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No more meaningful and insightful instructions on prayer can be discovered than those set forth by that One who prayed so effectively, and with such assurance, that He could say, “ ‘Father, … I know that You always hear Me’ ” (John 11:41–42, NKJV). It is far more important to learn to pray, however, than to learn about prayer. Learning about prayer will be of consequence only if that learning equips us to pray better.

In His teaching on heaven Jesus told His disciples that they knew how to get to where He was going. Thomas, however, said he didn’t even know where Jesus was going, much less the way to get there. Jesus answered him, “ ‘I am the way.… No one comes to the Father except through me’ ” (John 14:6). No more direct statement about access to God can be found in the teaching of Jesus. This applies not only to salvation but also to prayer, for Jesus alone is “the new and living way” by whom we enter the Most Holy Place (Heb. 10:19–20). This truth is absolute. No one can approach God through any other name, or by any other means. “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). The liberal (antisupernatural) theologians and philosophers of our world would have us believe that such a view is too narrow and bigoted. But we must bow to the final court of appeals, the Holy Scriptures.

When we offer prayer in Jesus’ name, we must do more than simply attach, especially in a formal or rote manner, the phrase “in Jesus’ name.” When Jesus talked about asking in His name (John 14:13), He meant more than saying the right words. Since in the Bible the name represents the person and the person’s character and nature, when we pray in Jesus’ name we must pray in conformity with his person, nature, and will. We must also recognize who He is, submit to His authority, and put complete faith in him. Our desire as we pray, then, will always be to bring glory to both Jesus and the Father (cf. Acts 3:16; 4:30; Rom. 15:6).

Further, by praying in Jesus’ name we acknowledge that Jesus is our only hope for access to God. Sinful people cannot have access on their own to a holy God. If they were to approach God directly, they would be consumed, for “ ‘God is consuming fire’ ” (Heb. 12:29). For this reason, Old Testament people never entered the Most Holy Place (see chapter 2). Their only access was by way of the high priest, who was permitted entrance only once each year, and that not without blood (cf. Heb. 7:7–8).

Under the new covenant, Jesus is the eternal high priest with constant and permanent access accomplished by the offering of His own blood (Heb. 9:11–12). We have access to God only because of Christ; in Christ our sin has been removed, and through Him—and through Him alone—we approach God.

BELIEVERS
By the Spirit’s Enablement (Rom. 8:26–27)	COME	Through Jesus The Only Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) (John 14:6)	TO	The Father

Consider now the protocol of prayer. Though the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One, prayer, according to Scripture, should be addressed to the Father. At the same time, the Father, who considers the condition of the heart more than the correctness of the words, surely does not reject prayer for lack of exact protocol. It is not uncommon for believers to address Jesus or the Holy Spirit in their prayers. Even so, the pattern of prayer should be understood as set forth in Scripture (see diagram on p. 208).

Receiving What We Ask For

Jesus gave instructions on how we can receive what we ask for in prayer: “ ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you’ ” (John 15:7). What does it mean to “remain [“abide,” KJV] in” Christ? In what way can the words of Christ remain, or dwell, in us? We must know the answer to these questions if we are to see the fulfillment of Christ’s promise of having what we ask for. John 15:1–11 is perhaps the most comprehensive promise of receiving answers to prayer: “Ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” But there are conditions. There is a key that must be used to achieve such certainty in answered prayer: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you.”

“Remain” is the word of greatest consequence in John 15:7. It is derived from the Greek menō and means “to stay” (in a given place, state, or relationship). As used here, it speaks of a relationship between the believer and Christ himself—a union, a oneness, a koinōnia (fellowship, sharing, partnership) or being entwined together—in a mystical yet very real fellowship or partnership. That is the condition necessary for a believer to experience this unlimited asking and receiving.

Yet the “remaining” must be more than “staying in Christ.” The qualifications are twofold: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you.” It must also include allowing His words to remain in us. The two are a balanced pair. This should be the Christian norm—the believer remaining in Christ and Christ’s Word remaining in the believer. Each complements and enables the other. The “words” mentioned here include more than the words spoken by Jesus, heard by those who followed Him, and recorded almost exclusively in the Gospels. They include the entire Word of God, all of Holy Scripture, given to us by divine inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16). Believers who desire to measure up to the divine intention for their lives must be so saturated by the Word of God that it becomes a veritable part of them, and remains in them. This is possible only through the rigid discipline of living in the Word. Such a discipline does not just happen; it comes from a fixed decision to make it happen.

