Let Us Pray (the sequel)

Many people I know (myself, included) do not have a vigorous prayer life.  Prayer is important and how you pray can be important.  I spoke to rituals last week – rituals are a custom or a routine.  Prayer should be a routine, but not ritualistic.

• Why would Yahweh listen to me?
• I’m too busy
• God already knows what I need
• I’m not as good at it as others are
• I don’t know what to say

The list could be much longer, but these are the more common reasons given and I don’t need to explain away every excuse (“the maximum range of an excuse is zero meters!” shouted every drill sergeant to every trainee)

•  Why would Yahweh listen to me?

Yahweh is your Father – Fathers listen to their children.  They may think what you are saying is crazy, but they listen.  They hear what you say and what you don’t say – both mean something and a father can decipher both because of age and experience.

The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Psalm 34:15

•  I’m too busy

We say the same thing regarding calling and/or visiting our earthly parents.  One does not “Honour thy father and thy mother (Exodus 20:12)” by ignoring them.  Yahweh is your Father, also – honor Him by spending time in prayer.

•  God already knows what I need

I often know what my children need, but since they are adults, I do not impose myself on them.  If they want my help, they will ask for it.  To do everything for them that I know they need is to continue to treat them as children.

Have you ever heard the expression, “It sounded like a good idea in my head”?  It normally follows some idiotic pronouncement that you wish you had not said out loud.  It is then followed by an explanation of what you really intended to say.

Say what you need . . . then clarify, if necessary.

•  I don’t need anything, I’m good

I don’t want my children to just come around when they need something.  I do want them to come to me when they need something, but I don’t want that to be the only reason they come around.

They visit friends for no reason other than to be friendly – it is a blessing when they are friendly to me.

•  I’m not as good at it as others are

Prayer is not about saying the right words, in the right order, with the right amount emphasis.  No good parent ever rejected a child because of the words they used.  They may reject them for any number of valid reasons, but the words they used is probably not one of those reasons.

I’m often impressed by the ‘heartfelt’ prayers of weepy tel-evangelists.  Sometimes they are weepy because what they are praying for is heart-wrenching (which makes me weepy, also), but it can just as easily be a show of how fervent they want you to think they are.

Yahweh is not impressed with the eloquence of our choice of words or our choice of emotion(s).

⁵ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ⁶ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. ⁷ But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Matthew 6:5-7

• I don’t know what to say

The last reason was about not knowing how to say a prayer the right way.  This one is about the fear that keeps us from even starting to pray . . . and probably is a result of several of these excuses and maybe more.

1Timothy tells us of the elements of prayer:

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1Timothy 2:1

• Supplications – Strong’s 1162 deesis {deh’-ay-sis}a petition:–prayer, request. Bullinger’s Critical Lexicon (BCL) – expression of need.  See also, Acts 1:14; Ephesians 6:18 (twice); and Philippians 4:6.  In each case, it is used with the word prayer, so supplication is a specific kind of prayer.
• Prayers – Strong’s 4335 proseuche {pros-yoo-khay’} prayer (worship); by implication, an oratory – pray earnestly, prayer.  BCL – speaking out to, prayer towards (restricted to prayer to God, and marking the power of Him, whom we invoke).
• Intercessions – Strong’s 1783 enteuxis {ent’-yook-sis} an interview.  BCL – a falling in with, meeting with, coming together; access, audience, a petition; requests concerning others and on their behalf.
• Giving of thanks – eucharistia {yoo-khar-is-tee’-ah} gratitude; actively, grateful language (to God, as an act of worship):–thankfulness, (giving of) thanks(-giving).  BCL – to show one’s self grateful; give thanks.
• For all men – any, every, the whole – humankind

So what Timothy is telling us, is that we should:

1. Pray for ourselves;
2. Pray with believing that Yahweh can do what we ask;
3. Pray for others; and
4. Give thanks (1Thessalonians 5:18)

During his ‘sermon on the mount’, Yeshua also gave a template for prayer:

⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰ Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ¹⁴ For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: (Matthew 6:9-14)

Matthew 6:9-14

Yeshua said, “after this manner”, not ‘repeat these exact words every time you pray’.  The elements of Timothy 2 are present:

1. Pray for ourselves – “Give us this day our daily bread” and “forgive us our debts”
2. Pray with believing that Yahweh can do what we ask – “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” and “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever”.
3. Pray for others – “as we forgive our debtors” and “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (can anyone deny that life would be better for everyone if Yahweh’s Will – original creation – was law on earth?)
4. Give thanks – “Amen” [used to express solemn ratification (as of an expression of faith) or hearty approval (as of an assertion)]

There are two prayers that are spoken, routinely by the Jews on a daily basis.  They are the Shema and the Birkat Ha-Mazon. 

Shema:

Deuteronomy 6:4-5:

Hear, [Oh] Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

And you shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart and with all your soul

and with all your might.

⁶ And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: ⁷ And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ⁸ And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. ⁹ And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

The Jews profess that they are commanded to say this exact prayer, by the Torah, when they liest down, and when they risest up.  Orthodox Jews also claim they must bind them for a sign upon their hand, and between their eyes (tefillin).  Writing or placing the Shema on the doorpost of their homes (mezuzot) is common practice for most Jews.

I speak to these and other customs concerning the Shema and clothing practices in my book, GRAFTED: Embracing Torah.

Though the prayer is a beautiful passage and worthy of being repeated daily, the profession of Torah mandate ignores the context of verses 1-3. 

¹ Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: ² That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. ³ Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Deuteronomy 6:1-3

Yahweh was in the process of giving them the Law, and the Law was to be in their hearts, and taught to their children, and talked about around the home, etc., not just two verses of the Torah.

Birkat Ha-Mazon (Grace After Meals):

This is the other prayer recited by the Jews daily.

When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

Deuteronomy 8:10

Yahweh commands us to bless him after we eat, which is opposite of the Christian habit of praying before meals.  The Torah, however, does not dictate the words we must use to bless Yahweh.  In the same way that a parent says, “what do you say?” to instruct a child to say, “please” and “thank you”, Yahweh is telling us, “what do you say?” after we eat.

If you have a lousy (or non-existent) prayer life, the Shema and the Birkat Ha-Mazon are a good way to jump-start your communication with the Father.