| The Christian Life | February 1943 |
“Teach Us To Pray”
“And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”—Luke 11:1
COMMUNION with the Heavenly Father in prayer is one of the most blessed privileges enjoyed by the Christian, as well as vitally necessary to spiritual growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. The blessings of prayer are in proportion to the extent that our communion with the Father is based upon and in harmony with the divine will. Jesus said, “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7) Those who abide in Christ, and, who have His words abiding in them, will not ask for anything except that which is in harmony with the divine arrangements, hence their prayers are sure to be “effectual,” because uttered by a fervently righteous soul, which, according to the apostle, “availeth much.” (James 5:16) Contrariwise, James also declared, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.”—James 4:3
In response to the disciples’ request that Jesus teach them to pray, the Master gave them what is sometimes referred to as a “model prayer.” This model prayer, otherwise familiarly known as the “Lord’s prayer,” exemplifies three of the important principles of, and reasons for, praying. The first is that of ascribing proper reverence and adoration to God—“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” The second is that of desiring the divine blessing to reach others ultimately, even upon the whole world of mankind—“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:9,10) The third is that of petitioning the Heavenly Father for the blessings we need, including forgiveness of sins—“Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses.”
As we meditate upon the wondrous attributes of our Heavenly Father’s character which add up to make His glory, our prayerful expressions of reverence and adoration will, of necessity, include thoughts of thanksgiving and praise. The point of first consideration in our minds as we approach the throne of heavenly grace, therefore, should be that of concern for the glory of the Father’s name and the expression of thanksgiving to Him that He has given us a measure of appreciation of His wisdom, justice, love and power.
Scriptural Illustrations of Prayer
The Scriptures furnish us with valuable and. inspiring illustrations of prayer in which the principal motive was that of concern for the glory of God’s name. Notable among these, and illustrative of complete self-abnegation on the part of the petitioner, is that of Moses’ prayer in which he offered his own life to God as a sacrifice to save the lives of the Israelites. From the time that Moses led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, they continually manifested a lack of faith in God, and a spirit of disobedience to the divine leadings coming through Moses. In view of this lack of faith on their part, God suggested to Moses that He destroy the entire nation, and through Moses as the father, start a new nation. Inasmuch as this suggestion came from the Lord, it furnished a wonderful opportunity for Moses to be relieved of the irksome and nerve-racking responsibility of directing this stiff-necked and rebellious people.
But the unselfish Moses did not think of his own position in the matter. Betokening the great leader of God’s people which he was, and a type of Christ, Moses was more interested in the glory of God’s name than he was in becoming the head of a new nation. In prayer, Moses replied to this proposition of the Lord saying, “Then [if You destroy the Israelites] the Egyptians shall hear it, (for Thou broughtest up this people in Thy might from among them;) and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that Thou Lord art among this people. … Now if Thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of Thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which He sware unto them.”—Num. 14:13-16
That Moses’ concern for the glory of God’s name as it would be affected by the destruction of the Israelites was not a matter merely of words on his part, is emphasized by the fact that he offered his own life to God as a substitute for the nation. Moses was willing, in other words, to die and pass out of the picture entirely, if, by so doing, the glory of God’s name would not be jeopardized. Thus, in a way more meaningful and genuine than could be expressed in a whole bookful of words, Moses was saying to his God in this wonderful prayer, “Hallowed be Thy name.”
Joshua’s Prayer
Joshua succeeded Moses as leader of Israel, and he, too, manifested great concern for the glory of God’s name. When, under his leadership, the Israelites first entered into the land of promise, he received instructions from God as to how the city of Jericho was to be conquered. These instructions were followed, resulting in a great victory for the Israelites and for their God.
Flushed with this great victory, Joshua and the Israelites proceeded at once to attack and subdue other cities in Canaan. The first on their list was Ai. Without consulting the Lord as to what His will was in the matter, and, if the city was to be attacked, how to proceed, spies were sent to Ai who brought back the report that it was a small city and that only a small portion of Israel’s fighting men need go up to capture it. This small contingent of soldiers was sent against Ai, but to the great surprise of Joshua they were driven back, shamefully defeated.
This discouraging experience brought Joshua to the Lord in prayer. The failure was due to no fault of Joshua’s, but to the failure of one of the Israelites to obey the Lord in the capture of Jericho. Nevertheless, Joshua should have asked divine guidance before the undertaking; but his failure to take the matter up with the Lord ahead of time was apparently not willful, and now that he realized the great need of divine guidance and help, the spirit of his petition is noteworthy:—
“And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord, until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel. … And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people over Jordan, … O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth the it backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites, and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, … and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?”—Joshua 7:6-9
“What wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?” seemed to be the thought uppermost in Joshua’s prayer. This was his way of saying, “Hallowed be Thy name.” That Joshua was sincere in this is evidenced by the fact that when God pointed out to him that someone in the camp of Israel had disobeyed instructions in connection with the capture of Jericho, he at once proceeded to locate the wrong-doers and when they were found did not hesitate to punish them as the Ford directed. In this incident that followed Joshua’s prayer, we are reminded of the fact that if our prayers are to be acceptable and effective, our lives must be brought wholly in line with the divine will. In other words, our actions must be in keeping with our prayers.
