SECRETS OF
PRAYER
More important than any rule or
law is our love relationship with Jesus Christ, which is developed through
spending time in Bible study, prayer, and witnessing. When we study the Bible, God speaks to
us. When we pray, we speak to God from
our heart as from a friend. And when we
witness, we speak to others about Him.
In our study we will discover the secrets of prayer and how we can enjoy
this privilege.
1. How do we know that God will always answer
our prayers in the best way?
Romans
8:32; Psalms 102:17
8:32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all,
how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
102:17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute,
and not despise their prayer.
2. How should we pray, especially in these
solemn times?
1
Peter 4:7; Luke 21:34-36
4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye
therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares.
21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them
that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
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.
3. What did the disciples want Jesus to teach
them?
Luke 11:1
11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying
in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord,
teach us to pray, as John also taught his
disciples.
Christ's
disciples were much impressed by His prayers and by His habit of communion with
God. One day after a short absence from their Lord, they found Him absorbed in
supplication. Seeming unconscious of their presence, He continued praying aloud.
The hearts of the disciples were deeply moved. As He ceased praying, they
exclaimed, "Lord, teach us to pray."
{COL 140.1}
4. What did Jesus say should be included in our
prayers?
Luke
11:2-4
11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
11:3 Give us day by day our daily
bread.
11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also
forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but
deliver us from evil.
Jesus
was not giving a formal prayer to recite but was answering the disciple’s
request, “Teach us to pray.” Here He
taught us what types of things to pray about.
In
order to strengthen our confidence in God, Christ teaches us to address Him by a
new name, a name entwined with the dearest associations of the human heart. He
gives us the privilege of calling the infinite God our Father. This name, spoken
to Him and of Him, is a sign of our love and trust toward Him, and a pledge of
His regard and relationship to us. Spoken when asking His favor or blessing, it
is as music in His ears. That we might not think it presumption to call Him by
this name, He has repeated it again and again. He desires us to become familiar
with the appellation. {COL
141.4}
The
Lord's Prayer was not intended to be repeated merely as a form, but it is an
illustration of what our prayers should be--simple, earnest, and comprehensive.
In a simple petition tell the Lord your needs and express gratitude for His
mercies. Thus you invite Jesus as a welcome guest into your home and heart.”
Child Guidance, p. 524.
5. What principle did Jesus give for obtaining
answers to prayer?
11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall
have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend
me three loaves;
11:6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come
to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
11:7 And he from within shall answer and say,
Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I
cannot rise and give thee.
11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and
give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity
[PERSISTENCE
IN REQUESTING OR DEMANDING] he will rise
and give him as many as he needeth.
11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be
given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Christ's
lessons in regard to prayer should be carefully considered. There is a divine
science in prayer, and His illustration brings to view principles that all need
to understand. He shows what is the true spirit of prayer, He teaches the
necessity of perseverance in presenting our requests to God, and assures
us of His willingness to hear and answer prayer. {COL 142.2}
6. Jesus taught us to pray to the
Father. In whose name, or by whose
authority, should we address the Father?
John
15:16; 1 Timothy 2:5
15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen
you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your
fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my
name, he may give it you.
2:5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
We
pray in Jesus’ name because He is our mediator and Savior. Through His merits we
gain access to the very throne of the universe.
7. What time of day, especially, should we
pray?
Psalms
5:3; Psalms 55:16-17; Daniel 6:10
5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O
LORD; in the morning will I direct [my prayer] unto thee, and will look
up.
55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the
LORD shall save me.
55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I
pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was
signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward
Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave
thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
8. What kind of prayers should these daily
prayers be?
Matthew
6:5-8
6:5
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for
they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the
corners
of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have
their reward.
6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in
secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions,
as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much
speaking.
6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your
Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Learn
to pray short and right to the point, asking for just what you need. Learn to
pray aloud where only God can hear you. Do not offer make-believe prayers, but
earnest, feeling petitions, expressing the hunger of the soul for the Bread of
Life. {OHC
130.6}
9. Is there also a place for public
prayer?
Matthew
18:19-20; Acts 1:13, 14
18:19 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.
18:20 For where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
1:13 And when they were come in, they went up
into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew,
Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James [the son] of Alphaeus, and
Simon Zelotes, and Judas [the brother] of James.
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.
10. What attitude toward God are we to exhibit in
our prayers?
Psalms
95:6-7; Philippians 2:9-10;
95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let
us kneel before the LORD our maker.
95:7 For he [is] our God; and we [are] the people
of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand...
2:9
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is
above every name:
2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under
the earth;
2:11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Prayer
is not ‘posture’ however; we should show reverence such as is shown by kneeling
in awe and humility when possible.
11.
What specific occasions did Jesus and the apostles pray?
Acts
27:35 (Luke
24:30)
27:35 And when he had thus spoken, he took
bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had
broken [it], he began to eat.
So
far we have noted four things that will make our prayers effective. We can call these secrets of prayer. The four secrets we have noted are: (1) being persistent, (2) praying with Jesus’ authority,
(3) being personal, and
(4) having reverence. Now
we will look at five more secrets of prayer.
12. What is necessary on our part in order for
our prayers to be taken seriously?
Psalms
37:5; James 1:5-8
37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also
in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.
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.
1:6 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.
1:7 For let not that man think that he shall
receive any thing of the Lord.
1:8 A double minded man [is] unstable in all his
ways.
We
must be committed to and trust God.
13. How can we have confidence that God will hear
our prayers?
1
John 5:14; James 4:3; Romans 8:26-28
5:14
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us:
5:15
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions that we desired of him.
4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts.
8:26 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.
8:27 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.
8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.
We must want God’s will
to be done. This is a matter of faith. If we really believe God’s way is best,
we will want His will to be done. The
Bible reveals God’s will to us.
14. What is a consequence of turning away from
God’s law?
Proverbs
28:9
28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing
the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination.
We must listen to God and
obey Him. Why should we expect God to
hear us, if we will not hear Him? And
why should we expect Him to do what we ask, if we will not do what He
asks?
15. Should we thank the Lord while
praying?
4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God.
4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same
with thanksgiving;
We
should praise God and be thankful for His goodness.
16. What is the result of an unforgiving
attitude?
Mark 11:25-26
11:25 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.
11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will
your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
We should be willing to
forgive others as we expect God to forgive us.
Nine Secrets for
Effective Prayer
1. Be Persistent. “Wrestle” with the Lord as Jacob did. Show the persistence of
Elijah.
2. Pray with Jesus' authority (in His
name). We represent Him.
3. Be Personal. Jesus is your best friend; you can share
ANYTHING and EVERYTHING with Him.
4. Be Reverent. Remember, you are in the presence of the God
of the universe. Angels veil their faces
in His presence.
5. Trust God completely. He who gave His son for you has your best
interest in mind, always!
6. You must want God’s will to be
done. If you don’t, your words are in vain. Faith is a verb!
7. Listen to God and obey
Him. Do not “tie” God’s hands, so to speak, by
asking and then not listening and obeying.
8. Praise God and be
Thankful
for all He has done and is doing for you.
9. Forgive others. Jesus did not come to condemn, but to
save. This is truly the love
of
God!
“Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows,
your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary
Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of
His children. "The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." James 5:11. His
heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take
to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear,
for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing
that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no
chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too
difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children,
no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of
which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate
interest. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm
147:3. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as
though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not
another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.”
SC, p.100.