1.11.09 - Lessions in Prayer from the Saints

lessons on prayer from the saints

David VanAcker, Pastor of Discipleship

Grace Church, Sunday Worship

Various Passages

January 11th, 2009

Main Points

1. Prayer is communication with God.

2. Prayer is the practice of the godly (the OT prophets, Jesus, and the early church prayed a lot).

3. God hears our prayers, by his grace.

4. There is an intimate relationship between the Word of God and God’s response to our prayers.

5. Our emotional, physical, and spiritual condition can effect God’s ear toward our prayers.

6. Prayer and evangelism are intimately tied together

7. The Holy Spirit plays a key role in our prayer lives.

8. There are certain things for which God commands us to pray.

9. There are certain guidelines that God gives us for prayer.

Introduction

As Pastor Daniel has mentioned, throughout 2009 we are going to focus on a different aspect of following Jesus each month. This focus will play itself out in various ways (from preaching to prayer to resources to events). The focus of January is recognizing our dependence on God. This is why Pastor Daniel and I have spent the last two weeks preaching on prayer and this is why we are having a prayer and fasting seminar in two weeks.

Last week Daniel preached on prayer in a very specific way. He had us look at 2 Corinthians 11:1 (and a few other passages) to help us see the need to pray fervently and consistently for Pastor Daniel as he preaches the Word each Sunday.

Today, I want to continue to admonish you from Scripture to be a people of prayer by looking at some of the lessons that we learn about prayer from the saints. There were 48 that I wanted to hit on, but I narrowed it to 9 (you’ll find the entire list below).

My prayer for you and I is that God would be pleased to use this sermon to help us better understand Biblical prayer (the nature, scope, and intent), motivate us to prayer, and wet your taste buds for the upcoming seminar where we’ll be able to delve into some of these principles more deeply.

Pray

lessons IN PRAYER FROM THE SAINTS

1. Prayer is communication with God.

Prayer, in its broadest form, is simply communication with God, where we open our hearts to God in the form of requests, confession, and thankfulness. We learn this directly from Paul.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Westminster Larger Catechism Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit; with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary Prayer, is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal.

God, make us the kind of people who long to express our hearts to You. Grant us a great desire to speak with you. Give us godly desires, an awareness of our sin, and grateful hearts.

2. Prayer is the practice of the godly (the OT prophets, Jesus, and the early church prayed a lot).

Jerry Bridges defines godliness as “Devotion to God that results in a life that is pleasing to Him.” To be godly then is to be one who is devoted to God and thereby living in a manner pleasing to God. We learn from King David, concerning prayer, that it (prayer) is the practice of all who are godly.

Psalm 32:6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

This means that one aspect of living a life devoted and pleasing to God is prayer.

Paul takes it a step further in suggesting that the godly pray constantly or without ceasing.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

We see this in the prophets.

Daniel 6:10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

We see this in Jesus.

Luke 6:12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

We see this in the apostles.

Acts 1:14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

And we see this in the early Church.

Acts 2:41-42 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. ⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

God, make us a church of godly men and women who, as did the saints before us, come to you constantly in prayer. Make us a people who recognize the need to offer ourselves up to you in prayer. Make us a body who devotes ourselves to prayer.

3. God hears our prayers, by his grace.

We learn from David in the Psalms that prayer is not just a formality or a religious ritual. God really does hear and work through our prayers, not because our prayers are special, but because God is gracious.

Psalm 6:9 The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.

We learn from Moses right away in Genesis that God answers prayers.

Genesis 25:21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

And we learn from King David that it is by God’s grace that he hears and answers us when we pray.

Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

Consider what would happen if you called up (or otherwise tried to communicate with) President Bush or Tiger Woods or Steve Jobs (people in positions of power and influence). They are under no obligation to respond to us, much less grant any request that we might have. Indeed, consider how shocked and honored you’d be if they did respond.

Now consider that God (in an absolute and unparalleled way) is under no obligation to hear us or respond to us when we call out to him. Yet, how flippantly and casually and selfishly do we come before Him demanding that he accommodate our desires?

It is only because of His kindness and love that gives us this blessing of/in prayer.