King Hezekiah’s Prayer
An interesting example of prayer in which the primary consideration was the glory of the Lord is that of Hezekiah when Jerusalem was attacked by Sennacherib and his army. Messengers were sent by Sennacherib for the purpose of inducing the Israelites to surrender the city these messengers spoke against the God’ of Israel, charging that He was no better, no more powerful, than the gods of other people conquered by the mighty Sennacherib. Following this charge, the account says, “And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.” (II Chron. 32:20) We quote the prayer as follows:
“O Lord God of Israel, … bow down Thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, Thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. … Now, therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech Thee, save Thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the Lord God, even Thou only.”—II Kings 19:15-19
God honored this prayer, destroying 185,000 of the Assyrians encamped around Jerusalem, and dispersing the remainder. It seems likely that if Israel’s leaders by their prayers should have displayed more concern for their own safety than for the glory of the Lord’s name, their prayers would have gone unanswered. Here again, then, we have a practical example of what it means to pray, “Hallowed be Thy name.”
Jesus Seeks the Father’s Glory
Jesus’ own prayer life is an outstanding example of how acceptable prayer should reveal the heart’s desire to glorify God beyond any other consideration. In a prayer near the close of the Master’s earthly ministry He said, “Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.” (John 17:1) The Master’s suggestion that He be glorified should be understood in the light of His further request in this same prayer in which He said, “O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own Self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” (John 17:5) Thus we see that Jesus was, in reality, not asking anything for Himself, but merely that, having finished the work given to Him on earth, He might be permitted to return to His pre-human condition.
The Master had come to earth, humbling Himself in becoming a man, in order that His Father’s name might be glorified. He had suffered much, and was to suffer a great deal more, even to the extent of being cruelly put to death upon the cross. The divine promises had set before Him a great joy, which, the apostle declares, enabled Him to endure the cross and despise the shame, (Heb. 12:2) but so far as a special reward of glory and exaltation was concerned, Jesus, in this prayer, manifested His desire that the Father’s name be glorified irrespective of the advantage that would accrue to Him.
Praying for Others
The second motive of prayer exemplified in Jesus’ reply to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray, is that of our concern for the blessing of others. The statement, “Thy kingdom come” is all-comprehensive in this respect. When we offer this petition, we are praying not only for the blessings of peace and happiness and life which will be dispensed to the world during the thousand years of Christ’s reign, but also for divine guidance and blessing in the lives of those who are being prepared to reign with Christ in that Kingdom. Our prayers for the brethren, therefore, represent one of the practical ways in which our petitions at the throne of heavenly grace represent our interest in all that the Lord has promised to do on behalf of both the church and the world.
It is very enlightening to observe the Master’s example of prayer on behalf of others. There can be no question but what Jesus had all the interests of the Kingdom at heart, but the chief burden of His prayers was not that God would then relieve all the sufferings of the world, but rather that He would care for and bless those whom He had chosen, and would choose, to share in the work of the future Kingdom. While, without doubt, it is proper that, in a general way, we should have the interests of all mankind at heart when we pray, and express that interest as Jesus indicated in the model prayer, “Thy Kingdom come,” yet, like the Master, the “others” in our prayers should primarily be the brethren.
Dispensational truth should help to guide us in the matter of prayer as well as otherwise. It did for Jesus. The Heavenly Father had promised Him that if He would ask, the nations would be given to Him for an inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession. The motive in thus asking for the nations as an inheritance would, of course, be that they might be brought into the condition wherein Kingdom blessings might be showered upon them. However, while Jesus showed clearly that it was proper to remember this future climax of the divine purpose in prayer, He did not then ask for the inheritance which His. Heavenly Father had indicated would be His in due time.
Thus in prayer near the close of His ministry, Jesus first of all indicated His concern for the glory of God’s great name, and then proceeded to pray for others, saying, “I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine.” (John 17:9) It is interesting to notice that even in His prayer for His disciples Jesus indicates that His chief concern for them was because they belonged to His Father. Thus we have a beautiful blending of concern for the glory of God and interest in His people.
Not only did Jesus, in this general way, pray for His church, but on other occasions He prayed specifically on behalf of individual disciples. For example, to Peter He said, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” (Luke 22:32) In this, too, we have an inspired example of appropriate prayer. Not only is it a privilege to daily remember at the throne of heavenly grace the general interests of God’s people everywhere, and the work for God in which they are enthusiastically engaged, but in our association with the brethren occasions will be observed which will furnish us with blessed opportunities for praying particularly for one or another of them in connection with their specific and immediate needs.