The prospect of receiving anything we ask for is most appealing, but the temptation is to divorce the promise from the conditions. Human nature likes the ring of the promise: “Ask whatever you wish and it will be given you”; yet it is wishful thinking to suppose that the promise is valid apart from the stated requirements.

The believer in Christ, full of His words, evermore consciously realizing union with Christ, charged with the thoughts, burning with the purposes, filled with words of Jesus, will have no will that is not in harmony with the Divine will. Then faith is possible in the fulfillment of his own desire, and prayer becomes a prophecy and pledge of the answer.… This is the true philosophy of prayer.”¹

Jesus explained that one prayer that would always be answered is the sincere request for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is present in the world to convict and convince the sinner and to bring the new birth when a person believes. He then is resident in the believer as “Counselor” (Comforter, Paraclete, Helper; John 14:16), and as witness to the believer’s salvation (Rom. 8:16). Then it is important for the believer to ask for the promise of the Father, the gift of the Spirit, to provide power for effective witnessing (Acts. 1:4, 8, 2:4).²

But Satan is a master deceiver. He does all within his power to prevent people from partaking of God’s blessings and provisions. So it is that he seeks to keep believers from our chief Helper, the Holy Spirit. Using his effective tool of fear, Satan suggests to the earnest seeker of the Holy Spirit, You may receive a demon, or you may receive a counterfeit, or you may be victim of an inflamed imagination. For all who are plagued in this way, Jesus has an answer:

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them who ask him!” (Luke 11:11–13; cf. Matt. 7:11).

Jesus underscores the integrity of God the Father by a simple comparison with the way an earthly parent treats his child. The son, making a request of his father, does not receive instead some wholly unacceptable substitute, some fearsome counterfeit, like a snake instead of the requested fish or a scorpion instead of the requested egg. If earthly fathers—who are evil in comparison with God’s holiness and goodness—know how to give good gifts, how much greater is our confidence that God will grant our childlike petition for the fullness of the Holy Spirit! We can rest assured that He who is the epitome of good, especially when measured against His fallen creatures, will “ ‘much more … give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him’ ” (11:13).

Therefore, it is both the privilege and duty of all believers to petition the Father to give them the Holy Spirit, and then to rest in the assurance that when they so pray out of sincere hearts, there will be no deception on God’s part. They will receive what they desire and request.

Another promise of Jesus concerning answered prayer seems at first glance to assure our receiving anything we ask for. “ ‘Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven’ ” (Matt. 18:19).

The spiritual force of symphonizing, or harmonizing, human spirits is incomprehensible. “Agree,” as our Lord employed it here, is from the Greek sumphōneō, “to fit with,” “match with,” “be in harmony,” “be of one mind,” which in turn comes from sumphōnos, “harmonious,” “sounding together in harmony,” “agreeing.” In the divine economy there is a release of power from agreement between as few as two, the lowest possible number needed for agreement. In the natural world we calculate that two of similar strength can exert twice the force of one: Two horses can pull twice the load of one, two tons of dynamite can exert twice the explosive force of a single ton. Yet even in the physical world there are evidences of a disproportionate increase in accomplishment through a special kind of agreement. For example, a study of group dynamics shows that ten minds working in agreement on a given project produce far more results than the same ten minds working separately on the same project. Scripture recognizes the same principle when it observes how one can “chase a thousand,” but two can “put ten thousand to flight” (Deut. 32:30). Even though one believer with the Lord’s help can chase a thousand, two believers with the same help can put ten times that number to flight.

Concord, unity, harmony, or being in one accord—agreement produces a profound dynamic in the body of Christ. To underscore that truth, God holds out a promise for even the least possible movement in that direction: “If [only] two of you on earth agree.” How greatly heaven must have rejoiced on the Day of Pentecost when 120 were found in perfect harmony and accord.³ Little wonder then that God, by His Spirit, was able to infuse that first group of believers with a manifestation that still impacts the world.

Each believer is a part, a member, of Christ’s body (see 1 Cor. 12:27). As such, each of us has the right and the privilege of claiming God’s provisions and promises, and indeed ought to do so. Nevertheless, independence and autonomy are not God’s intention for His children, for we are “all members of one body” (Eph. 4:25). God is highly pleased with any genuine movement toward oneness of believers, and consequently offers us keys to heaven’s treasury if as few as two believers agree.

The agreement, or unity, however, is qualified: “about anything you ask for.” The agreement and the asking mesh; the thing asked for becomes the basis for the musical harmony, that holy symphony, which touches the heart of God. The condition is more than simple agreement to ask God for something; it is an agreement deeply worked into the spirits of people whose spirits have been so fine-tuned to one another by a common desire that they are in heavenly harmony over it.⁴ On the surface the phrase “about anything you ask for” appears to be a promise without any restriction or limit.

