What is Prayer? (Gen 4:25-26)

Introduction

If you have your Bible, please turn it to Genesis 4:25-26.

Now, for those of you who were here when we worked through Genesis 4 during our Genesis series in November, let me assure you that you haven’t really heard what I’m about to preach today because what we’re focused on is a section of this text that’s often glanced over or overlooked. The reality is that the passage for today is almost like an off-handed statement, but it has profound implications particularly with our focus over the next four weeks.

Through the next month, we’re focused in on the issue of prayer—so, let me start by explaining how exactly the next four weeks will work and what exactly we’ll be going through before I really introduce today’s message. Each week, we’re answering specific questions that pertain to prayer—and you’ll recognize those questions because they’re the typical questions that English teachers teach you to ask when you’re reading—well, anything.

So, this week, we’re answering the question, what is prayer?

Next week, we’re answering the question, who do we pray to?

On the 28th, we’re posing the question how should we pray?

And on the final week, we’re asking what should we pray?

As we work through each section, we’ll be working through the passages that I think best answer those questions, but, of course, this is by no means a comprehensive nor completely systematic study of prayer. To comprehensively and systematically work through everything the Bible says about prayer would take us at least 30-40 hours, but my hope and my prayer is for you to walk away from this series with a better understanding of prayer that will help you in your own prayer lives.

As such, we really have to start this whole series by answering a simple, but profoundly important question. What exactly is prayer?

Often when that question is asked, you get all sorts of interesting ideas or you don’t get anything at all—what I mean by that is either, you get some pseudo-mystical or overly spiritual responses or you get the responses I don’t know or I can’t explain it or something along those lines—and they reality is that in either case (overly spiritualistic or unexplainable), you don’t end up with a good or biblical definition for prayer.

I think the reason we struggle with this is two-fold: (1) prayer is a very personal thing—it’s intended to be that way, and so, we often don’t like to tell people how to pray or what to pray because we feel as if we’re stepping on people’s toes; and (2) prayer is something that is spiritual, but also very regular—so, we end up not being able to define things as well as we would like to define things. And yet, what we see in Scripture is the Bible teaching us specifically how to pray, what to pray for, who to pray to, and even what exactly it is; and so, if we can’t answer these questions, it’s not because the Bible doesn’t teach us them, it’s because the church has done a poor job at explaining what prayer is, how to pray, who to pray to, and so on.

This, along with the fact that prayer is vitally important for our spiritual growth and relationship with God is why we’re working through this series—I don’t want you to just learn the answers to these questions, but rather, I want your prayer life to increase in vibrancy as you grow in your Christian life.

Now, to answer the first question what is prayer, I think the easiest and best way is to simply look at the very first instance of prayer actually recorded in Scripture—because in that passage, the Bible does explain what prayer is in a very simple and easy-to-understand manner.

Let’s read Genesis 4:25-26 and then I’ll explain how we’ll work through this sermon.

Genesis 4:25–26 ESV

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.

As we answer the question what is prayer, we’re going to look primarily at vv. 25-26, but I don’t think it’ll make as much sense if we don’t take a few minutes to discuss the context leading up to these verses before talking about the verses themselves. So, what we’ll do this morning is this, (1) we’ll start by getting our bearings straight by looking at The Context of Genesis. For sake of time, we’re not going to work through the entire context of Genesis, but we’ll work through enough for you to really get the picture of what’s going on; (2) we’ll then spend the rest of our time looking at the first instance of prayer in the Bible and how exactly it ties in with the overall context of Scripture as a whole.

The goal this morning is two-fold, (1) you will be able to walk away with a very simple and easy to remember definition of what prayer is according to Scripture and (2) you will feel more confident in your own prayer life because of this simple definition of what prayer actually is.

Prayer for Illumination

The Context of Genesis

So, let’s talk about the context of Genesis that leads up to our passage. Genesis 1 and 2 start with a very familiar text for those who have grown up or have attended regularly really any church throughout their life.

Now, the extent to how literally a church takes this account can reveal the church’s commitment to biblical inerrancy and sufficiency, but at the very least, it does reveal the type of hermeneutics or biblical interpretive methodology that they use in their church.

