CENTRAL THOUGHT
Prayers must conform with the word of God, as led by the Holy Spirit.
TEXT: JAMES 4:3; LUKE 9:51-56; MATT. 6:5-13
INTRODUCTION:
Prayer as we all know it is a veritable mode of communication between us believers and our Heavenly Father. Christ emphasized the need for and importance of prayer “that men ought always to pray and not faint” (Luke 18:1b).
Therefore, for every Christian, prayer is indispensable. However, prayer has become one Christian practice that has been misused and abused by many in recent times. Many people in a bid to receive “quick answers” to their prayers have been led into error. Some so-called prayer leaders have devised many teachings and doctrines on prayer which are contrary to the Word of God. Some of these have led to unwholesome practices that tend towards occultism and fetish. It must be emphasized that any form of prayer outside that as was taught by Jesus Christ is unacceptable by God and can never attract His attention.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
- To explain what Christ cautioned against as Christians pray;
- Highlight and discuss what time of the days were prayers made by people in the Scriptures;
- Identify where each of these prayers took place; and
- Explain some prayer practices, including how scriptural they are.
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1) WHAT WAS IT THAT CHRIST CAUTIONED AGAINST AS CHRSITIANS PRAY? (Matt. 6:5-7)
Jesus Christ cautioned against outward show as Christians pray. He said “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” (Matt. 6:5). He also cautioned against vain repetition, for such persons “think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Prayer should be genuine and sincere from the heart. It should not be to impress people, rather it is pouring our hearts to God and expressing our sincere love and dependence on His love and mercy.
QUESTION 2) WHAT TIME OF THE DAY DID PRAYERS IN THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES TAKE PLACE? (Mk. 1:35; Matt. 26:36-39; Luke 5:12,16; 6:12; Acts 3:1)
There is no specific time of the day that prayers cannot take place. Jesus rose early in the morning, a great while before day and departed into a solitary place to pray. Jesus also prayed in the night before His arrest. Jesus was a man of prayer, he prayed during the day and at other times all through the night. “Peter and John went together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.” The ninth hour in this context was stated as 3 o’clock in the afternoon. From all these references, it then follows that there is no specific time that prayer cannot take place. We are enjoined in the Scriptures to “pray without ceasing: (1 Thess. 5:17). Paul also admonished the Ephesian brethren in Eph. 6:18 this: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…” In summary, prayer can take place at any time be it morning, noon, afternoon, evening, or night. Out God “neither sleeps nor slumbers”. His ears are attentive to our prayers at all times.
QUESTION 3). IDENTIFY WHERE EACH OF THESE PRAYERS TOOK PLACE
Matt. 14:23; Luke 18:10; Acts 10:9,30,11:15
Just as prayers can take place at any time whether day or night, so also prayer can take place anywhere. We see from the Scriptures that prayers took place in different places and locations. Jesus “went up into a mountain to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone” (Matt. 14:23). People can also go to the church building to pray. “Two men went into the temple to pray…” (Luke 18:10a). Prayer can take place in people’s houses. Peter went to the rooftop of the house he was staying in to pray. Cornelius was praying and fasting in his house. Both men had a revelation to confirm what God wanted to do though they were at different locations unknown to each other.
There are no particular places or locations one must be for prayers to be answered. The Lord Jesus declared this with the Samaritan woman that what God requires is true worshippers who will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. This is because “God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
QUESTION 4) EXPLAIN THE FOLLOWING PRACTICES, EXAMINING HOW SCRIPTURAL THEY ARE.
There are many strange practices that have been introduced by some people which are by no means scriptural. Some of them are enumerated below:
(I). Praying naked: God does not require us to be naked for our prayers to be answered. God knows everything about us and our nakedness does not affect Him or move Him to answer our prayers faster.
(II). Shooting and boxing the devil/enemy: Satan the devil is a spirit which cannot be affected by physical actions like shooting and boxing. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:3-4). To engage in spiritual warfare, therefore, we need spiritual weapons as listed in Eph. 6:12-18.
(III). Praying with objects: God does not need us to pray with any object for our prayers to be answered. Doing so amounts to violating the second commandment among the ten that God gave the children of Israel. “thou shalt not make unto thee any graven imagen, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exod. 20:4).
(IV). Buying and selling objects carrying prayers: Such practices should not be mentioned among the believers. God is able to do what we ask from Him without resorting to the use of any object. We should not allow some so-called ministers of God make merchandise of us by selling objects like pens for exams or blessed handkerchiefs for healing etc. These objects resemble talisman that native doctors sell to their clients.
(V). Fall and die prayer-killing of human beings: We must learn to commit everything that confronts us into the hands of God. Even when people hurt and offend us, let us leave the battle for God to fight for us instead of praying that they should die. We have been told in the Scriptures to hand every matter over to God, for He is able to fight for us. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom. 12:19).
(VI). Fasting for others for payment: We should not be indulging in making merchandise of men in the guise that we are praying for them. There is nothing wrong in fasting and praying for others as a way of sharing in their burdens, but it must not be for monetary gain. The prerogative to answer our prayers rests on God and if He chooses not to answer there is nothing we can do. Jesus said “freely ye have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8b). The grace and ability to fast and pray come from God so we should do all to His honor and glory.
In all these we must be careful, act only as led by the Holy Spirit, and in agreement with God’s word. (Deut. 13:1-4).
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Prayer is means by which the believers communicate with our Heavenly Father. Our God answers prayers. When we pray according to His will and follow the model prayer as taught in the Scriptures, then we are sure to prevail. Therefore, when we pray, we should call on God with the assurance that He will attend to our petitions and supplications. Christians should be mindful of where they go for prayers in a bid to get “quick and instant” prayers. The mere fact that it works does not make it right. We must avoid going to wrong places that will cause us worse problems rather than bringing about solution in the long run.
MEMORY VERSE:
1 JOHN 4:1
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
MON: THE LORD CAUTIONED AGAINST OUTWARD SHOW IN PRAYERS. MATT. 6:5-6
TUE: CAUTION AGAINST VAIN REPETITION IN PRAYERS. MATT. 6:5-7
WED: VARIED TIMES OF PRAYER. MATT. 26:36-39; MK. 1:35; LK. 5:12,16
THU: PRAYER CAN TAKE PLACE ANYWHERE.
LK. 18:10; ACTS 10:9,30; 11:15
FRI: SPIRITUAL WEAPONS FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE. 2 COR. 10:3-4
SAT: COMMIT EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYER. ROM. 12:19