God, thank you for your kindness and love. Thank you for inclining your ear to us and answering us when we pray. Help us to recognize that this is not something that we deserve, but rather it is a gift from you, the God of the universe. God, please give us a sense of awe and wonder at your gracious gift of prayer, may we not take it for granted.

4. There is an intimate relationship between the Word of God and God’s response to our prayers.

King David teaches us that the nature of our prayers effects how God responds to our prayers. He informs us, as does John Stott in his commentary on Ephesians, that we have should have no confidence to pray for anything other than that which we know to be God’s will. That is, only after being told, by God, of God’s plans for him does David find the courage to pray to God.

2 Samuel 7:27 ²⁷ For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.

The primary way in which we come to know the will of God is through the Word of God. Therefore, there is an extremely intimate relationship between our knowledge of God’s Word and the effectiveness of our prayers.

In our prayers we should be laying claim to the promises of God (revealed in His Word), expressing our desire for the things that God desires (as revealed in His Word), morning the things that God morns (according to His Word), confessing our sins (as described/expressed in God’s Word) and giving thanks for the things that God has done (described in His Word and witnessed in our lives).

God, would you grant that Grace Church might be a people who pour ourselves into Your Word, meditating on it day and night, in order that we might pray according to Your will and offer prayers that are pleasing to You?

5. Our emotional , physical, and spiritual condition can effect God’s ear toward our prayers.

Concerning our emotional condition…

We learn from 2 Chronicles for instance that our emotional condition can effect God’s ear toward our prayers. In chapter 30 we learn that when we pray to God with great joy in God, God has a special ear for our prayers.

2 Chronicles 30:26-27 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. ²⁷ Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

Concerning our physical condition…

From Psalm 102 we learn that God uniquely hears the prayers of those who are without basic provisions.

Psalm 102:16-17 For the LORD builds up Zion; he appears in his glory; ¹⁷ he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.

From Solomon we learn that kneeling and lifting our hands to God is pleasing to God.

1 Kings 8:54 Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven.

Of course these physical actions are expressions of the condition of Solomon’s heart, but we learn a few verses later that God was evidently pleased by them because Solomon says, the result of his prayer was that, “Not one word has failed of all [God’s] good promise” (1 Kings 8:56).

We also learn of the relationship between our physical condition and God’s ear toward our prayers from Paul in 1 Corinthians 11.

1 Corinthians 11:4-5 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, ⁵ but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head- it is the same as if her head were shaven.

It is again evident from the context that the physical acts described here (heads covered and uncovered) are significant only when they flow from a particular heart, but nevertheless, it is also evident that our physical condition really does matter in some ways to God as he considers our prayers.

Concerning our spiritual condition…

Solomon teaches us that while God will not listen to the wicked he gives ear to the righteous.

Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

In 2 Chronicles 7 Solomon teaches that humility, repentance, and seeking after God results God hearing prayers and forgiving sins.

2 Chronicles 7:12-14 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. ¹³ When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, ¹⁴ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

From Jesus we learn that prayers offered in faith will be heard and answered.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

And from James we learn that not only are the prayers of the righteous heard, but that they have great power.

James 5:16 The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Indeed, much of Scripture points to the fact that as we walk closer with God, God is increasingly pleased to listen to our prayers and to work through them. Conversely, much of Scripture points to the fact that the prayers of non-Christians and disobedient Christians fall on deaf ears.

God, would you grant us emotions, physical conditions, and a spiritual well being that are pleasing to you? Grant that we might delight in and morn over the things that you delight in and morn over in prayer. Grant that we might, through our posture, appropriately reflect all that is true in our prayers. And grant that above all we might seek You and Your righteousness so that we might approach you in a pleasing way, by grace through faith, in prayer.

6. Prayer and evangelism are intimately tied together

Understanding the gospel means understanding the fact that everyone, apart from the grace of God, stands guilty before God, unwilling and unable to come to God, and therefore stuck in their bondage to sin, justly condemned by God. Grasping these simple truths compels the Christian to begin all evangelistic efforts by crying out to God in prayer, recognizing that He alone is able to overcome this spiritual bondage.

We learn this lesson clearly from Paul in Philemon 1:6.

Philemon 1:6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

Paul recognized that it takes an act of God for evangelism (the sharing of your faith) to become effective. We too must recognize this.