Yet no single verse of Scripture is to be isolated from other clear teachings of Scripture on a subject. Therefore, “anything you ask for” must be further qualified by such biblical statements as, “If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14); and “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives” (James 4:3). It is quite likely that when two believers are brought into such agreement and harmony as is indicated in the text, their asking will be according to the Master’s will, not the brainchild of some illicit or purely human ambition or desire.

Increasing Faith for Answers

When Jesus talked about prayer, he often made reference to faith. Faith is at the heart of all effective praying. It is the prerequisite to answered prayer, since prayer is the language of faith. “Anyone who comes to [God] must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). Nothing is more futile than prayer without faith. On the other hand, nothing a believer does is more productive and meaningful than praying in faith.

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:22–24).

Faith is the prime mover of God’s hand. Yet it is altogether too easy to misunderstand how mountain-moving faith is exercised. Some teach that it is automatic when one speaks; in other words, faith rises when one confesses the thing prayed for: “what he says will happen” (11:23). Yet much more is involved in the possession and exercise of faith than mere vocalizing. “Saying” is not necessarily believing at all, for it can spring out of the human spirit as the expression of a purely human desire. The “saying” must always be the by-product of praying. Divorcing “saying” from praying is like trying to make an automobile run without an engine. Furthermore, the “saying” must be compatible with God’s revealed will.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him (1 John 5:14–15).

Mark 11:22–24 contains three lessons on faith. First is Jesus’ exhortation, “Have faith in God.” It almost sounds like a command; however, “have” is a simple present tense, not an imperative. Some ancient manuscripts read, “If you have faith in God …” Certainly Christians often find themselves struggling fiercely to fulfill it. They testify to faith, they announce their faith, they employ a variety of human formulas for faith; yet all the while they tend to overlook the simple biblical means to faith: the Word of God itself. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Faith’s greatest stimulant is the Word of God made alive by the Holy Spirit.

It is not without significance that Jesus did not simply say, “Have faith.” He did not intend to say, “Have faith in faith.” Such a practice is full of folly. But He clearly said, “Have faith in God.” Faith cannot stand alone. It needs something on which or in which it may be placed. According to Jesus’ instruction, the mighty God of the universe is to be the object of our faith. What greater object could faith desire? The God in whom faith is placed, and upon whom it makes its claims, is the God who, according to Paul, “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20). Yes, He is the same God whose mighty power was “exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 1:20).

[H]ow vain is the effort to have faith by straining to believe the promises in the Holy Scriptures. A promise is only as good as the one who made it—but it is as good, and from this knowledge springs our assurance. By cultivating the knowledge of God we at the same time cultivate our faith. Yet while so doing we look not at our faith but at Christ, its author and finisher. Thus the gaze of the soul is not in, but out and up to God. So the health of the soul is secured.⁵

The second lesson to be learned from Mark 11:22–24 is Jesus’ explanation of the awesome power of faith in God and how it operates. “Faith” (Gk. pistis) could be translated “faith-obedience.” There is no faith in God without trust in Him and obedience to His will. Unfeigned, undiluted faith meets no obstacle too great, since it brings against that obstacle the unlimited, matchless power of our God, with whom nothing is impossible (see Gen. 18:11–14; Jer. 32:17; Luke 1:37; 18:27). Those believers who have obedient, trusting faith in that kind of God are able to speak and then see the words fulfilled before their very eyes. It was with this disposition that Jesus spoke to the fig tree (Matt. 21:19); it was with this disposition that Peter spoke to the lame man at the temple gate (Acts 3:6).

But before speaking in such a fashion, believers must make certain they have the kind of faith Jesus and Peter had, and that their words are not mere human presumption or wishful thinking.

The third lesson comes in Jesus’ instruction on the means of having mountain-moving faith. Verse 24 begins with a significant “therefore,” connecting it to the thought of the previous verses and identifying the only way such faith can be found: “when you pray.”

In other words, before we speak to mountains with divine authority, we must speak to God. And before we speak to God of our desires, we must determine by the Word that those desires harmonize with His revealed will. Once the conviction has reached the heart that the request is according to the divine will, the petitioners have but to believe that they will receive what is desired of the Lord. And Jesus promised, “ ‘It will be yours.’ ”

Faith need not be subject to time restraints. Once faith has risen in the heart, delay of the actual answer should be no problem. Faith does not dictate the terms of the answer. It merely assures the answer within the framework of God’s will and purpose.

