PART 12 A LONGING OF THE SOUL

When we pray what should we consider?

Prayerful Considerations

I hope what’s been presented has enlightened you to what this study is about: Does God hear and answer our prayers? We looked at prayer from the different dispensations of human history: the Age of the Gentiles, the Age of Israel, the Incarnation of Christ, and the current age in which we live, the Church Age. Along with this, we asked, what did Christ pray for? What did the leaders of the early church pray for? And what did the believers of the early church pray for? We also gathered certain information regarding this subject, such as when, how often, and how long Jesus, church leaders, and Christians prayed.

From what we’ve compiled, I’d like to put together a one-to-two-page comprehensive guide that you and I can refer to on this subject. Are you ready for it?

 

The Age of the Gentiles

�-�Those who believed in Yahweh or what He communicated to them were considered Old Testament saints. Genesis 6:8; Genesis 7:1; Romans 4:3

�-�The Holy Spirit didn’t come into their body and indwell; rather, He was on-resting. This meant that He could influence them. 1 Samuel 11:6

�-�His guidance could be inhibited, or He Himself could be removed because of habitual sin. Psalms 51:11-12

�-�Not every believer in God received the on-resting Spirit. If they consistently hid, reflected upon, and obeyed His instructions, the Spirit would be in fellowship with them.

 

The Age of Israel

�-�God heard and answered ominously the prayer of an apostate king, King Saul, regarding the fate of an upcoming battle with the Philistines via the deceased prophet/judge Samuel, whom the witch of Endor summoned. 1 Samuel 28:16, 18-19

�-�God heard and answered approvingly the prayer of a faithful ruler, King Hezekiah, who, after committing an egregious sin, repented. 2 Kings 18:13-16; 2 Kings 19:1-2

�-�Some use Psalms 66:18 to support the conjecture that if an Old Testament saint prays while living in sin, God won’t hear him. In Hebrew, the words the Lord will not hear me mean that God does hear him but refuses to answer him favorably.

Ps 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Christ’s Incarnation

�-�When we pray to God the Father, our attitude toward Him should be to worship His name, which would involve not harboring unforgiveness and keeping ourselves in the love of God (operating from a divine viewpoint). Matthew 6:9-14

 

The Church Age

�-�The pre-requisite for receiving the permanent indwelling Holy Spirit is repentance of sins and belief in Christ. Acts 17:30; Ephesians 1:12-13; John 10:28

�-�What causes God to hear and answer a believer’s prayers is the indwelling Holy Spirit. Ephesians 6:18

�-�The three keys for God to hear and answer our prayers positively are as follows.

    

Having received the indwelling Holy Spirit. Acts 17:30; Ephesians 1:12-13.

To learn about what sin (mental, speech, actions) is, confess (by admitting oneself guilty) it to God the Father, and repent (keeping God’s Word; to change one’s way of life as a result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness¹¹⁸). 1 John 1:9; 1 John 2:5.

To learn about, memorize, meditate, and apply God’s perspective in His Word regarding any area of weakness that activates the filling (control) of the Spirit, who’s available for divine intervention and guidance (e.g., strengthening, protecting, comforting, giving us a Word in season for ourselves or others, providing discernment of what we’re listening to from the pulpit, helps us develop His spiritual qualities, etc.). Romans 12:1-2

�-�God will hear the prayers of His regenerated sons and daughters; however, the answer to such will be yes, wait, no, or grow up, depending on whether they’re walking in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:18; James 4:3

 

What we’ve learned about prayer from our role model, Jesus.

�-�Prayer can last for hours or be brief. Matthew 14:13-25

�-�Prayer due to urgency can be repetitive. Matthew 26:36-45

�-�Prayer can occur at any time, day or night, no matter where someone’s located. Matthew 14:13-25

�-�Prayer can be audible or silent in the mind. Matthew 26:36-45; Matthew 3:1-11

�-�The prayers of Jesus were centered around His public ministry. Luke 23:33-46; Matthew 26:36-45    

�-�Prayer could contain a prophetic word about a decision someone would make and disclose its nature to this person. Luke 22:31-34

 

These are the different aspects of prayer that were exemplified by those in leadership of the early church.