Many of the Lord’s people who enjoy the privilege of attending prayer and testimony meetings are in the habit, when giving their testimonies, of asking an interest in the prayers of the brethren. This is a very helpful custom, but often, perhaps, they may later overlook the privilege of remembering those who specially asked for an interest in their prayers. Our prayer and testimony meetings would be richer with divine blessings if all in attendance would momentarily, and in silence, lift up their hearts to God on behalf of each individual who asks thus to be remembered. Thus it would be a prayer meeting indeed.
In Ephesians 6:18,19 the Apostle Paul admonishes us along this line and asks the brethren at Ephesus to pray especially for him. We quote, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” It should be noticed that in asking prayers on his own behalf the apostle emphasizes that the purpose of it should be that he might be enabled the better to “make known the mystery of the gospel.” To properly make known the mystery of the gospel is to bring honor and glory to the name of the Lord.
Praying for Ourselves
In the Master’s model prayer the last motive illustrated is that of our own needs. The petition, “Give us this day our daily bread,” would seem to include both material and spiritual needs. God has promised to supply both, and yet it is clear from the Scriptures that He is pleased to have us make these things a matter of prayer. Obviously, however, our spiritual needs come first, and certainly our Heavenly Father must be pleased when He sees that we are most interested in the spiritual food provided for the sustenance of the new creature. In Luke 11:9-13, the Master gives us a lesson on prayer in which He reveals that one thing the Father is pleased to give in response to our petitions is the Holy Spirit. To have the burden of our prayers that of a more abundant filling of the Holy Spirit means that our petitions are in line with the divine will, hence are certain to receive favorable answers.
The daily receiving of an increasing measure of the Holy Spirit will manifest itself in many ways in the Christian life. The fruit of the Spirit, the Scriptures tell us, is love, joy, peace, gentleness—in fact, all of the Christian graces. This means, then, that when we pray for patience, or gentleness, or long-suffering, or for a greater measure of any of these Christian graces, such a prayer is, in effect, a petition for a larger infilling of the Holy Spirit.
In the Master’s lesson of Luke 11:9-13, He gives us an example by which He assures us of a hearing at the throne of heavenly grace; namely, that of children asking their parents for bread. “How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him,” is the Master’s application of this illustration. Comparing this with the statement in His model prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” it would seem that the “bread” for which we should particularly petition the Heavenly Father is indeed the spiritual sustenance by which we grow more and more into the image of His dear Son. By growing in character-likeness to Him as a result of the Holy Spirit’s influence in our hearts and lives means that when our prayers are answered, additional glory redounds to God’s great name. With this thought in mind, it is apparent that even when we ask our Father for the daily bread which we need, especially the spiritual food, the primary motive of the petition should not be the furthering of our own special and perhaps selfish interests, but the hallowing of His name.
Prayers for Forgiveness
Another point of Jesus’ model prayer is that of asking for the forgiveness of sins. In this there are no examples in the Master’s life for us to follow. He was “holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners.” But while Jesus did not need to seek forgiveness for sin, being, as the apostle says, “without sin,” yet, as the apostle further explains, He was touched with “the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are.” Because of this, He is a faithful and merciful High Priest for the church, and through Him we can come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy [forgiveness of sins], and find grace to help in time of need.”—Hebrews 4:15,16
But as is always the case in connection with our prayers, our petitions to the throne of grace must be supplemented by a course of life consistent therewith. That is why the Master appended the additional thought to our request for forgiveness in which He bids us to base our request upon the fact that we have already forgiven those who have trespassed against us.
In I Thessalonians 5:17,18, the Apostle Paul admonishes us to “pray without ceasing,” and “in everything give thanks.” The matter of giving thanks in everything might well be Paul’s explanation of what he means by praying without ceasing. Obviously, the Christian cannot continually be praying to the Lord orally, but his whole life can be so ordered as to be an expression of thanksgiving to the Heavenly Father. This proper attitude of thanksgiving to God for all of His benefits is, in turn, the most concrete way in which we can say to Him, not only in word, but more tangibly by deed, “Hallowed be Thy name.”
To the extent that we get a proper perspective of what God should mean in our lives and of how dependent we are upon His boundless grace, we will realize that our requests for blessings upon others as well as for ourselves should be made in the spirit of thanksgiving to Him who is so abundantly able to answer. However, not only should our petitions for divine blessings be presented in the spirit of thanksgiving to the Giver of all good, but we will show an even deeper appreciation of blessings received by faithfulness in our endeavor to use them to the glory of God’s great name. Thus will it be true that our lives will be a continuous prayer of thanksgiving to Him from whom all blessings flow. Thus will we be saying in word and in deed, “Hallowed be Thy name.”