We see this also in the early Church. Peter, passionately engaged in evangelism, was arrested for sharing his faith. Rather than allow him to remain in prison, and rather than simply letting him go, God chose to use the earnest prayers of the saints to release him in order that the gospel might continue to be proclaimed.

Acts 12:5-9 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. ⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. ⁷ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me." ⁹ And he went out and followed him.

God, would you please allow us at Grace Church to learn this lesson from the saints and therefore pray for the lost? God would you please grant us such a brokenness and love for the lost that we would not be able to help but to cry out to you in desperation for their souls? Would you grant a willingness to go and speak the Gospel in great joy and with great confidence, knowing that by our prayers you make our evangelism effective? And in this would you add many, many souls to our number, by Your grace and for Your glory?

7. The Holy Spirit plays a key role in our prayer lives.

Think for a moment about the massive complexity of the universe. Think about all the individuals making choices and how those choices inevitably effect others. Consider the infinitely and eternally encompassing perspective of God and how limited and finite our picture of reality is compared to it. Now consider how utterly silly some/many/all of our prayers must be in light of these things.

Paul teaches us that we pray goofy. But he also teaches us that the Holy Spirit helps us in our goofiness. The Holy Spirit speaks on our behalf to God when we pray.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

This is what Paul means when he tells us to pray in the Spirit. He means that we must recognize the Spirit’s role in our prayers and humbly submit.

Ephesians 6:18 Praying at all times in the Spirit.

What a gift the Holy Spirit is, that the Father should send Him to work on our behalf.

God, thank you for sending Your Spirit to dwell in us and help us in our weakness. May we recognize His continual presence and working in our lives, pray with confidence in this presence, attempt radical things in His presence, and live constantly in gratefulness for His presence.

8. There are certain things for which God commands us to pray.

There are certain things, according to the Bible, that God commands us to pray for. We would be wise (as I said above), then, to be as J.I. Packer has said, “Scriptural miners”. That is, we would do well to pour ourselves into our Bibles in order to make sure that we are praying for those things which we ought to be praying for.

Jesus gives us two such examples in Matthew. We see from chapter 5 that we are commanded to pray for our enemies. How often do you pray for your enemies (or those whom you thoroughly dislike)?

Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”

We also see, in Matthew 26, that we are commanded to pray that we not sin. Oh that we would be more vigilant about preventative sin maintenance. God has given us prayer as a way to avoid sinning. Grace Church, may we use the tools with which God has provided us.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

These are but two of the many things that God commands us to pray for. Let us be a church that admonishes one another with Scripture that we may pray for the things of God.

God, please help us in this. May we truly be able to say, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” May we know the things that you command us to pray for and may they be first in our hearts and prayers. Thank you for guiding us in our prayers.

9. There are certain guidelines that God gives us for prayer.

Finally, it is important to note that although prayer is simply communicating with God, Jesus nevertheless leaves us with some instructions about how to pray in a manner pleasing to God.

For instance, He instructs us not to pray hypocritically or self-indulgently.

Matthew 6:5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Jesus also tells us not to buy into the pagan notion that a high word count helps our prayers to be heard.

Matthew 6:7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Jesus even gives us an example of the kind of prayer that the Father accepts.

Matthew 6:9-13 ⁹ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Please note two things from this prayer: First it begins with the glory of God: The recognition of the supremacy of the will of God and the sufficiency of God to meet all our needs (vs.9-11). And second, it concludes with the inadequacy and dependence of all mankind (vs.12-13).

God, may we do well by including these two elements in all of our prayers? May we recognize Your glory and supremacy and sufficiency as well as the inadequacy and dependence of ourselves such that this understanding leaks out of all our prayers to You. Thank your for Your instructions and guidance. Thank you for loving us in such a remarkable and thoughtful way.

conclusion

In the past year I have found myself praying to God with more fervency and desperation and recognition of His presence and power then ever before. I have also found, in this past year, that God’s response to my prayers have been more mysterious then ever before. More than once I have been convinced that I knew what God should do as a result of my petitions. More than once God has surprised me.