Some churches take Genesis 1-2 literally, which is what we do—that God spoke these things into existence by the very power of His voice. This reveals more of what we call a grammatical-historical approach to biblical interpretation.

Some churches take Genesis 1-2 figuratively, which means that they don’t necessarily believe that this is what happened word for word, but should be taken more as a literary device describing God’s power and ability. This reveals more of an allegorical or figurative approach to biblical interpretation.

Regardless, the idea throughout Genesis 1-2 is that God created all things and in its original state, creation was very good.

In its original state, creation functioned precisely how God had created it to function.

Even in its relationship status with other bits of creation and even in its relationship with God—in other words, everything related to each other just as God intended it to and God had a relationship with His creation.

That relationship between God and His creation found its pinnacle in the relationship between God and mankind.

Genesis 2:7 describes God creating man and in it, you can see the personal nature of the relationship between God and man—whereas God spoke everything else into existence, in v. 7, we see God form mankind out of the dust from the ground and breathe into Him the breath of life.

Whereas all other creation was spoken into existence, God formed mankind and breathed life into mankind and then places man into a garden that He Himself planted in Genesis 2:8 in which everything is describes as pleasant and good.

The role of man was to work the garden and to keep it—and as part of that role, Adam had authority over God’s creation even to the point of naming the creation.

Now it’s not specifically stated in Genesis 2, but there is a significant implication that a large portion of Adam and Eve’s life is a relationship between them and God—we can make that implication based on the fact that the number one issue that stems from their sinful disobedience is the broken relationship between God and man, which we see in ch. 3.

In ch. 3, we’re introduced to a new being who is called a serpent that’s craftier than any other beast that God had made.

And it is in this instance that the serpent introduces a new concept into the lives of Adam and Eve—it’s that of doubt.

They doubt what God had said based on the serpent’s question, “Did God actually say” and in their doubt, they’re tempted to sin through disobedience, which they then succumb to.

It is through that disobedience then that sin enters into the world and its consequences begin to influence mankind through not just physical death, decay, and destruction, but also spiritual death, decay, and destruction.

What might be missed when reading through and studying the account of the fall in Genesis 3 is the destruction of the relationship between God and mankind.

Prior to the fall of man into sin, God’s relationship with mankind is good—He chooses mankind to have dominion over all His creation, He walks with mankind, He talks with mankind, and He communes with mankind in-person.

After the fall of man, sin drives a wedge between God and mankind—Whereas God still chooses His people to have dominion overall HIs creation, mankind has chosen to take that dominion without God. Whereas, God still walks among His people and talks with His people, and communes with His people; mankind has chosen to reject God.

Notice how strained the relationship between God and man becomes after the instance of the fall in Genesis 3—to the extent that the reconciliatory measure needed to mend the relationship between God and man is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The relationship is so damaged that it takes a perfect, sinless offering of the Son of God on the cross to rebuild the bridge between sinful man and a holy God.

With the advent of sin in Genesis 3 comes the continued degradation of mankind in Genesis 4.

We witness the first murder in the situation with Cain and Abel and we see the continued sinfulness of mankind driving that wedge between man and God.

If you read Genesis 4 carefully, you’ll notice that the relationship between God and man continues to be strained.

Even to the extent that when God calls Cain to repentance and to rule over his own sin, Cain decides to leave from the presence of the Lord.

Even though God shows Cain mercy and grace despite his sin, Cain chooses to abandon the relationship that he could’ve had with God.

As we read through Cain’s genealogy, we see that his future generations also murder, his future generations are caught up in polygamy, violence, and assumedly other sinful decisions.

Really, what we’re seeing is that up until v. 25 of ch. 4, it really doesn’t even seem as if the people care about their relationship with God whatsoever.

But, at some point, in vv. 25-26, we see that some people still do care about their relationship with the Lord.

Let’s look at those two verses again.

The First Instance of Prayer (25-26)

Genesis 4:25–26 ESV

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.

So, in contrast to the rest of chs. 1-4 of Genesis, when we get to vv. 25-26, we’re introduced to the original man and woman who still have a relationship with the Lord.

We can tell that they still have some sort of relationship with God because they have a child and Eve’s first statement recorded about this son, has to do with how God gave them this son.

