The Secret to Powerful Prayers
A Desperate Plea
Prayer is the most daunting of spiritual disciplines. We are often quick to open our bibles, ready to run to the church service, or inclined to engage in worship, but rarely do we run to the place of private prayer. For people bound to the natural world, such a supernatural exercise seems distant and difficult. If you were to ask the common church member how their prayer life is going, they would probably tell you that they do not pray as often as they should. They would not be alone, very few modern Christians would say that they pray as often or as intentionally as they should.
Fortunately, the problem of prayer is not a new one. Even Jesus’ disciples struggled when comparing their prayer life to His. They saw that He would often “withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16). They wondered what He was doing during those long, lonely hours, and why His prayers seemed to have so great an effect. Overwhelmed with curiosity, they finally asked Him the secret to His prayers; “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1).
This question is what prompted the greatest teaching that the Bible offers us on the topic of prayer. Jesus Himself, one with God and yet wrapped in humanity, instructs His disciples on the heart and form of this sacred discipline. Matthew expands upon this teaching in five famous verses that show the essence of prayer, and provide a model for our own pursuit of communion with God:
”Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” (Matthew 6:9-13)
While it is popular to recite this passage word for word, it is important to note that Jesus tells us to pray like this. He is not expecting empty recitation of the prayer, but is showing us an example of how we should pray. This model prayer isn't designed to be a ritual that we copy, but a template that guides us. We should use it as a model, not a script. With that in mind, let’s approach this instruction and see the kinds of prayers that will usher us into greater communion with God.
The Father Foundation
Jesus begins by setting the context of prayer. “Our Father in heaven…” illustrates the loving and personal nature of our relationship to God. When a Christian approaches God in prayer, they are not approaching a distant and apathetic lawgiver, but a near and caring father. When we approach God, we are approaching a Father who truly loves us. By framing prayer in this light, Jesus is radically redefining the atmosphere of prayer.
Israel understood God to be the Father of their nation (Isaiah 63:16-17, 64:8-9, Deuteronomy 14:1, Jeremiah 31:20), but not once in the Old Testament do we see someone approach God as their father individually. When Jesus came referring to God as His father, the Jews considered it blasphemy (John 5:18). God was to be your Lord, Master, Creator, and Lawgiver, but the familiarity of calling Him “father” was off limits to an individual.
But Jesus changes this, and not on a whim or without cause. Jesus changes this by the nature of His sacrifice. Jesus' death, offered in our place, clears us of our guilt before God, and by faith He grants us a new relationship with God. Jesus offers to give us His relationship with God. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). The scriptures record this as a divine adoption; God bringing outsiders into His family. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15).
If you have trusted in Christ, you have been adopted by God. No longer is He merely your judge and king, but the king is now your father. When you approach Him, you do not do so as a subject approaches a courtroom, but as a child approaches their fathers bedroom. If we could get this reality into our hearts, it would surely change the tone and confidence of our prayers.
Begin with Reverence
After reminding us of the relationship between us and the Father, Jesus then moves to remind us of the power and majesty of God. “...hallowed be your name.” speaks of the holiness, or the other-ness of God. He is not of us, and is like nothing else in all of creation. He is above, He is beyond, and He is before all things. He is holy; totally beyond what we can describe or comprehend. He is perfect and untarnished, having no defects whatsoever.
In teaching us to pray “Hallowed be your name”, Jesus is teaching us to approach the throne of God with reverence and awe. At first this can seem contradictory to the Fatherhood of God that we just discussed. Shouldn't we be comfortable with God? Shouldn't we approach Him confidently? Well yes, God is our father, but He remains God. He is and always will be the supreme being of the universe, more pure and good than sinful man could ever comprehend. When we approach God, we are approaching the king of the universe. Yes He is our father, but He is still worthy of respect, fear, and reverence; “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10).
When we begin to speak to God, it is helpful for us to pause and praise Him for who He is. Giving Him glory for His power, might, beauty, love, and wisdom should always take precedence over our concerns or petitions. God is God, and speaking to Him is a great honor. When we begin our prayers with reverence, we frame all of our concerns in the light of His great glory. Often, when we begin our prayers in this way, we are reminded of how finite our concerns truly are. In light of God’s glory, many of our temporal issues pale in comparison. When we begin prayer with reverence, everything else is set into its proper place.
Submit to the King
After pausing to reflect upon the majesty of God, Jesus then ushers us into a posture of submission to the will of God; “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” How often do we approach God with our will in hand, ready to tell Him the way that things should be? How often do we jump into our petitions, without a thought to the purposes of God? What would our prayers look like if we first considered His will before asking Him to consider ours?
This is the posture that Jesus modeled at the end of His life. As He was staring death in the face, He wrestled with the will of God in the garden of Gethsemane. While sweating blood in agony He cried out, “not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). We are finite creatures, and we are often so consumed with our own needs and wants that we neglect to consider what God desires for us. We think ourselves wise, and cannot imagine that God would disagree with our assessment. Jesus didn’t withhold His petition. He asked for God to remove the cup of suffering, but in the midst of His request He acknowledged His willingness to submit to God’s will above His own.