Clearing the Pathway for Prayer

Jesus’ instruction on forgiveness is closely tied to His instruction on mountain-moving faith, indicating that such faith is possible only when the petitioner is freed from every impediment. Effective praying and divinely inspired confidence are predicated upon right relationships with other people. Jesus taught that those who desire answers to prayer must carefully evaluate their attitudes toward any who may have wronged them. The slightest grudge against another can block God’s forgiveness and so become an impediment to answered prayer: “ ‘When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins’ ” (Mark 11:25). “ ‘If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins’ ” (Matt. 6:15). Forgiveness is to be a part of praying: “And when you stand praying, … forgive.” Answered prayer is dependent upon our status as God’s forgiven children, but receiving His forgiveness hinges upon our willing forgiveness of others. What a sobering thought in a day when human relations are so often shattered by the prevailing self-centered spirit of the world!

Every prayer rests upon our faith in God’s pardoning grace. If God dealt with us after our sins, not one prayer could be heard.… God’s forgiving disposition, revealed in His love to us, becomes a disposition in us; as the power of His forgiving love [is] shed abroad and dwelling within us, we forgive even as He forgives. If there be great and grievous injury or injustice done us, we seek first of all to possess a Godlike disposition; to be kept from a sense of wounded honor, from a desire to maintain our rights, or from rewarding the offender as he has deserved. In the little annoyances of daily life, we are watchful not to excuse the hasty temper, the sharp word, the quick judgment, with the thought that we mean no harm, that we do not keep the anger long, or that it would be too much to expect from feeble human nature, that we should really forgive the way God and Christ do. No, we take the command literally, “Even as Christ forgave, so also do ye.”⁶

Jesus goes even one step further in instructing us about people who have wronged us. Not only are we to forgive them, we are also to pray for them: “ ‘Pray for those who mistreat you’ ” (Luke 6:28). Matthew gives a reason: “ ‘Pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven’ ” (Matt. 5:44–45). To forgive and pray for those who wrong us is to follow the example of Jesus (see Luke 23:34), to become true children of God.

Following the Model Prayer

Jesus also dealt with the issue of forgiving others in His instruction to the disciples in response to their request: “ ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples’ ” (Luke 11:1). Many ask for the same thing today, hoping to find some formula for receiving quick and predictable answers to prayer. But is our request really sincere if we do not take the time to find out what His Word says about prayer, or take the time to put those instructions into practice? So we must give heed to every detail of the model prayer, which Jesus prefaced with the words “ ‘This, then, is how you should pray’ ” (Matt. 6:9). While it is commendable to pray what has traditionally been labeled the Lord’s Prayer, it is of much greater importance to be guided in praying by principles of prayer provided by our Lord. “This” is a translation of the Greek houtos and should be understood to mean “in this way or fashion.” Jesus was saying, “Be guided by these general concerns when you pray.”

“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.[7]’ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt. 6:9–15).

Addressing God as “Our Father” (v. 9) should remind us of the benevolence of the One we approach. What blessing accrues when, as we pray, our hearts are aware that a loving Heavenly Father is directing His attention toward us, even as we are directing our attention toward Him. He is our Father, “the Father of compassion” (2 Cor. 1:3), and we are His children. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” (Ps. 103:13). Identifying God as our Father “in heaven” (v. 9) acknowledges His superiority to the best of earthly fathers. Prayer practiced by earthly beings must be directed to a higher being in a higher world.

“Hallowed be your name” (v. 9) is not a statement or a mere prayer wish. It is a genuine request, the first of a list of petitions: “Let Your Name [or Your Person] be treated as holy [or with reverence] among all humankind.” This petition will be finally answered when God himself sanctifies His name among all people in the coming Kingdom (see Ezek. 36:22–23). Now our part is to balance our personal familiarity with a compassionate Heavenly Father by showing complete reverence and respect. The Greek hagiazō means “to make holy,” “to treat as holy,” “to hold in reverence,” “to highly honor.” A person’s name is more than a mere word; it stands for the person. God’s name represents and signifies God himself, including His character, nature, works, and words. For example, Mary, Jesus’ mother, associated God’s name with holiness and great works: “The Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name” (Luke 1:49).

