Part Three: Life
X. PRAYER
I Kings 8:22—30; Psalm 141:1—4; Daniel 6:4—17; Luke 11:1—13 1 Thessalonians 5:16—18; James 5:13—16
That prayer is one of the basic activities of the religious man is a proposition which hardly needs to be proved. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, takes it for granted that—along with almsgiving (Matt. 6:2) and fasting (v. 16)—prayer (5) will always be one of the chief ways in which his disciples express their faith. This had been true in the Old Israel and would continue to be so in the New. What is novel in
Christianity is not prayer itself, but the new spirit which animates it and the new conviction which sustains it.
Prayer may be defined very simply as "speaking with God." It may take many forms, but none of them is essential. Whenever the human heart turns consciously to God—in petition, confession, thanksgiving,
adoration, questioning, or any other mood—that is prayer. Seen in this fashion, prayer is a privilege rather than a duty. Only the half-convinced will think of it as a burdensome obligation; for those who take their religion seriously, faith can offer no greater comfort than the assurance that God is not deaf but always receptive to the prayers of His children, and is, indeed, "always more ready to hear than [they] to pray."
Among the great prayers of the Bible few are more impressive than the one attributed to Solomon at the dedication of the temple (I Kings 8:22—53). It is not, of course, a literal transcript of Solomon’s words, but rather a composition of much later time placed by the author upon the king’s lips as appropriate for so solemn an occasion. This in no way detracts from its value, since it still remains a fine illustration of the Old Testament ideal of prayer. The opening section (vv. 22—30), with which alone we are concerned here, is a petition for the security of the nation and the Davidic dynasty (24—26). It begins, like all great
prayers, with an impressive characterization of the God addressed (23), includes a meditation on His attributes (27), and intercession for others (30). The paragraph concludes (30) with the simple word "forgive,"
illustrating the principle that the purpose of all true prayer is not so much to obtain a gift as to establish a right and harmonious relationship with God.
Psalm 141:1—4 is an Old Testament example of a more personal and informal type of prayer. Vv. 5—10 are corrupt and difficult, but show that the author was in danger from enemies and was anxious to be
delivered from a trap which they had set. Nevertheless, he was also aware of his own frailties and asks for God’s help to rise above them (3f). Particularly striking is his comparison of his own ascending prayers to the incense which rose to God from the altar of the temple (2), a
comparison which is echoed in Revelation 5:8.
The story of Daniel (Dan. 6:4—17) illustrates the importance of
regularity in prayer ("three times a day," v. 10) and the courage which its practice sometimes demands. His heroic fidelity, typical of the Maccabean martyrs, stands in striking contrast to the lethargic devotional spirit so common in normal times.
Luke i 1 : 1—13 contains two of Jesus’ instructions on the nature and rationale of prayer. There is first the model prayer which he taught his disciples (vv. 1—4), here given in more original form (see RSV) than in Ivlatthew 6:9—13. It falls into three well-defined parts: prayer for the coming of God’s kingdom (2), for men’s physical needs (3) and for their spiritual well-being (4). By way of comment it may be noted that the
"hallowing of God’s name" and the "doing of His will on earth" are simply different expressions for the coming of His kingdom; that the prayer for daily bread is based upon a similar petition in Proverbs 30:8;
and that the prayer for forgiveness is given a characteristically Christian emphasis by making it conditional on the forgiving spirit of the
petitioner.
The second part of this discourse (5—13) urges upon the Christian disciple the need for persistence in prayer. God is not, of course, like the surly householder of vv. 5—8 except in the sense that, with Him also, perseverance in the face of discouragement ultimately brings results.
God’s real counterpart on earth is not the somewhat humorous figure of the ill-natured friend, but rather the typical human father, who hears the requests of his children and gives them what they need (11—13). This is especially true when they are wise enough to ask for the help and
guidance of the Holy Spirit (13).
St. Paul, in I Thessalonians 5:16—18, speaks of the necessity of being always in a prayerful state of mind. One cannot say prayers "without ceasing," but he can learn to have his mind habitually turned in God’s direction.
The last selection (Jas. 5:13—16) shows the importance of both
individual and group prayer in the life of the early Church, especially in
the ministry to the sick. It gives an attractive picture of a Christian congregation united in mutual support by the prayers of all its members.
In the opening paragraph we said that Christian prayer is characterized by a new spirit and sustained by a new conviction. The new spirit is one of simple trust in the accessibility of God; the new conviction, of which the new spirit is the fruit, is that Jesus Christ has opened "a new and living way" into the presence of God. Indeed, lie is himself the way. As the Christian comes to God the Father only by Christ and lives his life in Christ, so his prayer must always be addressed to God "through Jesus Christ our Lord" John 14:6).