This attitude should bathe our prayers. The one who approaches God with a heart of submission never finds that his prayers go unanswered. Even when God denies his request, He answers the cry that says “Your will be done!”. Before and after all your desires, pray that God would give you what He sees fit to give. His will is perfect, and the deepest need of humanity is for it to be done “on earth as it is in heaven”.
Bring Your Requests
Once we have reverenced God properly, and aligned our will with His, Jesus then invites us to bring our wants and needs to the God who cares for us; “Give us this day our daily bread…”. After beginning this prayer with a lofty appeal to the will of God, Jesus reminds us again about the intimate care of God toward His people. As big, holy, mighty, and wise as our God is, He is also a God who concerns Himself with the smallest details of our lives. He sees our needs and our anxieties, and He invites us to cast them upon Him (1 Peter 5:7).
People often fall into one of two categories in regard to prayer; either they treat God as a heavenly vending machine, constantly tossing up their requests, or they treat God as an uncaring ruler with too much on His plate to concern Himself with our affairs. Both of these misses the heart of God and the beauty of prayer. God is big, but He comes down to us who are small. God is infinite, and yet He chooses to dwell within the finite (1 Corinthians 6:19). God is not at all distant, and not at all uncaring. Rather, He sympathizes with our weaknesses, because He chose to experience our limitations for Himself (Hebrews 4:15).
God knows that you are weak, and He sees you in your need. His love for you is so great that He has opened His throne to you, and He invites you to boldly bring your requests to Him (Hebrews 4:16). He will surely give us all that we need, as a father who provides for his children (Matthew 6:25-34).
Repent of Sin
Prayer is an opportune time to get our heart right before God. “...forgive us our debts…” does not refer to our financial debts, but to the debt that we owe God for our sin. In Christ, this debt is paid once for all (Colossians 2:14). However, confession and repentance is still a necessary part of the Christian life. A divine life is a life immersed in repentance; in the constant turning away from our sin. Jesus told the Pharisees to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). The “keeping” is the key; repentance is not a one time ordeal, but a continual part of our growth and sanctification.
Jesus reminds us elsewhere that it is the pure in heart who shall see God (Matthew 5:8). God has a special grace upon us in our prayers when we repent before Him. So often, our prayers are hindered because of our habitual sin (Proverbs 28:9, 1 Peter 3:7). God is not in the business of unholiness, and He distances Himself from those who knowingly spite Him. Jesus reminds us here to saturate our prayers with an attitude of repentance, to recognize our need for His mercy at every turn. The repentant heart is a breeding ground for a work of God. Our prayers are advanced when we approach God’s holy hill with clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3-5).
Grace and Guidance
Jesus ends the model prayer by reminding us of our constant need for God’s grace; “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” After all that we can pray, all that we can ask, and all that we can do, we need the gracious gifts of God to help us in the path that He has chosen for us to walk. Many Christians attempt to emerge from prayer and return to an attitude of self-sufficiency. In ending this way, Jesus reminds us of our great need for God’s rescue and guidance in every facet of our lives.
Even once God answers our requests, we will have more requests tomorrow. Even once He gives us the grace and mercy for today, a new day waits on the horizon. The one who wishes to submit to the will of God must also recognize his need for the help of God. Jesus invites us to be honest about our weaknesses, and Jesus invites us to bring our need of grace to God, who is faithful to fill our needs from His sufficiency. We must recognize that we are prone to wander, prone to fall into temptation, but we must also recognize that God will lead us in the righteous path and give us the strength to do what He has commanded (1 Corinthians 10:13). When you have prayed for all else, pray for strength. He will surely supply it (Philippians 4:19).
Prevail in Prayer
A wise friend of mine often says that prayer is communion with God for the purpose of connecting with God. As lovers love to speak to each other, so God loves to speak to us. We get the privilege of interacting with God Himself. The God of the universe wants to commune with you. This is the greatest blessing and privilege of the Christian life. We don’t just work for God, we get to enter into loving union with Him.
So if you do not know how to pray, or maybe you have never truly tried, ponder the words of Jesus in this model prayer. Begin with the relationship, trusting in Christ so that you can approach God as Father. Reverence God for who He is and what He has done. Submit to His will, for His ways are higher and wiser than ours. Make your requests known, because He loves and cares for you. Repent of your sin, because God is merciful and faithful to free us from our guilt. Ask for His grace and guidance, and know that He will not abandon you in your time of trial and temptation.
Not only does God want to speak with you, but we know that God has ordained the prayers of His people to be the avenue by which He works in the world. James records that the fervent prayer of a righteous person carries great power (James 5:16). Things change when people pray. God uses our prayers to do mighty things beyond our wildest imaginations. A people committed to God, bathed in communion and communication with Him, are a formidable force on the earth. As a great man of God once said, we need less players and more pray-ers. Lord, teach us to pray!
