Prayer

I know prayer is an important part of my relationship with God, so I want to explore what God designed prayer to be used for, so that I will have knowledge of all the purposes for prayer and would be able to utilize prayer better.

I'm going to begin by posting a list of verses that talk about prayer, so you can look them up and marinate on them more in your own time and when you do I would encourage you to read the context of them as well. I will also talk about what I see as the significance of each verse, however some verses are simply statements or directions and don't need much explaining.

There are a lot of verses so I will talk about one verse and post it then later I will talk about the next verse, so come back to see the updates- the one i have already discussed will have a '~' next to it. When I write them they will be posted after all the verses so you will need to scroll down. You can click on the verses and it will move the page down to where it is written.

From: What about God? Now that you're off to college
Practice of Prayer:
~Luke 11:1-13
~Exodus 33:7-11
~Psalm 63:1-4
~Luke 18:1-8
~2Chronicles 30:21-27
~Matthew 7:9-11
~Isaiah 56:6-8


Practicing Prayer: On your knees
~Daniel 6:10-11
John 1:8-9
 ~Matthew 26:36-44
~Deuteronomy 9:25-26
Psalm 95:1-7
Matthew 6:5-13
1 Samuel 1-24-28

Practicing Prayer: On the run
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Romans 12:9-13
Hebrews 13:15
Ephesians 6:18
1Thessalonians 5:17-18
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 6:12-16

Practicing Prayer: On the level
Psalm 1391:1-12
1John 5:13-15
Romans 8:26-27
John 17:20-23
Luke 18:9-14
Psalm 86:1-7
Matthew 7:7-8

From: Precious Bible Promises
- under prayer
Jeremiah 33:3
Luke 18:1-8
Matthew 18:19-20
Matthew 6:6
Mark 6:6
Mark 11:24
Psalm 145:18-19
Psalm 37:4
Proverbs 15:29
Deuteronomy 4:7
Psalm 86:5,7
James 4:8
Psalm 55:17
Hebrews 11:6

From: A Young Woman After God's Own Heart
1Peter 5:6,7
Romans 12:12
James 5:16
Luke 1:46-55
1 John 1:9
Philippians 4:11-13
Luke 6:28
James 5:13-18
________________________________________

From: What about God? Now that you're off to college

Luke 11:1-13
11 Would any of you who are fathers give your son a snake when he asks for fish? 12 Or would you give him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
-Jesus says that we should ask God, our father for things we want or need. God loves us and will give you those things if you ask with a pure heart. God wants to give you gifts that are better than what you imagine  


Exodus 33:7-11
7 Whenever the people of Israel set up camp, Moses would take the sacred Tent and put it up some distance outside the camp. It was called the Tent of the Lord's presence, and anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go out to it. 8 Whenever Moses went out there, the people would stand at the door of their tents and watch Moses until he entered it. 9 After Moses had gone in, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the door of the Tent, and the Lord would speak to Moses from the cloud. 10 As soon as the people saw the pillar of cloud at the door of the Tent, they would bow down. 11 The Lord would speak with Moses face-to-face, just as someone speaks with a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp. But the young man who was his helper, Joshua son of Nun, stayed in the Tent.
-For the interpretation of this passage I will be using John Wesley's commentary as a reference, because I am not very familiar with the ceremonial symbolism of that time. - (v7) The tent was placed outside the camp to signify that the people were unworthy of it. (v8) The people waited outside of the door, because they had to rely on Moses fully for God - before Christ only leaders were able to communicate with God. Today we are able to speak directly to God because Jesus died on the cross for our sins "Matthew 27:50 Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 51 Then the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart," For this we need to be eternally grateful for. We can call on the Lord for help whenever wherever - so take advantage of it. (v9) When the people noticed the presence of the Lord they bowed down. (v10) In this day and age people have become so ungrateful and have lost reverence for the Lord - I am guilty of it too. We have even more of a reason to bow down before the Lord than the Israelites - yet we often come to Him mad because we don't get our way. I am learning to bow when I pray it physically shows of obedience and respect for the Almighty God. (v11) Speaking to God as my friend I have never had a problem with. God is always with us and knows what we are going through and knows us better than anyone else, so we should act accordingly. If you came to your best friend who has known you for a long time and started reciting a planned statement rather than just speaking from your heart he or she would look at you like you were crazy. saying "Hey, its me relax I've known you your whole life." That is probably how God would respond too, however we still need to give God the respect, reverence and praise that he deserves.A lot of times we discredit the Old Testament, but there is a lot we can learn from it. I hope that you can take this message and apply it to your own life and improve your prayer life and your relationship with God. 

