Through Prayer

What is prayer?

Prayer is more than just speaking words. Consider Adam and Even walking with God in the Garden of Eden.

Baker Evangelical Dictionary says that prayer is less about “incantation” and more about “remembrance”

The Bible lays out 4 different kinds of prayer:

Praise

Thanksgiving

Confession

Petition

What is a righteous man?

Characterized by uprightness or morality

James 2:23

What does the Bible mean by “powerful and effective?”

Praying is quite different than sowing seeds in the garden

We have to use a different measuring stick than “did I get what I wanted?”

If you set the conditions of how a prayer should be answered- YOU are trying to be God.

The purpose of prayer is more than just getting what you want. The purpose of prayer is to mold you into the character of God.

The power of prayer is unlocked in the Name of Jesus

It is the Name of Jesus that separates Christianity from every other false religion

I recently saw a cartoon where an elderly woman is standing at the church door talking to the pastor. Her remark, as she hands a thick manila folder to him, “My doctor copied my chart, complete with medicines and prognosis…just copy it into the prayer list, please.”

I might argue that there is nothing more important to a church than prayer. Praying with one another, praying for one another, praying together- this is the foundation of any group of believers. A few weeks ago at the Older Adult Bible Study I shared that I believe that the time that we share joys and concerns together is the glue that holds our church together. I know many churches that have gotten rid of their time in worship to pray together because they need more time for music, or preaching, or whatever other thing- and my question is this: if we do not have time to pray together, where are our priorities? Where is our heart as a church?

So, today as we study prayer together I want to look at one half of 1 verse in detail and ask some questions about it, and the verse is : “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” From this verse we will answer three questions 1)What is prayer? 2)What is a righteous man? 3) How do we measure power and effectiveness?

First- what is prayer? Many times we form our understanding of prayer primarily by social influence. What do I mean by that? We learn to pray by watching and listening to the people around us. For example, there is actually no Scripture that says before we eat we need to pause, join hands around the table, and say God is Great- yet that is model that so many families follow. I am not saying that this is a bad model or that you should not do this- I am just saying it is learned socially.

Let’s remember that the first model for prayer was developed and built in the Garden of Eden- Adam and Eve walking and talking in the Garden with God. Prayer, primarily is more than just words between Dear God and Amen- prayer is communing with God and allowing our lives to be molded to his plans and purposes.

I love the idea that Baker’s Bible Dictionary puts forth in their research about prayer. They say that prayer is less about incantation and more about remembrance. In other words, prayer is not just reciting words and phrases over and over. Prayer is about remembering the promises of God, the characteristics of God and the Word of God. The question becomes where our focus lies. Many times the biggest struggle people face is their focus in prayer- they focus on the prayer request and not the God.

Finally, let’s think about the actual form of spoken prayer. The Bible outlines 4 different kids of prayers. Praise, thanksgiving, confession, petition.

A Prayer of Praise is when we praise God for who he is. These prayers focus on the characteristics or attributes of God. For example, think about that reminds us that “God is love” a prayer of praise is praying centering in on God’s love, how that love has changed you, and how that love has influenced you.

A Prayer of thanksgiving is when we specifically thank God for something that he has done. God I thank you for healing my arm, I thank you for protecting me as I traveled, I thank you for this food.

A Prayer of confession is exactly what it sounds like, it is when we are talking to God about our sins and faults. We are admitting our need for him and asking for grace and forgiveness.

A Prayer of petition is our prayers when we lift our concerns and needs to God. These are when we are praying for specific needs for ourselves and others.

Our next question, then, is what is a righteous man? This passage tells us that it is the prayers of a righteous man that will be powerful and effective. Many a person has misinterpreted this verse into somehow thinking that God can be coerced or manipulated into doing something or answering our prayer- many times that is because we do not have a proper understanding of what proper understanding or grasp on what righteousness is or how it is obtained in the Kingdom of God.

Righteousness can be defined as a person or thing characterized by uprightness or morality. So, the prayers of a person that is upright in the sight of God are powerful and effective.

So, how do we achieve this uprightness? Check out just a few chapters earlier in the book of James in 2:23:

English Standard Version Chapter 2

and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.

Righteousness comes by believing or having faith in God.

Many people think that their behavior is the key to getting answers to prayer. “I need something from God” they say “so I better show up to church this week, or put an extra $20 in the plate, or make sure I am nice to my neighbors” but that is not at it at all.

Instead, the power of prayer is unlocked not by behavior, but in belief. Believing that the one we pray to- God himself- can and will hear us and answer.

In other words, we could paraphrase this verse to say “The prayer of a person who has confidence in God is powerful and effective.”

Do you have confidence in God?

Third, what does the Bible mean by “powerful and effective”? Some translations read that the prayer of a righteous person produces powerful results. Do you ever feel like your prayers are not producing anything?

It is easy to see results when you plant a garden. You put a seed in the ground, and if cared for properly soon a plant will sprout where you planted the seed. The sprout comes up right where you plant. The tricky thing with prayer is that the sprout does not always pop up where you think you planted the seed! You begin praying for someone and God meets their need in a different way than you expected, or God begins to change you instead of them.

Honestly, I do not know too many people that do not believe in prayer. It’s funny when you think about it. Many people who have little to no cares about God, church, or Christian living have all kinds of faith in prayer. But, the few people that I do know in my life who do not believe in the power of prayer all have something in common- they are convinced that God did not answer an important prayer they prayed at some point in their lives. In fact, I think most people who claim to be atheist are the same way. Anyway, if you really press them you find out that the problem is not that God did not answer their prayer- it is that God did not answer their prayer how they wanted him to answer it.

Too many of us a guilty of cornering God in with our prayers. We act as though God is the great drive through in the sky- we tell him what we want and he prepares it for us so we can pick it up at the next window. Here’s the reality for us to grapple with, Church, if you set all of the conditions of how a prayer should be answered, you are trying to be God.

Listen to the difference in some of these prayers-

God please let me get that job! Vs God, open this door if it is what you would have for me

God, heal my pain -vs- God, even if you don’t heal my pain, always be my joy

God, give me more money -vs- God, help me be faithful in all that you have given me.

You see, in the first set of prayers God only has one answer that will satisfy you- or be considered an “answered prayer” While the second set leave room for God to change YOU even if he doesn’t change the situation.

Remember, the purpose of prayer is more than just getting what you want. The purpose of prayer is to mold you into the character of God.

Finally, we must remember that the power of prayer is unlocked by the name of Jesus. The most powerful word in all of the universe is the name of Jesus Christ- Champion over sin and death. As Christians we have an obligation to pray in the name of Jesus. If we do not pray in Jesus’ name we are no different than Muslims, Jews, or any other religion.

Imagine that I ordered a couple pizzas and I asked you to pick them up. Upon walking into the pizza joint they are going to ask you for the name that the number is under- let’s say you do not know, or forgot, or simply do not want to give them my name- will you get any pizza? No!