Unfortunately, this hallowing of God’s name receives less attention than some of the other petitions of this prayer. Many a person has cried earnestly, “Give me today my daily bread” or “Deliver me from the evil one.” But concern that God’s name might be reverenced and honored lags behind our concern about our own welfare. How can we make His name hallowed? Certainly the third commandment must be obeyed: “ ‘You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God’ ” (Exod. 20:7). But we also respect Him by daily life and conduct. Obedience to God and a consistent testimony bring honor to that name: “As obedient children, do not conform to … evil desires.… But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Pet. 1:14–15; see also Heb. 12:14). We also hold Him in high honor as we join our brothers and sisters in public worship. “You have come to … the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn.… You have come to God, … to Jesus.… Therefore … let us … worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:22–24, 28). Hymns and songs of praise and testimony bring glory and honor to God’s name.

“Kingdom of God” refers to the sphere of God’s authority and reign. At present, God’s kingdom works through the Church (i.e., believers) in a world that is in rebellion against God. Yet the Church is not the Kingdom. So when we pray, “Your kingdom come” (v. 10), we are praying for that ultimate consummation of the events of time when “ ‘the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever’ ” (Rev. 11:15).

There should be nothing a believer desires more than the coming of God’s kingdom. One Jewish tradition says, “He prays not at all, in whose prayers there is no mention of the Kingdom of God.”⁸ Yet the Jews who quoted the saying likely thought of that Kingdom only as being similar to those that surrounded them. Even the apostles did not comprehend the true nature of God’s kingdom until after they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:6).

Although we may not say the words “Your kingdom come” in every prayer we voice, the cry for the completed Kingdom must always be the foundation on which every petition is lifted; even though God has already defeated Satan, there are remnants of the evil rebellion. Our most earnest desire must be that the enemy of our soul may no more have dominion over us, but that the Holy Spirit may take full possession of our hearts, bringing every thought, word, and deed into subjection to Jesus. “Your kingdom come, O Lord, in the world and in my heart.” God’s ultimate intention will be attained only as each believer individually, and the Church corporately, invites and permits the kingdom to come according to God’s good pleasure. The correlation between the coming of Christ’s kingdom and the performance of His will is obvious, since wherever and whenever His will is performed, there also His kingdom is being manifested.

God’s kingdom, that is, God’s rule, or reign, is also heaven’s rule; because it has its source with God in heaven. The desire for God’s kingdom, or rule, is not limited to the future millennial reign when Jesus will reign in victory over everything contrary to the will of God. It also expresses a desire for God to rule now in every heart that will subject itself to His will so His will may be done on earth just as it is always done in heaven. This is the secret of having righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).⁹

To say “Your will be done” (v. 10) requires complete submission. As mentioned earlier, in order for Jesus to fulfill His mission, He became submissive to the will of the Father (see Heb 5:7–9). Submission is perhaps the most basic ingredient of prayer, for where there is unreserved submission, there is no impediment to God’s response. It therefore becomes imperative that we pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” as an expression also of our trust and confidence in a faithful God who knows what He is doing and who will fulfill His promises.

Towering high above our earthly and temporal needs are the heavenly petitions already noted. Nevertheless, we are yet in our earthly state; we are beset with earthly needs and concerns, and our Lord has instructed us to petition the Heavenly Father for them:

“Give us today our daily bread” (v. 11) means “supply our basic earthly needs.” The petition is itself a recognition of our dependency on God. However, to pray in this way does not lessen the need for human effort (cf. Gen. 3:19 and 1 Tim. 5:8); but it does recognize that God is the source of our temporal supply, no matter how hard we may have worked to supply those needs. The temporal things we pray for are not to be ends in themselves. They are means by which we can fulfill God’s purpose for having placed us on this earth. Without bodily nourishment and basic provisions of physical life we cannot do God’s will on earth. The necessities of life are only a means of giving us strength to labor more earnestly in fulfilling all the petitions of this model prayer.

“ ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ ” (Matt. 4:4). To live only by natural bread makes life hardly worth living. When we pray “Give us today our daily bread,” we should also mean the Bread of Life. The Israelites ate manna in the desert, but nevertheless died; God in His mercy has provided Bread which gives life, although the natural body may die. God has made us with a physical and spiritual nature and has provided bread for both natures. Christ is the Bread for the spiritual nature. He said, “ ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry’ ” (John 6:35). Give us today our needed daily spiritual bread.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (6:12). Matthew uses “debts”; Luke uses “sins” (11:4)—our sins are debts. Therefore, as we pray, we must always be aware of our need for mercy and forgiveness, and must employ the God-provided means to that end: confession (1 John 1:9). A penitent confession humbles the proud and leads to repentance. As we repent, as we pray for the canceling of our debts, we request that they be blotted out of the divine record.