 Psalm 63:1-4
1 O God, you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you. 2 Let me see you in the sanctuary; let me see how mighty and glorious you are.3 Your constant love is better than life itself, and so I will praise you. 4 I will give you thanks as long as I live; I will raise my hands to you in prayer.
-Are you thirsty for God? We often don't realize our need for, God because we have come so accustom to life without Him. If you eat bland food all the time you wont realize all the flavors you are missing with the spices. It can be the same with our relationship with God. Jesus came to give us life to the fullest. If we aren't seeking God we can't experience the fullness of life. It will be like we are eating bland food. If you try something that isn't bland you may not even like it at first, because you are so used to plain food. It is also the same with spending time with God. At first you will struggle to even be able to do it, then once you can do it you probably wont enjoy it, until finally it becomes a habit and when you miss it you are longing for it.
I encourage you to set apart some time each day to spend reading scripture or praying. You can begin small, but it is important for or relationship with God to seek him daily.  

Luke 18:1-8
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and never become discouraged. 2 "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected people. 3 And there was a widow in that same town who kept coming to him and pleading for her rights, saying, "Help me against my opponent!' 4 For a long time the judge refused to act, but at last he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or respect people, 5 yet because of all the trouble this widow is giving me, I will see to it that she gets her rights. If I don't, she will keep on coming and finally wear me out!' " 6 And the Lord continued, "Listen to what that corrupt judge said. 7 Now, will God not judge in favor of his own people who cry to him day and night for help? Will he be slow to help them? 8 I tell you, he will judge in their favor and do it quickly. But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes?"
-Jesus is speaking to us saying if you constantly pray for your needs God will listen, and act accordingly. So if there is something going on in your life that you need God to take care of pray about it everyday until it is resolved. I know being persistent and consistent is hard - I struggle with it, but I do know when I spend genuine time praying deeply and earnestly I feel better and am reassured that God will take care of my needs.
I challenge you to find something you need God's help for something, and pray about it everyday and see if your prayers are answered. 

2 Chronicles 30:21-27
These verses are from the very end of the chapter. To help you understand these verses you need to read the whole chapter: here is a link to it online.
Important verses in this chapter that give an outline of what is happening are: 1 The people had not been able to celebrate the Passover Festival at the proper time in the first month, because not enough priests were ritually clean and not many people had assembled in Jerusalem. So King Hezekiah, his officials, and the people of Jerusalem agreed to celebrate it in the second month, and the king sent word to all the people of Israel and Judah.... 6 Messengers went out at the command of the king and his officials through all Judah and Israel with the following invitation:"People of Israel, you have survived the Assyrian conquest of the land. Now return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he will return to you.... ...9 If you return to the Lord, then those who have taken your relatives away as prisoners will take pity on them and let them come back home. The Lord your God is kind and merciful, and if you return to him, he will accept you."
19 "O Lord, the God of our ancestors, in your goodness forgive those who are worshiping you with all their heart, even though they are not ritually clean." 20 The Lord answered Hezekiah's prayer; he forgave the people and did not harm them.
21 For seven days the people who had gathered in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread with great joy, and day after day the Levites and the priests praised the Lord with all their strength. 22 Hezekiah praised the Levites for their skill in conducting the worship of the Lord. After the seven days during which they offered sacrifices in praise of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, 23 they all decided to celebrate for another seven days. So they celebrated with joy. 24 King Hezekiah contributed 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the people to kill and eat, and the officials gave them another 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. A large number of priests went through the ritual of purification. 25 So everyone was happy—the people of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the people who had come from the north, and the foreigners who had settled permanently in Israel and Judah. 26 The city of Jerusalem was filled with joy, because nothing like this had happened since the days of King Solomon, the son of David. 27 The priests and the Levites asked the Lord's blessing on the people. In his home in heaven God heard their prayers and accepted them.

-This chapter shows how merciful God is. Some people don't like the Old Testament, because they think God is mean, but in this chapter we clearly see His mercy shown. How much more should we take advantage of His mercy today when we don't have to worry about being ritually clean. Jesus died so we would be made clean permanently. God is waiting with open arms to cleanese you of your sins come to Him and receive His grace and mercy, so you can celebrate like they did in Jerusalem.