�-�Persistent prayer, which was of primary importance. Acts 6:1-6

�-�Attending prayer voluntarily, whether at the temple in Jerusalem or wherever it was held. Acts 3:1-2

�-�Praying anywhere at any time and of any duration during daily living. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

�-�Giving thanks for the faithfulness of others. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

�-�Corporate prayer for safe passage. Acts 21:4-6

�-�That the saints would learn God’s Word and apply it in their everyday lives to increase discerning love. Philippians 1:9

�-�For the congregation’s understanding about the blessings received at salvation and their meaning to further know Christ’s character. Ephesians 1:16-18

�-�That the assembly of the saints would be equipped to apply God’s Word to various issues, evidence Christlikeness, the elements of the character of the Holy Spirit in every good work, and be empowered to bear trials without complaining.¹¹⁹

�-�For the healing of sickness by laying of hands and applying olive oil. James 5:14-16

�-�For the body of believers that they’d be faultless in their inner personal [lives and social] contacts with other people.¹²⁰

�-�That God’s goodness, a grace of the Holy Spirit, would be produced in their soul through His power. 2 Thessalonians 1:11

�-�That they’d become overcomers operating in the power of the Spirit and entering into a deeper fellowship with Christ in their personalities being firmly established and deeply founded in the love which the Holy Spirit produces, becoming experientially acquainted with the love of Christ and being filled with God’s presence. Ephesians 3:14, 16-19

 

Here’s what we found out about prayer regarding Christians in the Church Age.

�-�Church services were held in different Christians’ homes on the first day of the week following the Sabbath. The time when they began and ended was determined on a case-by-case basis. Believers gathered to hear Spirit-led teachings, share in food brought by the attendees, observe the Lord’s Supper, and pray for spiritual growth and opportunities to proclaim the gospel. Acts 2:41-42, 46

�-�Corporate prayer was made for the Apostle Peter, who was apprehended and put in jail because of his faith for his release. Attendance wasn’t mandated, times to begin or end were flexible, and no restrictions were imposed on the duration someone prayed for. Acts 12:1-23

�-�Believers prayed for those sharing the gospel that they’d be kept secure so that the proclamation of such wouldn’t be hindered. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

�-�Prayer was made for fellow believers in prison so that opportunities would arise to share the gospel of Christ to those in their periphery. Colossians 4:2-4

�-�Prayer was presented for the salvation of all men. And for those in authority that, they’d allow the gospel to go forth without interruption. Before prayer was instituted, believers were instructed to harbor no ill-will toward others, not allow any associations with evil passions, and not fault-find God for not responding in a manner they believed He should. 1 Timothy 2:1-2, 8

�-�Prayer to God the Father for an answer or direction to a particular problem should remain confident that He’ll respond to such in His time and manner. James 1:5-7

 

This is what we learned about how important our motives are before we enter into prayer.

�-�Before we pray to God the Father, we need to check our thoughts. If we’re consumed in our mental occupations with fear, worry, disappointment, tragedy, etc., acknowledge them as sinful reflections. Afterward, go to God assuredly, praising Him for all He’s done in our lives, and then make our requests to Him. These could be for financial assistance, comforting Scriptures regarding the loss of a loved one, scriptural advice for responding differently to something we inappropriately said or did, protection from threats of harm, etc. Philippians 4:6

�-�If we pray for whomever or whatever while harboring attitudes or engaging in actions contrary to God’s Word, i.e., of sinful enjoyments, then we won’t receive what was asked for. James 4:1-3

�-�For our prayers to be answered graciously we need to be praying in the Spirit. This means to be operating in His life and power, which involves a process called sanctification, where we learn about the new person with new habits we’ve become through the declaration of the Word of God. Jude 20, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-4

�-�Whatever areas of sinful weakness have been inhibiting us in our spiritual walk, we need to confess such to God the Father and repent (replace carnal thoughts with God’s perspective and memorize, meditate, and apply them), which will transform our motives, words, and actions. Philippians 4:6, James 4:1-3, Romans 1:29, Jude 20, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-4, Romans 12:1-2

So, there we have it. I hope this study has helped you to further understand this topic and the strategies to ensure that God will hear and answer our prayers when and how He chooses. God Bless!