Despite the hardship that they experienced as their son Cain murdered their son Abel, when they do have another son (by the name of Seth), they can’t help but reflect on God through the birth of Seth.

And I think it can help you to understand her thoughts if you remember the overall context.

Adam and Eve were formed by God—they dwelled in the garden and they experienced God’s presence in the garden. They know what it’s like to be face-to-face with God.

They also know that because of sin—their own sin, they’re no longer face-to-face with God, but God had given them a promise in Genesis 3 that a Messiah is coming that would rectify the situation—what’s known as the proto-euangelion, the first mention of the Gospel.

That someone will come through the lineage of Eve to mend the relationship between God and mankind—on a side-note, I’ve always found it interesting that many Christians today only focus on the forgiveness of sins when talking about salvation when that’s only part of it. In reality, the primary reason for salvation isn’t to just forgive sins, but rather to mend the relationship between you and God.

The Gospel isn’t about just saving you from the consequences for your sin, it’s about God mending the relational divide between you and Him through His Son.

And so, when Eve speaks that phrase, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel.” Don’t think that she’s just relaying fact.

Realize that she’s celebrating God’s plan of redemption despite her sin, Adam’s sin, Cain’s sin, and everyone else’s sin. We know that she’s doing this because of the word that’s translated as offspring in the ESV. v. 25, “God has appointed for me another offspring.”

The Hebrew word here, though it can be translated as offspring, it’s literal translation is seed. “God has appointed for me another seed.”

Now think of what God says in Genesis 3:15 to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between you offspring [or seed] and her offspring [or seed].”

Adam and Eve have this child whom they name Seth and Eve automatically realizes that this is how God’s plan is going to continue—His plan to do what? To rebuild the relationship between God and mankind.

Which He does for all who believe—in the Old Testament, the relationship between God and man is rebuilt based on faith of the coming Messiah; in the New Testament, the relationship between God and man is rebuilt based on faith of the Messiah who came and is returning soon.

In the meantime, though the relationship is fixed for those who genuinely believe, we still have a problem—and the problem is this, we don’t physically walk and talk with God in the garden.

In fact, we don’t physically walk and talk with Him face-to-face at all on this side of eternity, which is the result of living in a sin-cursed world.

This problem was realized rather early—I’d say, that it was realized in v. 26 of Genesis 4.

Adam and Eve have a son named Seth and then Seth has a son.

And unlike the issue with Cain and his descendents rejecting a relationship with God, it seems as if Seth’s lineage wants to have a relationship with the Lord.

So much so, that despite the fact that they don’t see God face-to-face anymore, they still try to communicate with Him.

This is where the first instance of prayer is recorded in Scripture, “At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” It is a very short statement and yet, it teaches us at least three things about prayer: (1) we pray because we’re not with God face-to-face in this instance, (2) we pray by calling upon the name of the Lord, and (3) we pray because of our desire to communicate with Him. Let’s talk about those three ideas:

On this side of eternity, we don’t see God face-to-face. Thus, for us to talk with God, to commune with Him, to walk with Him metaphorically face-to-face, we do two things: (1) we seek to hear from God and (2) we speak to God through prayer. In both instances, we can over-spiritualize what they mean, but it’s simpler than what we think they are.

For instance, many Christians, when they’re looking to hear from God, instead of using the means that God has given us to hear from Him—namely His Word, they’ll seek visions or dreams, or they start looking for audible statements from God.

Despite the fact that God’s Word says in Hebrews 1:1–2 “1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

Or, in other words, the means through which God spoke—visions, dreams, and audible statements in the past to the prophets, priests, and kings, are now sublimated through Jesus Christ—meaning, instead of looking for visions, dreams, and audible statements from God, we’re supposed to be seeking after Jesus Christ, which is now how God speaks to us.

And we know how Jesus speaks, because its seen in His High Priestly prayer as well as multiple statements throughout the Scriptures—that God primarily speaks through His Word.

In the High Priestly prayer, Jesus prays for His disciples to be sanctified in God’s truth—and then He continues by stating that God’s Word is truth.