This is the same verse that was stated above in Luke, but I'm going to go into it deeper here. Matthew 7:9-11ily: 9 Would any of you who are fathers give your son a stone when he asks for bread? 10 Or would you give him a snake when he asks for a fish? 11 As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

-Just like any good father God like's taking care of his children and providing gifts for them. It can be odd to think of God as provider, but He is. 1 Tim. 6:17 Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.There is such peace when you can truly trust in the Lord to provide for you needs and wants. Usually that is what we spend most of our time worrying about, but when we take that worry away we can focus on our purpose - serving God. To practice this I challenge you to trust in God to provide something you need, it could even be something small. There have been times when I forgot to bring paper or pin to class but I didn't scurry to go to the store or run to my room to get some - I trusted in God to provide for me and he did. When we do this we can't worry about whether or not we will get it - that worry is a sign of doubt (and that isn't trust). Matt. 6:25 "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing?...³² Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, ³³ and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. ³⁴ So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Once you are able to trust God with providing smaller things in your life you will be able to trust Him with providing bigger things.

Isaiah 56

6Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh, to minister to him, and to love the name of Yahweh, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant;

7even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."

8The Lord Yahweh, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, "Yet will I gather [others] to him, besides his own who are gathered."

 We are all invited to join ourselves to Yahweh. This passage emphasizes that those who are not a part of Israel but choose to love the name of Yaweh and keeps the Sabbath and keeps the covenant are also welcome to be in the presence of Yahweh on his Qodesh (holy)  mountain. He will make those people joyful in the place of prayer. Once again Yahweh is saying all people are welcome to come to prayer with him.


Practicing Prayer: On your knees

  Daniel 6: 10-11 
10And Dani’ĕl, when he knew that the writing was signed, went home and in his upper room with his windows open toward Yerushalayim he knelt down on his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his Elah (God), as he had done before. 11Then these men tumultuously gathered and found Dani’ĕl praying and entreating before his Elah (God). 
 
We can see in the previous verses that men were plotting against him, so they had law passed (the writing that was signed) that anyone who prayed to anyone other than the King would be thrown into the lions pit. In verse 10 Daniel does as he usually does and prayed threes times and thus was thrown into the lions pit. We can notice several things about how Daniel prays. He prays on his knees, and he bows down to Jerusalem, he does this three times a day. We are not commanded to pray in this way, but maybe it a good idea. We should also recognize that if we do take on these practices that we don't get caught up in the ritual but we always remember the reason. When we bow we do it to recognize our lowliness compared to Yahweh's All Mighty power. Praying three times a day might be good to remind us to keep Yahweh in all our daily actives. When we wake up it is our beginning, in the afternoon we are in the midst, and at night it is in reflection.

 John 1:8-9

  Matthew 26:36-44
36Then Yahushua came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go there and pray." 37He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me." 39He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire." 40He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What, couldn't you watch with me for one hour? 41Watch and pray, that you don't enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42Again, a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cup can't pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done." 43He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words. 

Yahushua sorrowful and severely troubled which is reflected in his stance of  falling on his face. Our physical stance should also resemble our spiritual state when we pray. Even though Yahushua did not want to go through with the proceeding events He still recognizes that Yahweh's plan is most important, so he prays "your desire be done". When we pray we should also remember to pray with the Will of Yahweh in mind. In addition to what we can learn from the prayers of Yahushua in this passage, we can also learn. Yahushua says to the disciples watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. We have to be aware of weaknesses and pray that we do not fall into temptation.  They were weak falling asleep, I probably would be as equally as weak. Our flesh is weak. We need to make prayer as a way to keep our spiritual desires to keep our flesh in line.

Deuteronomy 9:25-26
25So I fell down before Yahweh the forty days and forty nights that I fell down, because Yahweh had said he would destroy you. 26I prayed to Yahweh, and said, "Lord Yahweh, don't destroy your people and your inheritance, that you have redeemed through your greatness, that you have brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

Moses is desperate, and reflects that emotion by falling on his face. Scripture shows us it is important to express our emotion through our physical stance. He is pleading with Yahweh for the lives of the Israelites, because they were disobedient and worshiped an idol. Yahweh responds in Deut 10:10-11 allowing them to continue into the land he promised.