Prayer is largely about trust. It takes a great deal of trust to come to God with our deepest and most personal desires. It also, as I have learned this year in a new way, takes a great deal of trust to accept God’s answers to our prayers as best even when we don’t understand them.

I am deeply convicted of the need in my life, my family, and in our church to grow in the recognition of our dependence on God and the love of God and as a result of this growing recognition to engage more actively, intentionally, and Biblically in prayer.

Please join with me, and the elders of Grace, in making 2009 a year of remarkable commitment to God and His work through prayer.

Texts and reflections on Prayer

1. God hears our prayers.

1 Kings 8:28-29 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, ²⁹ that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, 'My name shall be there,' that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.

2. It is by God’s grace that our prayers are heard.

Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

3. God is pleased to work through our prayers.

Genesis 25:21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

4. We pray in confidence when we pray according to God’s Word (see Stott).

2 Samuel 7:27 ²⁷ For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.

5. It is proper to pray in desperation and humility.

1 Kings 8:54 Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven.

6. God uses our prayers to bless others.

2 Kings 6:15-17 ¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" ¹⁶ He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

7. God’s response to our prayers is linked to our obedience (or disobedience).

2 Chronicles 6:34-40 ³⁴ "If your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, ³⁵ then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause. ³⁶ "If they sin against you- for there is no one who does not sin- and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near, ³⁷ yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,' ³⁸ if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, ³⁹ then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you. ⁴⁰ Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.

8. God reveals his glory through prayer.

2 Chronicles 7:1-2 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. ² And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house.

9. Prayer is a natural result of joy in God.

10. Prayer is the natural result of brokenness and repentance.

Nehemiah 1:4-6 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. ⁵ And I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶ let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned.

11. Prayer is the practice of the godly.

Psalm 32:6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

12. The prayers of Christians are to God.

Psalm 69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.

13. God hears the prayers of the downtrodden or destitute in a unique way.

Psalm 102:16-17 For the LORD builds up Zion; he appears in his glory; ¹⁷ he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.

14. We should pray against evil.

Psalm 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me- it is a kindness; let him rebuke me- it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

15. God does not hear the prayers of the wicked.

Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

16. God refers to his house as a house of prayer.

Isaiah 56:7 for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."

17. We will receive whatever we pray for if we pray in faith.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

18. Certain demons can only be cast out by prayer.

Mark 9:28-29 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" ²⁹ And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."

19. Jesus prayed a lot.

Luke 6:12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

20. The early church prayed a lot.

Acts 1:14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

21. Prayer was among the primary duties of the early church leaders.

Acts 6:2-4 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

22. God honors the earnest prayers of the saints for the furtherance of His kingdom.

23. Elders and church leaders were commissioned by prayer.

Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

24. We should constantly pray.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

25. Prayer is the only (normal) acceptable reason for extended periods of sexual abstinence among married couples.

1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

26. Our prayers should always be guided by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit.

27. Prayer is the means by which we make our requests to God.

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

28. Prayer (and the Word of God) is what makes our food holy.

1 Timothy 4:4-5 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

29. Through prayer God heals the sick.

James 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

30. The prayers of the righteous have great power.

James 5:16 The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

31. God listened to the prayers of the prophets in a unique way.

Genesis 20:7 Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live.

32. There are times when it is a sin to stop praying for others.

1 Samuel 12:23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

33. Sin often keeps God from hearing our prayers while humility and repentance often opens His ears.

34. There are times when it is inappropriate to pray for others.

Jeremiah 7:16 "As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you.”

35. We are to pray for our enemies and persecutors.

Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

36. We should not pray for the ears of men.

37. Jesus teaches us how to pray.

Matthew 6:9-15 ⁹ Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

38. God does not hear our prayers based on the number of our words.

Matthew 6:7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

39. It is good to pray for our wellbeing.

Matthew 24:20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

40. It is good to pray that God would keep us from sinning.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

41. It is good to pray for our own salvation.

Acts 8:22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

42. We don’t know how to pray.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

43. Our disposition in prayer matters.

44. There is a way to pray with our spirits and with our minds.

1 Corinthians 14:15 I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also.

45. Prayer is intimately linked with evangelism.

Philemon 1:6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

46. It is good for the elders of the Church to pray for the sick and suffering.

James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.