Forgiveness, so essential to an overcoming life, is our first and greatest need. No matter how diligently we may resist temptation and fulfill all our religious obligations, we still come short of God’s righteousness. Every child of God must regularly ask for forgiveness. The self-righteous person feels no need to ask God’s forgiveness, but as we draw nearer to our Savior and Lord, we feel a great sense of sin and unworthiness. Like Isaiah we cry, “ ‘Woe to me!… I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty’ ” (Isa. 6:5).

We ask for forgiveness from God “as we also have forgiven our debtors” (v. 12). The conjunction “as” does not indicate degree, since we can never forgive perfectly—only God can forgive sin—but we can and must forgive real and imagined wrongs against us. Yet there is a comparison in the conjunction. As we are ready to forgive out of our weakness and sinfulness, God is ready in His perfect holiness to forgive us. Asking God for His forgiveness goes hand in hand with forgiving others. At the moment we ask, we are forgiven—if we have demonstrated our understanding of forgiveness by forgiving the thoughtlessness of others toward our insignificant self. (See Matt. 18:21–35.)

“Forgive us our debts” is a prayer concerning past sins. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (v. 13) is a prayer for protection in the immediate future. A truly repentant person is concerned not only about making the past right, but about remaining righteous after the forgiveness and cleansing. One needs to be set free from not only the penalty of sin, but also the power of sin.

The usual definition of “temptation” is “enticement to do wrong.” Yet we know full well that God does not influence His children to do evil (James 1:13). The difficulty must lie in a proper understanding of the words “lead” and “temptation.” “Lead” (Gk. eispherō) is used in the sense of allowing us to be brought into certain circumstances. Benjamin Wilson’s version of this phrase reads, “Abandon us not to trial.”¹⁰ But the Greek word has no thought of abandoning us. God is faithful; He would never abandon us to Satan’s deceit. The key word in this petition is “temptation” (Gk. peirasmos). As used in Scripture, it can mean “trial,” “test,” or “enticement to do wrong.” If the next phrase, “Deliver us from the evil one,” is a separate petition, the meaning could be either of the two. If, as is more likely, “Deliver us from the evil one” and “Lead us not into temptation” are a single petition, the meaning of enticement is appropriate. Implied in the word “temptation” are not only those violent Satanic assaults, but also those severe afflictions we find ourselves inadequate to bear.

In the present evil day, this is a prayer for all to pray; the great beguiler is intensely active. He plants evil thoughts; he generates evil imaginations; he encourages delight in viewing evil; he pressures the will to perform; he incites to lust; he provokes to sin; he lures to death. Our prayer should issue from a true sense of our inherent weakness before the powers of darkness, bent on our destruction. There is certainly a need for defensive praying.

Not only did our Lord instruct us on how prayer ought to begin, but He also taught us how to end it. This expression of praise to God is a brief doxology. It is homage to, and recognition of, Him to whom the prayer has been directed. In this outburst of praise, the soul is assured that God will grant the petitions. In corporate prayer, the doxology would form a fitting conclusion voiced by the entire congregation. “The kingdom, and the power, and the glory” (Matt. 6:13, KJV) all belong to God. The preceding petitions must be voiced in that consciousness if answers are to be received. Each request should be made in the confidence that the answer will bring glory to God and to Him alone.

Having Right Motives

Jesus gave a number of other guidelines for prayer. That He began with a negative word in these instructions must not be overlooked. The issue He addresses here is motivation.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt. 6:5–8).

To be effective, prayer must spring from proper motivation. That is the first rule. Prayer voiced only to attract the attention and admiration of people is not prayer at all, but merely exaltation of self. The hypocritical Pharisees wanted their piety to be seen and applauded. Consequently, they, along with the scribes, were denounced by Jesus for their long public prayers, which they used to cover their mistreatment of widows (see Mark 12:40).

To be accepted by God, prayer must be directed toward the ear of the Father. Jesus gave three admonitions to help us pray with a proper motivation: (1) Pray without seeking attention (v. 5). (2) Pray in secret (v. 6). (3) Pray without vain repetition (vv. 7–8).

Christ’s instruction that His followers should enter their room and shut the door when they pray does not suggest that public prayer is improper. But it does underscore the believer’s need to avoid any thought of using prayer as a means of gaining the admiration of people. The word “room” (“closet,” KJV) is a translation of the Greek tameion and means literally “innermost room,” or “hidden, secret room.” It simply means a place of privacy.