Paul writes to Timothy of the necessity of God’s Word and we see the fact that God speaks through His Word in 2 Timothy 3:16–17 “16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Even in the writing down of Scripture, we see how God speaks through His Word particularly in 2 Peter 1:21 “21 For no prophecy [of Scripture] was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

If God primarily speaks through His Word, then the reality is if we want to hear from God, we need to read His Word.

It’s really that simple—we shouldn’t over-spiritualize our hearing from God—we just use the ordinary means that He has given us—we just read His Word.

Of course, just reading God’s Word presents a one-way street in which we hear from Him, but He doesn’t hear from us; and that’s where the idea of prayer really comes in.

Because we’re not physically face-to-face with God today, the way that we speak to Him is through prayer and it starts by simply calling upon the name of the Lord.

Again, we tend to over-spiritualize or even over-complicate these sorts of things, however, it’s as simple as what we see in Genesis 4:26, we call out on His name.

Meaning, there’s no magic formula for prayer, there’s no specific word or terminology that we must use, there aren’t any magical locations or special clothes that we must wear for our prayer to be heard.

We cry out to God and we speak to Him—that’s what prayer at its core genuinely is—it’s us crying out to God, it’s us trying to speak to Him—it’s us talking to Him as close to face-to-face as we can on this side of eternity.

And while there’s a lot that can be said about what all we should say and how all we should go about prayer—at its simplest, it’s just us crying out to God—to speak to Him.

Because want to talk to God face-to-face.

Application

So, we started this morning by posing a question and the answer is where our application is.

The question is, what is prayer?

What is a simple, biblical definition for prayer as seen in a passage like this? Prayer is simply calling upon the name of the Lord—it’s crying out to God to speak to Him.

It became a necessary part of the life of a believer because of the issue of sin—Up to the fall of man in Genesis 3, mankind physically walked with God in the garden and spoke to Him face-to-face; after sin, mankind calls upon the name of the Lord because we’re physically not walking in His presence.

Prayer at its simplest, is us as believers calling out to God.

It’s us crying out for help when we’re in need of help, which let’s be honest, is more often than most of us would admit.

It starts when we ask God to save us, but it continues every time we’re in need and we cry out to Him for help.

Prayer is us crying out to praise Him—to give thanks for all that He has done.

This tends to start right after our salvation, but it continues every time we’re thankful for who He is and what He has does.

Prayer is us crying out to make petition—to ask for Him to work in our lives and the lives of other people.

This continues throughout life as we express our needs to the Lord.

There are different types of prayer, different aspects of prayer, different parts of prayer.

But and here’s where your application really takes root—prayer at its simplest isn’t difficult whatsoever, it’s just calling out to God.

As such, you need to be regularly calling out to God in prayer.

Call out when you need help

Call out to praise Him

Call out to make petition

Call out because you desire to build your relationship with Him

Do this confidently knowing that it’s easier than what you think it is.

We tend to overcomplicate what we think prayer is—it’s not as hard as you think it is. You just have to make the effort to speak to God.

Just talk to Him—much like how you would speak to someone in-person. Cry out to Him genuinely.

Be confident with your prayer because it is easier than you think it is.

Lastly, do this actively knowing that any relationship requires some participation.

You can’t expect to grow in your relationship with God if you never speak with God—it’s odd to me how many self-professed Christians seem to think that they can have a thriving relationship with God despite the fact that they don’t spend much time in prayer speaking to Him whatsoever.

That’s not how any relationship works—you have to make the effort if you want your relationship with God to grow.

You can’t expect to grow in your relationship with God if you never bother to talk to God.

However, you can expect your relationship with Him to suffer significantly if you don’t speak with Him.

And, let me be abundantly clear—a prayerless life is fruit that your heart’s desire isn’t Him.

Those who pray regularly, who pray abundantly do so because they love God and they desire a closer relationship with Him.

So, the question is, if your prayer life is suffering, why don’t you desire that relationship as much as He desires that relationship?

Friends, you need to regularly, confidently, and actively call out to the Lord in prayer—its much easier than you think. You just need to make the effort to do it.

Ultimately, what is prayer? It’s you, making the effort to speak with God because you love Him because you’re not walking with Him face-to-face in the garden. What is prayer? It’s you speaking to God.

Pastoral Prayer