Training For Service (3)

O

ne of the beautiful ways that we serve God when we assemble to worship is through prayer. One of the simplest definitions of prayer is this: “A spiritual child, talking to his or her Father through the name of Jesus. The word of God teaches us that there are two major ways to communicate between God and the human race:

(1) God speaks through His word.

(2) Those who are born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5), talk to their Father in                   prayer.

One day while Jesus was involved in His earthly ministry and the training of His apostles, one of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Lk. 11:1).

He did not say, “Lord, teach us to preach the gospel to the whole world (Mk. 16:15). This disciple must have felt that there is first the need to pray, and then preach. Therefore, Jesus taught him to pray!

Jesus did not respond to him by saying, “Once I have taught you to preach, I will teach you to pray.” Why did Jesus not say this? Because He knew that without being in touch with God through prayer, he (and the other disciples) could not successfully preach! Therefore, He taught him to pray.

The church cannot properly function in all the areas of Christianity without being a praying church! Thus, when the men in this church are asked to lead the minds and hearts of God’s family in prayer, they are given a serious and important part in carrying out God’s will. It is not just a matter of filling in some time during the hour of worship, but prayer is talking to God, and this has an effect on all the other acts of worship.

Therefore, all men who lead prayers, and all who follow with them as they lead, should be challenged to continually improve. We should ALL have the desire to pray in the way that pleases God. So let us all study and think about the following guidelines:

Pray As A Leader

There is a time to pray privately and in secret, because Jesus spoke of praying in the closet (Mt. 6:6). James also wrote: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms” (Jas. 5:13).

However, leading a public prayer is different from a private prayer. Instead of praying the words, “I ask you,” or “I praise Your name,” we must say, “We ask You” or “We praise Your name.” Never forget that the ones we are leading are praying (in their hearts and minds) the same prayer that we are leading and their needs should be considered.

Pray To Be Heard

For us to lead the members, they must hear what we are saying as we include them. Thus, when they stop hearing, they stop praying with us. How can they say, “Amen” (so it is, or may it be fulfilled) if they cannot hear the words?

So, we must speak up to be heard. This is not to say that we should get so loud that we distort the conversation of prayer, because nothing should be taken away from our sincere approach to God. Yet, what do we do when talking to a friend who says, “I’m not hearing you?” We continue the conversation, but we speak louder! The same must be true when we lead others in prayer.

In private prayers, we have only to think a prayer and God hears. However, as human beings, we depend on the proper pronunciation and volume of the sound to be able to hear. Surely then, we need to speak up to be heard in public assemblies!

Pray With Faith and Sincerity

There is a difference between “saying a prayer” and “praying.” The first of these, “saying a prayer” involves just saying words, but “praying” includes both the words and the heart! With this important thought in mind, we must learn daily to pray with faith and sincerity.

When James wrote about successfully praying for the sick, he said, “And the prayer of faith will save the sick,...” “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jas. 5:15,16).

Remember, as God’s leaders, the closer we are to Him, the closer He will be to us.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...” (Jas. 4:8).

Therefore, let us make every effort to prepare our hearts and minds to lead a sincere public prayer. The night before our assignment, we can read verses on the subject of prayer. We can also study the importance of prayer in the early church. As a starter, we can read the following passages: (Acts 1:1-4; 2:42; 4:23-31; 12:1-5; 16:25).

These and similar verses from God’s word will help us pray with greater faith and sincerity.

Pray Short Prayers

The definition of a short prayer can be given various time limits, however, in this study, the aim of a short prayer is to lead a prayer that is not too long or not too short.

Jesus did not appreciate the long prayers of the hypocrites. He warned His disciples:

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Mt. 6:7). Thus, as we pray public prayers, we need to avoid extremes.

Yes, a prayer can be too short, when it does not include the essentials that need to be mentioned. We need to take time to honor God our Father, to express our gratitude for His spiritual and physical guidance, to pray for the spread of the church or kingdom to the world, and to express concern for the sick and bereaved. When this is done properly, it requires some time. However, we should make every effort not to go to the extreme by leading prayers that are too long.

Pray To The Father

When Jesus gave His model prayer, He did not tell His disciples to say, “Our Jesus,” or “Holy Son,” or “Dear Jesus.” He taught them to say, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name” (Mt. 6:9). Yes, we are to pray in the name of Jesus, but this means that we are praying through Him as our High Priest. Just as the high priest of the Old Testament officiated for the people by offering sacrifices, so through Jesus, our High Priest, we are able to approach God our Father.

Paul taught this same principle concerning Jesus to the Ephesian Christians: “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18).

Peter also taught this truth in his first epistle:

“you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5).

Thus, when we pray, we have the following help:

(1) Jesus as our mediator

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” (1 Tim. 2:5).

(2) The Holy Spirit makes groanings

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26).

From these passages we can learn that both Christ and the Holy Spirit help us when we pray, but it is still true that we pray ONLY to the Father.

Do Not Pray To The People

Even though we are leading the minds and hearts of the people, we must pray to God and NOT to the people. Certainly we want to consider the needs of others who are praying with us, but we must always be aware that we are talking to God.

For example, suppose a lady comes to you and asks, “Would you talk to my husband for me, and tell him that I love him and that I want to make him happy?”

If you agree to do this, you will be talking to him about the feelings of his wife, but you will still be talking to him.

Therefore, when we lead a public prayer, we are expressing the needs of those in the audience, but we are expressing their needs to the Father.

Keep in mind that a prayer that is prayed only to be heard by others, will reach ONLY others. Why is this true? Because God will not hear prayers just for others (Mt. 6:5). To avoid this trap, when we pray we should set our minds on God, and never forget that we are talking to Him as we lead others. Surely God will be pleased to hear all the prayers that are sincere and of faith that come before His throne of mercy and grace.

“The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Prov. 15:29). —BBBristow