Even within a busy schedule, with pressing demands coming from many sources, privacy for communion with God must be found. Samuel Chadwick summarized it well:

Some place must be found that shall be a trysting place with God. A hungry heart will find a way. In the open air or in some secluded corner, some inner sanctuary will be found. If this advantage is impossible, the soul must make an open space into which it can withdraw, even in the presence of others, and be alone with God; but the “inner chamber” is an unspeakable boon.… God wills that men should pray everywhere, but the place of His glory is in solitudes, where he hides us in the cleft of the rock, and talks with man face to face as a man talketh with his friend.¹¹

Prayer, like almsgiving and fasting, should be done in secret so that the Heavenly Father, who sees in secret, may reward the act of devotion openly (see Matt. 6:3–4, 18). Those who are like the Pharisees who wanted to be seen while praying on the streets at the scheduled times of prayer also like the Pharisees have their reward. That is, they get the attention they really want and cannot expect anything from God.

Jesus’ second admonition is to retire, away from the eyes of others, and then “in secret,” pray. “Secret” is from the Greek kruptō, “to conceal.” As it relates to God “who sees what is done in secret” (v. 6), it calls attention to His omnipresence. Though He is concealed from the human eye, yet He is indeed present in the secret place. One’s awareness of this reality is a great stimulant to faith. God sees the prayer that is so secret, even if it is but a thought. Although the open reward for secret prayer is the divine answer, it is enough that God meets us in our secret room, transforming us into His temple.

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,

Uttered or unexpressed;

The motion of a hidden fire

That trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,

The falling of a tear;

The upward glancing of an eye,

When none but God is near.¹²

The third admonition is to not “babble” (“vain repetition,” KJV), a word which comes from the Gk. battologeō, “to speak without thinking.” Meaningless and mechanically repeated phrases carry no weight with God; the cry of the heart, rather than the noise from the lips, is what is heard. It is not the repeating of prayer that is condemned, but the empty, mindless repetition. Repetition can indicate urgency, but again, it is the cry of the heart that counts. Christ himself prayed, repeating the same words (Matt. 26:44). So did Daniel (9:18–19). Repetition can express our deepest emotions. But the superstitious rehearsing of words, without regard to their sense, displeases God and brings no response. One might well ask, If we are to avoid “many words” and if our Heavenly Father knows our need before we ask, why pray at all? The answer is that prayer is more than an appeal to God. It expresses our submission of the will to God, and is a means of exercising faith toward God, both of which, in a sense, loose the hand of God to act according to our need. Prayerlessness blocks God from providing for us what He knows we need.

Some today reject praying in tongues by saying it is another type of babbling. But prayer in the Spirit is never mere babbling, even though the person exercising the gift may not know the full import of the sounds of the tongue. Spirit-given words are never empty or meaningless repetition. But if one seeks to replicate previous verbal expressions without the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the caution of Jesus about “babbling” certainly applies.

Praying for Workers

Someone has stated that Jesus left only one prayer request for His Church: “When he saw the crowds he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’ ” (Matt. 9:36–38; cf. Luke 10:2). On another occasion He admonished, “ ‘Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest’ ” (John 4:35).

People without a vision and without compassion do not pray as they ought; but give them a vision, coupled with compassion, and they become like John Knox when he prayed, “Give me Scotland or I die!”

More than a century ago Professor W. F. Adeney wrote: “Never was so large a harvest-field open for the sickle as in our own day; never were so many laborers needed. The great want of the world is apostolic missionaries, men and women with the spirit of Christ in them.”¹³ Today the vastness of the harvest field defies the imagination. In 1990 over five billion people inhabited the earth. The world’s population increases by about eighty million a year. If this growth rate continues, by the year 2030 there will be over eight billion people on this Earth—each of them a person for whom Christ died. When the multitude of the Pacific Rim, Eurasia, Africa, North and South America are gathered in, only then will Christ see the result of “the suffering of his soul, and … be satisfied” (Isa. 53:11).

The question is: How can it be done? How can this incomprehensible harvest be gathered?

“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, that he will send out workers into his harvest field.” Workers are the fruit of prayer. How imperative that the church pray in a fashion unparalleled in all of history, and that it pray specifically for the Lord to send out an army of harvesters! Praying for workers to be sent out into the harvest is a magnificent way to multiply the effect of one’s prayer. A major task of every worker is prayer. So each added worker is another praying person. The primary qualification for every soul winner is to be a prayer warrior. Prayer is the spiritual force that will bring Christ into full possession of His kingdom, securing for Him the nations as His inheritance and the ends of the earth for His possession (cf. Ps. 2:8). The harvest is the Lord’s. He sends out the workers, calling and equipping them by the Holy Spirit. Only He can instill that zealous love for souls needed to reach a world of lost souls.

