Sam.7:18-29)
David’s prayer
of repentance (Ps.51:1-19)
Solomon’s prayer
upon completion of the house of God (2Chr.6:1 to 2Chr.7:3)
Elisha’s prayer
(2Kgs.4:32-36; 2Kgs.6:15-18)
Nehemiah’s
prayer for the rebuilding of
Jonah’s prayer
out of the fish’s belly (Jonah 2:1-10)
Daniel’s prayers
(Dan.6:4-23; Dan.9:1-22)
The model prayer
given by Jesus (Mat.6:9-13; Lk.11:1-4)
Jesus’ prayer on
the mount of transfiguration (Lk.9:28-30)
Jesus’ prayer
for Peter (Lk.22:31-32)
Jesus’ prayer in
The Lord’s prayer for His disciple (Jn.17:1-26).