Praying with Persistence

Jesus taught an important lesson about prayer through the parables of the importunate friend and the unjust judge. Both illustrate the oft-quoted promise of Jesus: “ ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened’ ” (Matt. 7:7–8; cf. Luke 11:9–10). The three key words in Matthew 7:7—“ask,” “seek,” and “knock”—are present active verbs. The sense of the passage therefore is, “Keep on asking until you receive; keep on seeking until you find; keep on knocking until the door is opened.” Rather than indicating unbelief, importunity and persistence do just the opposite. They suggest a determination to obtain a desired end and faith that prevails against all obstacles.

Though there seems evidently a climax here, expressive of more and more importunity, each of these terms presents what we desire of God in a different light. We ask for what we wish; we seek for what we miss; we knock for that from which we feel ourselves shut out. Answering to this threefold representation is the triple assurance of success to our believing efforts.¹⁴

Scripture is replete with examples of persistence in prayer. Elijah prayed seven times on Carmel (1 Kings 18:42–44). Daniel prayed twenty-one days about a single matter (Dan. 10). Jesus prayed three times in Gethsemane concerning the ordeal He was about to face (Matt. 26:36–44). The Early Church kept “earnestly praying” for Peter, chained in prison (Acts 12:5). Paul very likely prayed fourteen days in a storm-tossed ship (Acts 27:21–25). So the teaching of Jesus is readily confirmed. We “should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).

We begin to give up when faith falters before the victory is won. We should not give up and cease praying before we have conquered or received assurance of an answer. Jesus illustrated His teaching that we should persist and not give up by two parables: the friend at midnight and the unjust judge.

Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs” (Luke 11:5–8).

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town thee was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1–8).

These parables are not like Jesus’ “other parables, for they teach by contrast, and not by comparison.… The point in common between them is that importunity prevails. If the suppliants were not heard for their much speaking, their persistence had much to do with their prevailing.”¹⁵ Jesus did not merely teach importunity or bold urgency in prayer; He also taught that God responds to persistent prayer. R. A. Torrey said, “We should be careful about what we ask from God, but when we do begin to pray for a thing we should never give up praying for it until we get it, or until God makes it very clear and very definite to us that it is not His will to give it.”¹⁶

Combining Prayer with Fasting

Christ’s teaching on fasting and prayer is minimal, providing only limited guidance. While He did underscore its importance when preparing to deal with difficult cases, His only direct instruction dealt more with motivation for fasting than with procedures and guidelines. Yet there is no doubt that He recognized the virtues of the practice.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matt. 6:16–18).

The major concern of this teaching about fasting is that believers guard against making it an act of hypocrisy or giving in to the temptation of self-aggrandizement.¹⁷ All who advocate fasting should heed Christ’s concerns. Yet, we should not permit the potential pitfalls to become excuses for neglecting this valid spiritual exercise.

The spiritual exercise of fasting and praying at length for an urgent need should not be viewed as a device for obtaining God’s approval or attention. While fasting has its reward, that reward relates more to the one who fasts than to the ultimate object of the prayer. There should come a finely tuned spiritual perception and an enlarged faith as a result of prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting can make valuable contributions to the life of an individual or a congregation, though the practice of fasting should never be allowed to degenerate into an empty formality or an attempt to manipulate God.

The poignant and agonizing problem that elicited Jesus’ comment “ ‘This kind can come out only by prayer’ ”¹⁸ (Mark 9:29) can be understood only in light of the context (read Mark 9:14–28). It was in response to the disciples’ utter inability to exercise the faith required for accomplishing deliverance from demon possession. In response to the father’s plaintive point that he had brought his son to the disciples and they could not cure him, Jesus chided the disciples, “ ‘O unbelieving and perverse generation, … how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me’ ” (Matt. 17:17). Intense, urgent prayer, even to the point of fasting, was the means for achieving the desired deliverance.

Prayer invokes the aid of God, and puts one’s self unreservedly in his hands; fasting subdues the flesh, arouses the soul’s energies, brings into exercise the higher parts of man’s nature. Thus equipped, a man is open to receive power from on high, and can quell the assaults of the evil one.¹⁹

It is clear from the teaching of Jesus that He considered prayer a primary key to accomplishing God’s work on earth. It is essential for warding off temptation and discouragement. It helps the believer reach proper decisions. It provides strength when pressures become so intense that we are inclined to give up. The true center of prayer, according to the teaching of Jesus, is neither our needs nor our wills. It is God and His will. And we pray in the name of the One who taught the importance of prayer—the name of Jesus.